Community Recovery Program 2020 Distributions
Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, $2,389,996 from the Victoria Foundation’s Community Recovery Program will help 126 organizations on Southern Vancouver Island weather the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funds are providing federally-registered charities and qualified donees in the capital region with flexible, general operating funds assisting them in continuing to offer services and providing financial security now and moving forward. These funds will in turn allow these organizations to support vulnerable communities affected by the pandemic and strengthen the charitable sector more generally.
Of the total amount being granted through the program, over $750,000 has come from direct donations made either to the Community Action Funds or from Donor Advised Funds over the past few months. The Community Action Funds, launched in September 2020, give the opportunity to donate directly to issue areas in our community, including pandemic recovery through the continuation of the Rapid Relief Fund.
Your Gifts In Action
From the environment, to mental health, homelessness, to racial equity and more, a wide range of organizations being supported by this funding are responding directly to needs in the community, often exacerbated by the ongoing impact of the pandemic.
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Arts and Culture - $433,273
Organization Primary Vulnerable Population Served Project Overview Grant Amount Ballet Victoria Society General community Artist’s salaries. $20,000.00 Canadian Heritage Arts Society (CHAS) dba Canadian College of Performing Arts Children and youth For operations and adaption costs to ensure organization can stay open and maintain operations. $20,773.00 Dance Victoria Society General In support of programs like the provision of studios at no charge for local dance artists to develop new work. A project with the Inter-Cultural Association to commission 10 short dance films shot on Smart Phones from diverse communities to be released during Dance Days. $10,000.00 Greater Victoria Danceworks Association Children and Youth As a result of COVID-19 19 however, we were unable to hold the April 2020 festival which generates the majority of our annual revenue. We were therefore forced to collapse our savings and are running a deficit at this juncture. $10,000.00 Harmony Project Society of British Columbia Children and Youth Funds will be used to pay teachers to teach children Strings and Drumline; for the up-sizing of instruments children have outgrown; for additional music stands required to meet covid-19 protocols, sanitization supplies, technology support for performance recording and submissions; for festival entrance fees, music, repairs, and rehearsal space rental. $15,000.00 Intrepid Theatre Company Society General Funding will be used for modifying the Metro Studio Theatre into a cabaret seating style to ensure proper spacing and safety. $30,000.00 Island String Players society dba Victoria Chamber Orchestra (completed manually) Seniors and elders Funds will help cover the $8500 cost of the streamed concerts and $2500 publicity campaign promoting them. A grant will also offset the lack of ticket revenue. There is no audience stream entry fee, just an opportunity to donate. $5,000.00 Kaleidoscope Theatre Productions Society Children and Youth Funding will be used to adapt Kaleidoscope’s Mainstage programming to tour local communities and perform outdoors, providing high-quality, traditional mainstage programming. $25,000.00 Langham Court Theatre Society General community Funding will be used for operational costs associated with providing rental space, which includes staffing and utilities, for the next year. Funding would allow us to offer more no-cost rentals which include our contracted in-house technicians fees. $20,000.00 Puente Theatre Society Other (underrespresented artists) Funding will be used to help make up for lost ticket revenues, which will enable Puente to continue to support underrepresented artists in creating theatre that promotes cultural diversity. $15,000.00 Royal & McPherson Theatres Society General General operating costs, including labour, utilities, janitorial and service contracts. $20,000.00 SingYourJoy Young Adult Chorus Children and Youth To prepare and lead rehearsals with young choir members and for technological needs. $15,000.00 Story Theatre Productions Society Children and Youth Funding will be used for staffing costs for two COVID-safe Arts Educations projects. $13,500.00 Suddenly Dance Theatre Society Children and Youth Funding will be used for staffing costs to provide supportive transformation of active programs, as well as support for general operational costs such as rent, web connectivity, and rehearsal space. $12,000.00 The British Columbia Lions Society for Children with Disabilities (“Easter Seals BC