Registered charities in Greater Victoria received more than $900,000 last year from the Vancouver Foundation, Canada’s largest community foundation with assets of nearly $1 billion.
Since 2011, local so-called field of interest grants have totalled $3.16 million.
Last year’s grants ranged from $123,500 to KidsCareCanada to provide closed captioning for hearing-impaired people and translation of 93 short educational videos to $10,000 to the Blue Bridge Theatre to upgrade electrical facilities at the Roxy Theatre. The Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island received $40,000 for its HerWay Home program that helps pregnant women and new mothers affected by alcohol or drug abuse, violence or mental illness.
Now, the foundation wants to dish out even more dollars through its revamped field of interest grants that offer up to $75,000 per year for social innovations.
“Although we are called Vancouver Foundation, we have a provincial mandate,” said Jon Garner, communications manager for grants and community initiatives.
Charities and other qualified organizations are invited to find out more about three new types of field of interest grants aimed at innovative projects in arts and culture, education and training, environment and health, and social development before the May 15 deadline.
“The focus is on new ideas — social innovations — that look at problems or issues in a new way,” the foundation said in a statement.
Last year, field of interest grants program provided funding of more than $7 million.
The foundation typically funds up to half the budget for a project. The three new types of grant are:
• develop grants of up to $10,000 for up to one year;
• test grants of up to $75,000 per year for up to three years, and
• grow grants of up to $50,000 per year for up to three years.
In 2014, organizations in Victoria received $916,830, Garner said.
This included $113,330 for arts and culture; $69,470 for children, youth and families; $111,418 for disability, support and employment; $136,500 for education, $90,000 for environment; $205,672 for health and medical education and research; $173,500 for health and social development, and $16,940 for youth homelessness.
Those were part of $50 million the foundation gave to 5,300 organizations, usually following direct instructions from donors.
For more information, go to vancouverfoundation.ca/grants.
