Victoria’s Vital Charities
The best place to discover local organizations that matter most to you.
Vital Charities allows you to search hundreds of local organizations that have received a grant from the Victoria Foundation within the last three years or that hold an endowment fund with us. Explore your community and connect with programs and projects like never before. Discover the innovative and effective solutions that local organizations are undertaking to address issues raised in the Victoria’s Vital Signs report. Hundreds of charities are profiled.
How to use this tool:
- Search multiple criteria by entering keywords separated by spaces in the search bar below.
- For example, you could enter “pets”, or “Saanich” or “music”… whatever your interest may be.
- Also, you can use the toggle arrows at the top of each column to sort by that field.
| Organization Name | Grantee Funding Year | Hosted Organization | Vital Signs Issue | Population Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000×5 – Children’s Book Recycling Project Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Getting Started | Children | 1000×5’s goal is for all children to have books in the home and to have heard 1000 books by age 5. Listening to books as a baby and toddler is one of the most important activities that a child will ever do. Handling books, listening to stories, and enjoying time spent with an important adult builds language, imagination, and many important connections in the developing brain. | |
| 9-10 Club Serving Soup to the Hungry | 2024, 2022 | Standard of Living | General Population | The 9-10 Club serves breakfast five days each week to the poor, the unemployed, and the hungry. All workers are volunteers and between 100 and 200 meals are served each day. | |
| A C P D – Action Committee of People With Disabilities Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Standard of Living | Persons with Disabilities | The ACPD provides essential services to people with disabilities in Greater Victoria, including support for applications for disability assistance, CPP-D, and other income programs; personalized advocacy for tenancy issues; and information and referral to other services. | |
| Abbeyfield House St Peter’s Society | 2023 | Health & Wellness | Seniors | Abbeyfield’s mission is to provide affordable accommodation and companionship for elders within their own local community. This is achieved by converting and maintaining houses in which typically a small group of residents live together with a house manager. Rooms are usually private but housekeeping and meals are provided by a small staff in the common living space. | |
| Aboriginal Coalition To End Homelessness Society | 2024, 2022 | Housing | Indigenous People | The Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness Society’s (ACEHS) sole focus is to support Indigenous peoples experiencing homelessness. Their work is centered on the voices of Aboriginal peoples who have shared their immediate needs, lived experiences, and perspectives on solutions. Through building partnerships locally and island-wide, the ACEHS works to identify and address systemic and structural barriers, share information, resources, and lessons learned, while also providing cultural supports, connections, and housing stability. | |
| Access to Media Education Society | 2024 | Arts & Culture | Youth | The mission of Access to Media Education Society is to create equity-oriented, youth-centred spaces that support creative reflection, critical dialogue, and personal and social transformation. They uplift emerging creative change-makers through accessible and inclusive programs that provide unique opportunities for young people to make and share meaningful media. | |
| Adoptive Families Association of BC | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | Children | Adoptive Families Association of BC (known as ‘The Belonging Network’) provides support, education, and connection for adoptive and permanency families and youth in and from government care in BC and beyond. They support all kinds of families that create permanency for children and youth, and also help youth from care get the skills and supports they need to develop physical, cultural, and relational permanency as they enter adulthood. | |
| Alzheimer Society of B.C. | 2024, 2023 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | The Alzheimer Society of BC mobilizes a broad community of care and supports research into the disease to ensure people affected by dementia are not alone. Their essential support, information, and education programs connect Capital Region participants to a local community of care and foster confidence, security, and belonging. |
| Art Gallery of Greater Victoria | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria engages with people by providing access to art and art-based experiences that contribute to the quality of life in our community. Connecting through volunteering, membership, donations, and participation is critical to their success. They showcase contemporary art, significant works produced in this region, and art that represents our histories. | |