Yukon” – ESBCY) Children with disabilities; caregivers To support virtual programming for children with disabilities. $40,000.00 The Linden Singers of Victoria Society General community Staffing costs and production, recording, and streaming costs. $5,000.00 The Victoria Choral Society General community To employ a team of professional choral directors with high-level technical expertise. $10,000.00 Theatre SKAM Association Children and Youth Funding is for operations and staffing to maintain programs and performances. Funding will also help us stop rotating staff lay offs. $30,000.00 Vancouver Island School of Art General community Funding will be use to start an online drop-in drawing program on a weekly basis $10,000.00 Victoria Arts Council General community The funding will be used to off-set expenses related to producing the new magazine, UNTIL, over the coming year. Expenses include: Guest-Editor fee ($400 x 4 issues), Artist honoraria ($50 x 60 artists), Design fee ($1,500); promotion ($400). $6,500.00 Victoria Conservatory of Music Children and youth; seniors and elders To update equipment and air purifiers to keep in-person sessions safe. $20,000.00 Victoria Festival of Authors Society General community Funding will be used to ensure programming can remain free. Because of additional support from BC Arts Council and Canada Council at the beginning of COVID, this was possible for 2020 but without excess funds for 2021 it will be difficult to both afford the additional tech support needed for Zoom Panels and livestreaming in-person while also keeping tickets free. Our programming focuses on diverse voices and we feature many writers from marginalized communities. We want to ensure their events are accessible and widely subscribed. $2,500.00 Victoria Independent Film & Video Festival General COVID Recovery funds will allow for the Victoria Film Festival to present a 2021 Festival. The way forward for the Festival will be a mixture of online and in-person screenings. The screenings will be at The Vic Theatre but in addition, we will need to set up 6 – 7 pop up venues. $26,000.00 Victoria Philharmonic Choir Society General community For musical direction, accompaniment and section leadership, venue rental and music purchases for the workshop/rehearsal sessions $12,000.00 Vox Humana Chamber Choir General community Funding will be used to support the unique expenses related to live stream activities as well as to continue to employ an Artistic Director. $15,000.00 West Coast Children’s Choral Society Children and youth Funds will be used for staff to provide choral education to youth, to cover additional venue costs for rehearsals and to hopefully purchase recording equipment to allow for virtual performances. $15,000.00 West Coast Reach Association Refugee, newcomer, and undocumented immigrants; persons with disabilities; people experiencing homelessness Honoraria for instructors, administration and guest presenters (currently all working voluntarily to get us through the initial pandemic period), plus purchase of some supplies needed for virtual recording and presentations $10,000.00 -
Education and Learning - $331,548
Organization Primary Vulnerable Population Served Project Overview Grant Amount Boys & Girls Club Services of Greater Victoria Children and Youth Staffing costs and operations $38,000.00 Canadian Federation of the Blind Persons with disabilities The project will use the funds to support the organization to maintain and augment its mentoring, public awareness and outreach work. $10,000.00 Circle Salt Spring Education Society Children and Youth Funding will be used to cover the rental of The Farmers’ Institute main exhibition building at a cost of $30/hour/3 hours/week/ 22 weeks. $2,000.00 Friends of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory Society Children and Youth Funding will be used to pay staff to prepare and provide live online science programming to elementary and secondary school students and home-school programs. $10,000.00 Frontier College Indigenous people (First Nations, Metis, Inuit) Community Literacy Catalyst programming, literacy project in partnership with Pacheedaht, Ditidaht, T’Sou-ke, and Sc’ianew First Nations. $15,000.00 Greater Victoria Volunteer Society Seniors and Elders For staffing costs, IT, office supplies, and honorariums for volunteers. $15,000.00 Growing Chefs Society Children and Youth Funding will be used for staffing costs for our Program Assistant who is devoted to supporting teachers, homeschooling caregivers, volunteers, kids, and families on Vancouver Island. $8,653.00 Horticulture Centre of the Pacific Children and Youth To expand technological capacity for programs adapted to online delivery. $25,000.00 Indigenous Perspectives Society Indigenous people (First Nations, Metis, Inuit) To update web server and basic rebuild of IPS and Indigenous Caregivers of BC websites that they run. Also, additional