Ground-breaking new partnership brings vital support to BC’s non-profit sector at a critical time
March 24, 2022
Walter Schneider, CEO, New Relationship Trust, Kevin McCort, president and CEO, Vancouver Foundation, Michael McKnight, president and CEO, United Way British Columbia, Niki Sharma, BC’s Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development and Non-Profits
Vancouver Foundation is proud to partner with the Government of BC, United Way BC, and New Relationship Trust to mobilize more than $34 million over the next three years for community organizations across the province that are struggling from the effects of the pandemic.
The Recovery and Resiliency Fund was announced in the 2022 BC Budget with a $30 million commitment from the Province, including $5 million to advance Indigenous priorities. It’s worth noting this is the first new money for our sector in recent memory — and it comes at a crucial time.
Last year Vantage Point sounded the alarm with research that revealed the fabric tying together people and communities is fraying as many community organizations face an uncertain future. Demand is up, revenue is down, and it’s getting harder to provide the services people rely on. Their call to action was heard by Niki Sharma, BC’s Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development and Non-Profits, who advocated within government to launch this Fund. It also inspired Vancouver Foundation to contribute $4 million of our own funding to extend this vital lifeline.
We’re hard at work now designing a new Fund with our partners that will bring relief to those organizations that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. As we work through the grant design process we’re energized by a shared commitment to test new and innovative ways of supporting local organizations that are the bedrock of communities across BC. That’s why we’re developing an approach that will provide multi-year, unrestricted grants to successful applicants — to help them through the worst and set them up for long-term success. We’re also looking at ways to embed principles of trust-based funding in this ground-breaking effort, like simplifying our application process, reducing bias in adjudication, and placing the onus for reporting on the funding partners. Details about eligibility criteria, grant size, and the adjudication process are still to come. Our goal is to launch in June 2022.
In a sector as significant and diverse as ours it seems there’s never enough to go around. We know this Fund won’t be able to deliver everything to everyone. But we’re excited to step up and do what we can to center community-led organizations in building a healthy, prosperous, and bright future for all British Columbians.
To learn more about the Recovery and Resiliency Fund and sign-up for updates visit: www.vancouverfoundation.ca/grants/recovery-and-resiliency-fund