| Artemis Place Society | 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | Youth | Artemis Place Society supports youth from the Capital Region facing diverse and complex challenges including mental and physical health, food security, and housing. Their mission is to provide holistic social and emotional support and high school education to young women and trans-youth in a nurturing community, and to provide an enriched early childhood experience to infants and toddlers of young parents while modeling caregiving skills and supporting each student in their parenting. | |
| Artsea Community Arts Council Society | 2023, 2022 | Arts & Culture | General Population | ArtSea Community Arts Council works to ignite interest and appreciation for all forms of the arts and cultural activities on the Saanich Peninsula. Activities are open to the entire community, welcoming artists at all levels, from emerging to professional artists, arts and culture groups, and community members curious about the arts. | |
| Athletics for Kids Financial Assistance (B.C.) Society | 2024, 2023 | Sports & Recreation | Children | Athletics for Kids’ goal is to ensure that kids between the ages of 5-18 are able to play and participate in sports. Whether that’s swimming lessons at the rec center, community lacrosse, or joining a gymnastics club, they provide financial assistance to help low-income families cover registration fees for over 55 non-school-based amateur sports. | |
| Atira Women’s Resource Society | 2022 | Safety | Women | Atira Women’s Resource Society is committed to the work of ending violence against women. They are dedicated to supporting women and children affected by violence by offering safe and supportive housing and by delivering education and advocacy aimed at ending all forms of gendered violence. | |
| AVI Health and Community Services Society | 2022 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | AVI’s mission is to promote health, dignity, and well-being for all people affected by HIV, HCV, and substance use by delivering sex-positive and harm-reduction-based education, prevention, and support services. They envision a community where all people affected by HIV, HCV, or substance use have equitable access to the support and services necessary to experience optimal health and well-being. |
| B.C. Muslim Association | 2023 | Arts & Culture | Black & People of Colour | The BC Muslim Association (BCMA) is currently the largest Sunni Muslim organization in the province. The BCMA is dedicated to developing and maintaining religious, cultural, and educational facilities for their community. | |
| Ballet Victoria Society | 2024, 2023 | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | Ballet Victoria Society promotes diverse, emerging, and established Canadian dance talent in an inclusive and accessible environment, as well as educates the public on the value of dance in all communities and provides seasons of professional performances. Ballet Victoria’s productions are accessible and relevant to a wide range of multicultural audiences. |
| Bayanihan Cultural and Housing Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Arts & Culture | Newcomers, Immigrants and Refugees | The Bayanihan Community Centre provides an affordable and welcoming facility for programs and events for education; support services for youth, seniors, new immigrants, caregivers, and skilled workers; cultural, heritage and arts programs; pursuit of creative interests; and recreational activities. It is the home of the Victoria Filipino Canadian Association, the Victoria Filipino-Canadian Caregivers Association, and the Victoria Filipino-Canadian Seniors Association. | |
| BC Land Surveyors Foundation | Hosted Organization | Learning | General Population | The two primary objectives of the BC Land Surveyors Foundation are to create and maintain a library that houses historical and current reference material related to the surveying industry in British Columbia, and to financially assist students who wish to pursue careers in surveying by providing scholarships and bursaries. | |
| BC Parks Foundation | 2024 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The mission of BC Parks Foundation is to create the greatest system of parks and Indigenous protected areas in the world. They aim to inspire and empower people to enjoy these beautiful places in BC so they flourish for now, for all, forever. | |
| BC Search and Rescue Association | Hosted Organization | Safety | General Population | The BC Search and Rescue Association (BCSARA) was formed to provide health and safety programs for SAR volunteers and to provide prevention programs at the provincial level. The mission of BCSARA is to represent the recognized, unpaid, professional ground search and rescue community by providing advocacy, support for funding and health and safety, access to information, and public education and prevention. | |
| BC Wheelchair Sports Association | 2024, 2022 | Sports & Recreation | Persons with Disabilities | Since 1971, the BC Wheelchair Sports Association has helped people with physical disabilities across the province lead active, healthy lives through wheelchair sports. They are committed to being a strong advocate for athletes with a disability and working to reduce barriers to participation. | |
| BCEdAccess Society | 2022 | Learning | Persons with Disabilities | BCEdAccess Society provides education to families, allies, professionals, and students about children with disabilities and their options to gain an education in the BC school system. The society also provides community engagement, promotes inclusion, and increases awareness through holding conferences and conducting surveys. | |
