State of the Sector Reports

View 2025 Report

Measuring the pulse of BC's charitable sector

Since 2020, this report series offers an annual data-driven snapshot of the health of the charitable sector in British Columbia. Drawing on survey responses from staff working within non-profits, it highlights ongoing needs, key trends, challenges, opportunities and successes currently shaping the sector.

With consistent, high-quality data it helps equip funders, policy-makers and other sector stakeholders with relevant information to make informed decisions on how to best support the current needs of BC’s charitable sector.

The State of BC’s Non-Profit Sector is a collaboration between Vantage Point, Vancouver Foundation, the City of Vancouver and the Victoria Foundation. Vancity Community Foundation and United Way BC joined the partnership in 2023.

2025 State of the Sector report now available

Stretched Thin: 2025 State of BC's Non-Profit

The 2025 State of BC’s Non-Profit Sector Survey, conducted by Vantage Point, reveals that non-profits across the province are under increasing pressure. More than 500 non-profit leaders across the province shared their perspectives, highlighting three interconnected themes:

  • Rising demand with growing complexity of needs and severity of issues
  • Organizations are striving to pivot and respond during increasingly difficult times
  • Supporting the people who deliver programs is both a pressure point and a priority

Non-profits are essential for strong, connected, and resilient communities in BC. Stretched Thin offers a clear picture of the current challenges and highlights potential solutions to strengthen the sector, enabling greater impact across the province.

Thank you to the 500+ non-profit voices who contributed to this year’s survey.

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Reports: 2018-2024

  • Under Pressure: 2024 State of BC’s Non-Profit Sector

    In the 2024 State of the Sector survey, 558 non-profit organizations across BC were surveyed on various trends to provide a snapshot of and insights into the state of the sector in British Columbia through two key themes: (a) less resilient times and (b) overburdened

    The report provides consistent, high-quality data, crucial to understanding the non-profit sector in BC, and equipping funders, policy makers, and other sector stakeholders with relevant data to make informed decisions and better support the current needs of BC’s non-profit sector.

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    Explore Infographic

    While considering the successes, pressures, and challenges the sector reports experiencing this year, the report makes recommendations to all levels of government, funders, and sector stakeholders and partners to address:

    1. Sustainability of the sector workforce
    2. Funding reforms
    3. Nurturing a collaborative ecosystem

    The Under Pressure: 2024 State of the Sector Report will be used to help BC’s non-profits in their advocacy efforts and to strengthen the sector’s ability to support the communities we serve.

  • State of BC's Non-Profit Sector: Safety Net (2023)

    The 2023 State of BC’s Non-Profit Sector Report provides a snapshot of the trends, challenges, opportunities, and successes for BC’s non-profits during a period marked by the sunsetting of emergency funding supports coinciding the creation of a new sector development fund – and an endemic era of COVID, high inflation, climate events, and a housing crisis. The report provides an analysis of the current contexts for non-profits operating on the ground in different regions of BC.

    This year’s report underscores the need to increase the sector’s capacity to be a decent work employer through a focus on job creation investments and strategies. It calls on the sector’s partners and leaders to bolster the internal strengths of the sector with external supports to sustain community-serving programs.

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  • Unraveling: Nonprofits, COVID-19, and the Fabric of BC Communities (2021)

    The Unraveling report clearly shows that the non-profit sector in our province is frayed. This sector which, pre-pandemic, contributed $4.6 billion annually to the capital region economy, is vital to creating a vibrant, caring community through health-related services, arts, culture, sports, recreation, and environmental protection.

    To ground this data in a local context and to share this information with people who could help implement calls to action, Victoria Foundation, hosted two Vital Conversations in the capital region on March 10 and April 9, 2021.

    VIEW THE REPORT

  • Unraveling Vital Conversations (2021)

    In these conversations, participants identified actions to support changes and capitalize on opportunities presented by the challenges of the pandemic that will re-weave the fabric of our non-profit sector stronger. There is sense of urgency and great appetite to support the sector’s recovery into the “next normal”.

    VIEW THE REPORT

    VIEW THE REPORT INFOGRAPHIC (BC REGION | CRD REGION)

    VIEW THE VITAL CONVERSATION HIGHLIGHTS

  • No Immunity: BC Nonprofits and the impact of COVID-19 (2020)

    The No Immunity survey was conducted in the early days of the pandemic between April 8 and April 21, 2020 to examine how nonprofit organizations across BC were being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. BC non-profits and charities were invited to identify the ways in which COVID-19 is impacting their organizations, and what types of support would help them continue to serve their communities.

    VIEW THE REPORT

    VIEW THE INFOGRAPHIC

  • Civil Society Impact Report (2018)

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    VIEW AT-A-GLANCE POSTER