Funding Sources & Application Assessment
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How is the Community Grants Program funded?
The Community Grants Program distributes grants to qualified recipients using funding from the following sources:
- Discretionary Funds: Victoria Foundation holds endowed funds established by donors who have given our board and staff discretion to allocate funding across a broad range of community wellbeing issues. We choose to distribute this funding to local organizations through the Community Grants Program. The investment of these endowed funds and the annual distribution rate that is applied to the market value of the funds each year determines how much funding we have available to allocate through the program.
- Donor Advised Funds: Donor Advised Funds are established by donors who want to remain an active participant in annual granting. Sometimes they choose to support organizations which apply to the Community Grants Program. Applications are not proactively shared with donors, but if a donor comes forward with a particular interest in an organization or cause area, and it connects to an organization that has applied to the Community Grants Program, staff will let the donor know. The donor will then have the opportunity to make a donor advised grant recommendation to support that application.
- Community Action Funds: Community Action Funds are non-endowed funds which allow donors to give confidently to areas of greatest need within cause areas that matter to them. From January 1 to May 23, 2025, all gifts made to the Community Action Funds will be allocated to approved Community Grants Program applications.
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How are applications assessed?
The Victoria Foundation’s review process is comprehensive, and we seek input from a variety of sources. We intentionally include people with an array of perspectives and diverse experiences as part of setting our grant priorities and during the review process. We will seek input from a wide variety of sources for the 2025 grant cycle, including:
- Community Engagement Committee: The Foundation’s Committee of the Board provides oversight, guidance and additional community knowledge.
- Subject Matter Experts: We will seek input from individuals who can provide additional context and regional information to help support the review process.
- Victoria Foundation’s Vital Signs Report: An annual community check-up that measures the vitality of our region, identifies concerns and supports action on issues that are critical to our quality of life.
- Other community engagement, regional reports and surveys: Staff continuously engage with community groups to understand emerging needs and opportunities, and to hear additional input and feedback. For example, through the 2024 State of the Sector report.