| Beacon Community Association | 2024 | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | Beacon provides a comprehensive range of services to a diverse population of people in need. They call the support they give “wrap-around services”, reflecting their commitment to assisting individuals throughout their entire lives. They deliver compassionate, innovative community services that foster self-sufficiency, volunteerism, and well-being. | |
| Beaver Point Community Hall Association | 2023 | Belonging and Engagement | General Population | Beaver Point Hall is a beautiful heritage community hall located on Salt Spring Island. The Association maintains and upgrades the hall so they can continue to serve the community. | |
| BeaYoutiful Foundation | 2024 | Belonging & Engagement | Women | BeaYoutiful’s mission is to instill the values of self-worth and self-love in female and non-binary children and youth between the ages of 8 and 14, inspiring them to build confidence through acts of passion, kindness, community and connection. | |
| Beecher Bay First Nation | 2024 | Belonging & Engagement | Indigenous People | Victoria Foundation granting programs support municipalities, Indigenous Nations, and churches for their charitable initiatives and community-building programs such as food banks and cultural events. | |
| Best Buddies of Canada | 2023 | Belonging & Engagement | Children | Best Buddies Canada promotes inclusion by creating lasting one-to-one friendships between individuals living with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD and Autism Spectrum Disorder). Their ultimate goal is to promote inclusion, acceptance, and friendship in every school and community across Canada. | |
| Big Brothers and Sisters of Victoria Capital Region | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | Youth | Big Brothers and Sisters of Victoria Capital Region positively impacts our community by providing mentoring programs for children and youth. Their programs empower youth by enhancing their sense of belonging, self worth and resiliency, and ultimately supporting our community’s most vulnerable in reaching their full potential. |
| Bike Victoria Society | 2024, 2023 | Transportation | General Population | Bike Victoria (known as ‘Capital Bike’) runs a broad range of community programs which help reduce barriers for people who want to ride bikes to improve their quality of life, health outcomes, and reduce environmental impact. They provide the skills, knowledge, and connections to make cycling an easy and fun transportation option. | |
| Birthing Families Foundation | 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | Women | Birthing Families Foundation (BFF) is a reproductive justice-based organization whose mission is to support vulnerable birthing families with perinatal care in the form of skilled doula services, community supports, and food security. BFF programs serve the birthing community with objectives to reduce health disparities for equity deserving families, provide continuing education to perinatal professionals, and to work on large scale systems challenges that impact all birthing families. | |
| Blue Bridge Theatre Society | 2022 | Arts & Culture | General Population | Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre fosters community spirit and cultural awareness through play production and workshops. Their aim is to give Victoria-based artists, technicians, and administrators the opportunity to build a remarkable theatre company that offers audiences timeless visions into the world’s great plays. | |
| Borderline Personality Disorder Society of British Columbia | 2024 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Borderline Personality Disorder Society of BC provides education and support for people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and their family members and friends. They increase awareness to the community throughout BC and they promote research about BPD. Their vision is to help all persons with BPD live a satisfying and fulfilling life. | |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Victoria Foundation | 2024, 2023 | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | Children | The BGC South Vancouver Island’s goal is to provide a safe, supportive place where children, youth, and families can experience new opportunities, overcome barriers, build positive relationships, learn valuable skills, and develop confidence and capability. Their programs build on each child and youth’s unique strengths and engage them in activities that challenge and enrich their minds, bodies, and spirits encouraging healthy living, personal growth, learning, skills development, and community involvement. |
| Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Vancouver Island | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | Children | BGC Central Vancouver Island excels at creating opportunities for children to grow, learn, and thrive. They are dedicated to inspiring children, youth, and families through engaging experiences that nurture their cognitive, emotional, and social skills. They believe in fostering resilience and confidence and inspiring children to become happy, healthy contributors to society. | |