equipment for remote work $22,000.00 Institute for Sustainability Education and Action Children and Youth Funding will be used to coordinate and facilitate collaborative action on climate change projects and community engagement on Salt Spring Island, to enable our community to meet the target of a 50% reduction in GHG emissions by the year 2030. $12,500.00 Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria Racialized people ((Arab, Black, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Latin American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Other racialized groups) Funding will be used to ensure frontline staff are supported to provide resources and services to immigrants and ensure essential needs of those most vulnerable are meet. Additionally the funds will be used to inform newcomers and their families of important health and safety updates and service changes. $20,000.00 Pacific Training Centre for the Blind Persons with disabilities Staffing costs to deliver programming. $25,000.00 Ready to Rent BC Association People with low-income or living in poverty To provide virtual RentSmart tenant education courses to CRD residents. $15,000.00 Salt Spring Coop Preschool Children and youth Funding will be used for staffing costs to paying for an extra staff member coming in every Wednesday and subbing hours. and to pay for extra cleaning hours from staff members unaccounted for in our budget. $3,500.00 Vancouver Island Regional Library Seniors and elders VIRL will work with residential care facilities in Sidney, North Saanich, Sooke and Mill Bay to combat social isolation by providing digital infrastructure to enable residents to access VIRL’s eLibrary collections, attend VIRL’s virtual programs, connect with loved ones, and access the internet. $10,000.00 Victoria Disability Resource Centre Persons with disabilities Funding will be used for staffing costs to keep up with the increased demand for services due to the pandemic. The VDRC will recruit, train and supervise someone to be the Front End Manager to ensure inquiries ae being addressed in a timely manner. The successful candidate will work 25 hours a week for 26 weeks at $15 an hour. The Administrative time to recruit, train and supervise will be three hours a week for 26 weeks at $16 an hour. $12,648.00 Victoria Literacy Connection Society Children and youth Funding will be used for online program and organizational costs. Program coordination, including volunteer recruitment, volunteer training, online tool $15,000.00 Victoria Restorative Justice Society People with low-income or living in poverty Funding will be used for staffing costs and general operating costs to continue to provide safe and effective restorative justice services. $25,000.00 WITS Program Foundation Children and youth Funding will be used to help both the WITS programs and Pink Shirt Day engagements adapt to situations created by COVID19. $27,247.00 Young Entrepreneurs of Canada Association children and youth Funding would be used for staffing costs to support CRD schools with customizing online: Educational workshops with volunteers; Mentorships with strong role models that support/inspire; Dynamic events to showcase student achievement/growth. $20,000.00 -
Environment and Sustainability - $158,948
Organization Primary Vulnerable Population Served Project Overview Grant Amount Compost Education Centre Children and Youth Funding will be spent to support the CEC programming to adequately shift to offer online resources for schools programming and the community at large. $11,500.00 Georgia Strait Alliance Environment Staffing costs and digital adaptions to maintain programming in capital region $20,000.00 Habitat Acquisition Trust Children and Youth Funding from this grant will go to: -Staff time required to design and oversee implementation of a new website, -Costs associated with building a new website -Acquiring the necessary technology for such an update This will help us continue our community-facing projects in a good, safe, and effective way. $20,000.00 Mayne Island Conservancy Society Environment Funding will be used to meet a shortfall in staff costs, materials, and overhead for our habitat restoration projects (priority areas in public parks and private lands), native plant nursery, and landowner consultation program. $11,000.00 Pender Islands Conservancy Association Children and Youth Funding would be for staff and for Nature Centre costs. $16,289.00 Peninsula Streams Society Children and Youth Funding will be used for core staffing costs that would normally be covered by our annual fundraising gala and corporate fundraising program. In addition to supporting stream restoration and watershed stewardship activities, funding will allow us to provide technical support and information to Greater Victoria residents on environmental matters, including those pertaining to their properties, waterways and shorelines, stormwater