| Bridges for Women Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Safety | Women | Bridges inspires women?affected by trauma, violence or abuse to reclaim their lives and build financial security through their healing, education, and employment programs. Their services are open to all women (transgender and cisgender), non-binary, and two-spirited people who identify as a part of the women’s community and who have been impacted by violence or trauma at any time in their lives.? |
| British Columbia Black History Awareness Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Arts & Culture | Black and People of Colour | BC Black History Awareness Society creates awareness of the history of Blacks in BC and celebrates historical and contemporary achievements and contributions in the arts, education, government, sports, sciences, and more. | |
| British Columbia Guide Dog Services | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | BC Guide Dog Services’ mission is to meet the growing demand for professionally trained Guide Dogs and Autism Support Dogs for citizens of British Columbia and Alberta, at all times meeting or exceeding international standards as established by the International Guide Dog Federation and Assistance Dogs International. | |
| British Columbia Railway Historical Association | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | The BC Railway Historical Association is a Victoria-based group dedicated to the preservation of the railway history of British Columbia through archival and artifact collections, research, writing, publication, and sale of books. | |
| British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals | 2023 | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | The BC SPCA protects and enhances the quality of life for domestic, farm and wild animals in British Columbia, as well as inspiring and mobilizing society to create a world in which all animals enjoy. They are the only animal welfare organization in BC with the authority to enforce animal cruelty laws under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. They are the largest animal welfare organization of their kind in North America and the largest animal sheltering society in the world. | |
| Broadmead Care Society | 2024 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Seniors | Broadmead Care offers long-term care and programs for people who require assistance every day. With five locations in the Greater Victoria comprising of compassionate and dedicated staff, they live their purpose by building communities where every person can experience well-being and happiness. |
| Burnside Gorge Community Association | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | Burnside Gorge Community Association operates a full continuum of support services to children, youth, and families throughout the Capital Region. Programming includes a range of childcare programs for ages 3.5 to 11; a range of community and school-based youth and family services; housing and asset development supports for youth and families; community recreation and special events for all ages; and a variety of community development initiatives. | |
| C O C F Community Options for Children and Families Society | 2024, 2023 | Belonging & Engagement | Persons with Disabilities | Community Options for Children and Families is a welcoming, innovative organization that provides a wide range of services to people with developmental disabilities, their families, and their caregivers on South Vancouver Island. They work in partnership with other organizations, individuals, and government to ensure the inclusion of all people in community. | |
| Camosun College Foundation | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Learning | General population | The Camosun College Foundation has raised millions to empower students to pursue goals that otherwise might have been unattainable. Their goal is to empower students with skills to achieve their career aspirations, breaking down socio-economic barriers and contributing to a stronger and more competitive local economy. |
| Canadian Council of Provincial and Territorial Sport Federations Inc. | 2023, 2022 | Sports & Recreation | General Population | Canadian Council of Provincial and Territorial Sport Federations Inc. is the voice for amateur sport in our provinces and territories, promoting the benefits of sport participation and achievement, health, and personal development. They represent the Provincial/Territorial Sport Organizations/Sport Governing Bodies as well as multi-sport organizations and other groups and individuals that share a mutual interest in the delivery of sport. | |
| Canadian Esperanto Association | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Canadian Esperanto Association is a national association of the speakers and supporters of Esperanto in Canada, who share a common interest in using and promoting the International Language as a solution to the world language problem. Through its publications and services, the Association aims to improve understanding of Esperanto and the world language problem. | |
| Canadian Federation of University Women – Saanich Peninsula | Hosted Organization | Learning | Women | CFUW clubs are located in every province across Canada. Since its founding in 1919, CFUW has been working to improve the status of women, and to promote human rights, public education, social justice, and peace. CFUW’s vision is of a strong national organization working to ensure that all girls and women have equal opportunities and access to quality education within a peaceful and secure environment where their human rights are respected. | |
| Canadian Light Music Society (Palm Court Light Orchestra) | 2022 | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Palm Court is a professional orchestra specializing in light, tuneful, classical music. They present an annual series of orchestral concerts and maintain a library of orchestral light music. | |
| Canadian Organization of The Blind And Deafblind | 2023 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | The Canadian Organization of the Blind and DeafBlind is a federal, grassroots organization on Bowen Island that operates the Camp Bowen summer independence camps, Foundations of Independence Canada-wide blindness/DeafBlindness skills training, virtual blindness/DeafBlindness skills training, and national outreach programs benefiting people who are blind and DeafBlind from across Canada. | |
| Canadian Public Relations Society Foundation | Hosted Organization | Learning | General Population | The Canadian Public Relations Society provides public relations professionals and students opportunities to learn and connect. Their mission is to build a national public relations and communications management community through professional development and accreditation, collaboration with thought leaders, a commitment to ethics and a code of professional standards, advocacy for the profession, and support to members at every stage of their careers. | |
| Canadian Red Cross Society | 2023 | Health & Wellness | General Population | The Canadian Red Cross Society’s purpose is to prevent and alleviate suffering in accordance with the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Their mission is to help people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and support them in strengthening their resilience. | |
| Cancer Driveline Society | 2022 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | The Cancer DriveLine Society is committed to providing safe and compassionate transportation solutions for cancer patients residing or temporarily staying within the 13 municipalities of southern Vancouver Island. They ensure cancer patients receive the critical assessments, treatments, surgeries, and procedures they need. | |
| Capriccio Vocal Ensemble Society | 2022 | Arts & Culture | General Population | Capriccio Vocal Ensemble is an auditioned choir for adult voices based in Victoria. Concerts are held at Christ Church Cathedral. After nearly 40 concert seasons, Capriccio continues to captivate audiences with outstanding performances of choral music ranging from the 15th century to the present. | |
| Castilleja Conservation Society | 2024 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | Castilleja Conservation Society (CCS) has facilitated the community-led restoration of Oak Bay’s natural areas that contain some of the last remaining fragments of endangered maritime meadow ecosystems. Once abundant along the coast of Victoria and Oak Bay, these unique and disappearing systems are home to species-at-risk that are found nowhere else in Canada and have some of the highest levels of biodiversity of any terrestrial ecosystem in the country. | |
| Centennial United Church | 2022 | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | Victoria Foundation granting programs support municipalities, Indigenous Nations, and churches for their charitable initiatives and community-building programs such as food banks and cultural events. | |
| Centre for Earth and Spirit Society | 2022 | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | The Centre for Earth and Spirit Society offers sacred spaces for cultivating meaningful conversation, contemplation, and community. Through life affirming action, they co-create opportunities to deepen relationships and reciprocity with the earth and all beings. | |
| Cetus Research & Conservation Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | Cetus Research & Conservation Society is a non-profit marine conservation organization, founded in 2005 to address the increasing endangerment of BC’s killer whales due to human activities. They focus directly on one of the three key contributors to killer whale endangerment: vessel traffic disturbance. They work in the field to protect whales and other marine mammals from harassment and harm. | |
| CFAX Santas Anonymous Society | Hosted Organization | Standard of Living | General Population | CFAX Santas Anonymous Society is a trusted children’s charity in Greater Victoria, dedicated to assisting families with children facing hardships. While they focus on providing new toys and food to families during the holiday season, they recognize that poverty affects children and youth year-round. They are able to offer crucial financial assistance precisely when and where it’s needed most, addressing the ongoing needs of local children and families year round. | |
| CFB Esquimalt Military Family Resource Centre | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | CFB Esquimalt Military Family Resource Centre’s mission is to enhance resilience in military families through provision of programs and services that serve, involve, and advocate for the military community and their families and address the unique challenges of the military family lifestyle to enhance quality of life and enable military operations. | |