discharges, etc. $15,000.00 Raincoast Conservation Foundation Environment To cover operational expenses of the Gulf Islands Forest Project (GIF Project). $10,000.00 Sierra Club of British Columbia Foundation Children and Youth Staffing costs for programming. $15,000.00 Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary Society Seniors and Elders To purchase a semi-permanent outdoor tent structure to serve as a safe gathering space for our broader community, to purchase more mobile pop-up tents, and to create a kit-based nature program for newcomers to Victoria and offer these supplies free of charge. $23,100.00 The Farmlands Trust (Greater Victoria) Society People with low-income or living in poverty For staffing costs and programming costs (planting harvests, updating irrigation system) $17,059.00 -
Food Security - $234,084
Organization Primary Vulnerable Population Served Project Overview Grant Amount Burnside Gorge Community Association People with low-income or living in poverty For digital adaption of services $14,845.00 Community First Foundation dba Backpack Buddies Children and Youth To provided 5 – 6 weeks of food for children $15,750.00 Fairfield Community Association of Victoria on behalf of the Coalition of Neighbourhood Houses Children and Youth Funding for food security programming, and help with CNH coordinator role as well. $10,000.00 Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group People with low-income or living in poverty For gift of good food, Providing good food boxes to 800+ people. $30,000 providing 60 families with good food boxes for a year $20,000.00 Food Bank at St John the Divine/Anglican Church of St John the Divine People with low-income or living in poverty To install an awning to continue operating outdoors, a cooler, day labourer to help with lifting and purchasing food. $10,000.00 Home is Where we Live – LifeCycles Project Society People with low-income or living in poverty For Food Share Network coordinator position and to hire an intern to support additional work load due to COVID. $10,400.00 James Bay Health & Community Services Society dba James Bay Community Project Seniors and elders Funding for operation and programming costs to maintain family and seniors services at current levels with the loss of revenue from social enterprise sources. $20,000.00 Jewish Family Services of Vancouver Island People with low-income or living in poverty Staffing costs and financial supports to clients between $1,000 – $1,500 per month. $16,800.00 Our Place Society People experiencing homelessness To increase available dining room space by creating all weather space in the courtyard. $29,000.00 PEPAKEN HAUTW Food Systems Education Foundation Indigenous people (First Nations, Metis, Inuit) Staffing costs for programming. $21,289.00 The Galiano Club People with low-income or living in poverty Food and staffing costs. $15,000.00 Vancouver Island Kids Klub Centre Society Children and youth Funding will be used to maintain our free lunches for children for the coming school year. It will especially allow us to continue to purchase covid safe items that are pre wrapped and do not require extra handling. Our hope to maintain the Brown Bagh Lunch service for up to 500 kids per week. $11,000.00 Victoria Community Food Hub General Community Funding will be used to support food security in the Capital Region. $25,000 Working with IXE Creative to conduct interviews, provide grocery gift cards, research, online events. To understand needs of community from an equity lens. $15,000
$40,000.00 -
Gender Equity - $92,766
Organization Primary Vulnerable Population Served Project Overview Grant Amount Birthing Families Matter Society (Community Doula Connection) Women and Girls Funding will be used to create and execute the Birthing Families Counselling Program, which will be an online, sliding scale, counselling program for perinatal mothers/families. $13,000.00 Bridges for Women Society Women and Girls Staffing costs, operations costs and digital adaption $24,766.00 Island Sexual Health Society Indigenous people (First Nations, Metis, Inuit); Members of LGBTQ2s+ communities; youth To provide ongoing education and services to our most vulnerable populations with a special emphasis on gender care. $25,000.00 Victoria Women’s Transition House Society Women and Girls Staffing costs for counselling for women experiencing domestic violence and abuse or who are leaving or have left their abusive relationships. $30,000.00 -
Health and Wellness - $800,117
Organization Primary Vulnerable Population Served Project Overview Grant Amount AVI Health and Community Services Society People experiencing homelessness Funding will be used to enhance supports for people at high risk of overdose in Victoria, the Westshore and Sooke including peer support and supplies to meet basic needs. Funding will also be used to offset costs associated with COVID protocols including installation of plexi-glass and other barriers and cost of PPE. $5,000.00 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Victoria Capital Region Children and Youth Staffing costs for social enterprise initiatives and to transition online sales (thrift store) to adapt to COVID’s financial impact. $24,700.00 Broadmead Care Society Seniors and Elders Support for Creative Arts program, including staffing and supplies, for people with Alzheimer’s etc (check and add). $35,335.00 Child Abuse Prevention & Counselling Society of Greater Victoria Children and Youth For digital adaptation of services, including counselling services. $12,000.00 Citadel Therapy Canine Society Other (Veterans and First Responders) For training of medical services dogs and related costs $5,000.00 Connections Place Society Persons with disabilities For staffing and operational costs, including peer support position $20,000.00 Crisis Intervention and Public Information Society of Greater Victoria dba. NEED2 Suicide Prevention Education and Support Children and Youth For staffing costs associated with youth crisis line and IT costs of remote programming. $15,000.00 Crohn’s and Colitis Canada Persons with disabilities Funding will be used for the staffing and resources needed for the development, implementation and evaluation of the Gutsy Mental Health Support Program. This program aims to help people living with IBD and due to the emotional impact of the pandemic are struggling with mental health. $10,000.00 Cycling Without Age Society Seniors and Elders Funds would be directed toward getting another Trishaw bicycle operational, training pilots in COVID safety practices, having sufficient safety equipment, liability insurance and getting word out into our community that we are ready to serve them again. $4,000.00 Esquimalt Nation Indigenous people (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) Enhance our outreach services, i.e. food security, well family visits. wages to increase outreach hours and food for families experiencing hardship due to the Pandemic Prepare our nursing clinic for onsite COVID testing, i.e. PPE supplies, handwashing stations, waiting areas with wipeable surfaces, plumb sink into flex space for NP/GP clinic room $25,187.00 Friends of Living and Learning Through Loss Children and Youth Funds will be used to continue supporting grieving youth through individual counselling with a skilled registered clinical counsellor, and support the ED continue to help the organization thrive and grow during and post COVID-19. $15,000.00 Galiano Health Care Society People with low-income or living in poverty For COVID support and education for local population; PPE, extra janitorial and other operations costs $15,900.00 Greater Victoria Citizens’ Counselling Centre People with low-income or living in poverty Capital cost renovations to improve air circulation and staffing costs and digital adaption (1-year contract with Zoom Health for counselling) $23,000.00 Greater Victoria Police Victim Services Other (victims of crime/trauma) For two laptops and accompanying software. $2,200.00 InspireHealth Society Other (people with Cancer diagnoses) Funding will be used for technology upgrades including: laptops, Zoom, VOIP phone system, secure remote medical records and file access, online collaboration tools, and costs for tech support for patients and staff. Assist with 60% increase in patient encounters. $30,000.00 Island Deaf & Hard of Hearing Centre Other (Deaf and hard of hearing) Funding will be sued for technological adaptation and capital expenses. $15,716.00 Island Kids Cancer Association Children and Youth To provide children, youth and their families access to service providers such as music therapists, play therapists, art therapists, counsellors and psychologists. $12,000.00 James Bay New Horizons Seniors and elders Funding to hire a “professional” who could act as a mentor and train volunteers to talk to isolated seniors and then be on hand if there is more of a clinical need for help (depression, social isolation, fear) and they can intervene as necessary. As this pandemic continues to grow (Cases are on the increase, even on the island), there is more fear of catching Covid and being alone. $10,000.00 John Howard Society of Victoria Other (people involved in the criminal justice system To support the JHS KidStart Mentoring Program, largely for general operational costs and program adaptation due to COVID-19. $30,000.00 KidSport Greater Victoria (licensed local chapter of KidSport Canada) Children and youth Funds will be used to ensure KidSport Greater Victoria can continue to support every eligible local child and youth who applies for our support, to a maximum of $500 per child, per year. $10,000.00 Marie Esther Society (Mount St. Mary Hospital) Seniors and Elders For the salaries of two accredited music therapists and will purchase portable, musical equipment, instruments, and adaptive technology. $40,000.00 Mayne Island Health Centre Association Seniors and Elders To replace old computers. $5,300.00 MOVE Adapted Fitness and Rehabilitation Society of BC Seniors and Elders For staff wages and operational costs $15,000.00 Pacific Centre Family Services People with low-income or living in poverty Funding will be primarily used for staffing costs for our counselling programs. It will also be used for increased operational costs such as extra janitorial and supplies related to Covid -19, PPE, and increased IT costs for virtual counselling sessions. $40,000.00 Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence Society Persons with disabilities For program adaptations, including additional staff time, PPE and additional training. $20,000.00 Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence Society Persons with disabilities To implement and execute the strategic plan in the next fiscal year. $20,000.00 Pender Island Recreation and Agricultural Hall Association Seniors and elders Funding for operations staffing costs $13,300.00 Power To Be People with low-income or living in poverty Funds will be used to provide outdoor recreation opportunities for individuals who face barriers. Over the past few months, we have been told time and again that spending time outdoors is the safest place to be. $15,000.00 Saanich Neighbourhood Place Children and youth Funding will be used for staffing costs to support increasing demand for outreach to youth and families, particularly in mental health outreach, and also to cover extra staffing required to ensure we can provide necessary program supports to ensure safe participation for everyone, with a focus on those children with diverse needs attending preschool. $35,000.00 Sooke Family Resource Society People with low-income or living in poverty To provide additional space costs and increased sessions for in-person affordable counselling, staffing, and the purchase of laptops, cameras and headphones for new virtual serve delivery models. $30,000.00 Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada Children and Youth For activity packages for sick children. $9,000.00 Surrounded by Cedar Child & Family Services (SCCFS) Indigenous people (First Nations, Metis, Inuit) For additional laptops and audio-conferencing licenses. $28,897.00 The Garth Homer Society Persons with disabilities To lease additional program space. $40,000.00 The Victoria Sexual Assault Centre Members of LGBTQ2s+ communities Funds will be used to sustain staff hours to provide survivors with emotional support and information about VSAC’s services through the access line program, and cover operational costs for a new cloud-based phone system. $27,000.00 Umbrella Society for Addictions and Mental Health Indigenous people (First Nations, Metis, Inuit) To hire an indigenous worker to provide culturally appropriate support for this over represented population. $25,000.00 Vancouver Island Counselling Centre for Immigrants and Refugees Association (VICCIR) Refugee, newcomer, and undocumented immigrants To create a succession plan for VICCIR Director of Services and co-founder $30,000.00 Vancouver Island Men’s Therapy Centre Society People with low-income or living in poverty; Other (men experiencing/ who have experienced trauma) Funding for operating costs ensures that we can continue providing services through a hybrid model (virtual and in-person counselling) during the ongoing pandemic. This includes wages for staff working on system updates and COVID-19 safety/access upgrades. Capital and staffing costs would include a virtual counselling procedure guide and an online administration platform to support staff working remotely. $10,000.00 Victoria Brain Injury Society Persons with disabilities For staffing costs associated with hiring a part-time case manager. $29,582.00 Victoria Hospice Society Seniors and Elders For increased costs to bereavement services and health and safety requirements $25,000.00 Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society Refugee, newcomer and undocumented immigrants The funds will be used to pay for a database designer to create the financial approval database system and correlating forms and reports as well as image storage capacity for receipts. We expect this is between 60 -70 hours of programming work at a consultant rate of $100/hour $6,000.00 Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association Persons with disabilities Funds will be used to support operation costs, staffing and program adaptation. Current registration is down due to ongoing COVID concerns and we are having to acquire additional equipment and supplies to ensure participant and volunteer safety. $8,500.00 Wear2Start Society Women and girls Staffing costs for volunteer coordinator $7,500.00 -
Homelessness Prevention - $215,800
Organization Primary Vulnerable Population Served Project Overview Grant Amount Abbeyfield St. Peters Society Seniors and elders To provide counselling to residents. $11,000.00 Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness Society Indigenous people (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) Funding will be used to hire a Housing Transition and Stabilization Coordinator (HTSC). This person will provide focused support for 25 Indigenous people who are precariously housed and/or at-risk of homelessness as a result of COVID-19 and its associated public health measures $59,800.00 Anawim Companions Society People experiencing homelessness Staffing costs for resident and drop-in programs $20,000.00 MakeWay Charitable Society People with low-income or living in poverty Funding will used for The Existence Project to support staff salaries, additional staff training for online programming, and development of an online platform to adapt, deliver and expand in-person workshop into an online workshop. $20,000.00 Peers Victoria Resources Society People experiencing homelessness For camping supplies for persons who are sheltering outside, food security, rent or other COVID-related expenses, and staffing. $28,000.00 PHS Community Services Society People experiencing homelessness For PPE, clinical care supplies, and food for shelter residents and program participants. $22,000.00 Threshold Housing Society Children and Youth Upgrading technology to allow for increased and consistent virtual communication, specialized counselling for youth, and transportation costs for youth to get to counselling, work, school activities etc. $15,000.00 Together Against Poverty Society People with low-income or living in poverty To assist people with evictions, payment of rental arrears, and access to emergency COVID and post-COVID related benefits. $40,000.00 -
Racial Equity and Reconciliation - $123,460
Organization Primary Vulnerable Population Served Project Overview Grant Amount BC Aboriginal Network on Disability Society Indigenous people (First Nations, Métis, Inuit); persons with disabilities The funds would be used to hire a contract position for 1 year to assist the Society’s programs and clients specific to the capital region. This would be at $28 / HR x 35 HRs per week x 52 weeks, commencing ASAP or April 1, 2021 $50,960.00 BC Black History Awareness Society Racialized people Funding will be used for staffing costs for Youth Engagement Coordinators to provide outreach and support to students and youth regarding anti-racism skills, training and involvement. This includes initiatives within the education system and other governmental services to identify, monitor and address systemic racism. Staff being funded will also be involved in initiatives to support engagement with Black communities and allies to build stronger community relationships, as well as to create public awareness initiatives to increase understanding of the causes and impacts of anti-Black racism. $7,500.00 The Anglican Synod of the Diocese of British Columbia Refugee, newcomer and undocumented immigrants Funding will be used for staffing, operational costs, technological adaptations, training, and IT for their Refugee Sponsorship Program. $35,000.00 Victoria Native Friendship Centre Indigenous people (First Nations, Metis, Inuit) To hire a senior contract manager and human resources position. $30,000.00
Spotlight Grant Recipients and Donors
To learn more about how you can support the community through these difficult times, visit our Community Action Funds page.
The Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness, has opened two new housing sites and has seen its staff grow from seven to over 50 since March of this year, all in its efforts to meet demand.
“This funding support is timely on a number of fronts, first because of the need to transition individuals into housing, particularly in light of Covid-19 and second because of Covid-19 our workload has intensified greatly. Our goal is to help Indigenous people maintain their housing within the context of pathways to healing and recovery; thus, this grant is important in this process.” – Fran Hunt-Jinnouchi, Executive Director.
The JAYMAC Fund, a donor-advised fund held at the Victoria Foundation offered a $100,000 gift to the Arts and Culture Fund, a Community Action Fund supporting the arts sector, which has been hit especially hard by the pandemic.
“The support from the Victoria Foundation’s Community Relief Program has been vital to Intrepid Theatre’s overall stability while pivoting all operations. From discovering online adaptations to our festivals, to reconfiguring our venues to be able to safely open our doors when the time is right, to finding ways to keep artists and audiences connected, every aspect of Intrepid’s operations have changed and having the Community Recovery Program support allows us to continue to stay creative, hopeful, and operating.” – Heather Lindsay, Artistic and Executive Director