| Child Abuse Prevention and Counselling Society of Greater Victoria | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | Children | The Victoria Child Abuse Prevention and Counselling Centre responds to children, youth, and families affected by sexual abuse and other trauma, by providing victim services, counselling, prevention, and education within the Greater Victoria community, and consultation throughout British Columbia. | |
| Christ Church Cathedral | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | Christ Church Cathedral has two hosted organization funds. The Christ Church Cathedral fund supports the Cathedral’s ongoing ministry and operations and the Christ Cathedral Music Endowment fund supports the cathedral’s liturgical and concert music programs. | |
| Christ Church Cathedral Educational Society | Hosted Organization | Learning | Children | Christ Church Cathedral School provides an outstanding and inspiring education to children from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8. They provide a well-rounded curriculum accessible to students of all beliefs, nurturing the spiritual, social, physical, and intellectual growth of every child. One of the core values at the School is the belief that everyone deserves access to a high-quality education. | |
| Citadel Therapy Canine Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Citadel Therapy Canine Society’s core mission is to provide post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) medical service dogs for eligible military veterans and the full range of first responders: police, fire, EMT, nursing, 911 personal, corrections, and related first responders who seek enrolment within their program. | |
| City of Colwood | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | The City of Colwood is home to a strong arts community and a growing number of opportunities to participate in and enjoy art, music, theatre, and dance. Colwood recognizes that access to arts, culture, and heritage provides strong health and social benefits that enhance the quality of life for residents and attract visitors to the region. They wish to foster this through the philanthropic support of local arts, culture and heritage services and programs through their Hosted Organization Fund. | |
| City of Langford | 2024, 2023 | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | Victoria Foundation granting programs support municipalities, Indigenous Nations, and churches for their charitable initiatives and community-building programs such as food banks and cultural events. | |
| City of Victoria | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | City of Victoria is a Hosted Organization fundholder with two funds. The City of Victoria Governor General’s Youth Legacy Fund supports youth organizations. The Shape Your Future Victoria Legacy Fund supports the implementation of capital projects identified in the City’s 20-year capital plan that enhance the public realm and increase the quality of life of Victorians. | |
| Columbia Institute | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Learning | General Population | The Columbia Institute is an independent public policy think tank based in BC. Their mission is to grow, foster, and support progressive leadership to advance equitable, inclusive, and resilient communities across Canada. Their projects and initiatives focus on civic governance, scholarships, and research. | |
| Community First Foundation | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Standard of Living | Children | Backpack Buddies is dedicated to ensuring the most vulnerable children have access to food. Many children rely on school meal programs but over the weekend may not eat at all – this is the weekend hunger gap. Backpack Buddies addresses this crisis by filling backpacks every Friday for students in need with enough meals and snacks to last the weekend and beyond. | |
| Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria | 2024, 2022 | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | The Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria (CSPC) addresses the needs and priorities of people experiencing poverty in the region through community social planning activities and initiatives. CSPC provides leading-edge community-based research, education, and evaluation for its members, strategic partners, and clients, and its processes help inform decision making across all sectors in order to support broad based social well-being. |
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| Congregation Emanu-El | 2024 | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Congregation Emanu-El is a Hosted Organization fundholder. The fund helps to support maintaining a house of worship, providing instruction for the young, maintaining a cemetery for persons of their faith, and promoting cultural, social, and youth activities as desired by members of the congregation. |
| Connections Place Society | 2024, 2023 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Connections Place Society is a community-based program that provides psycho-social rehabilitation, support, and resources to adults living with mental illness in Greater Victoria. They offer unique programming focused on wellness, employment, and education. |
| Construction Foundation Of BC (2012) Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Standard of Living | General Population | The Construction Foundation of British Columbia focuses on the development and continued excellence of the skilled trades and occupations within BC’s workforce. They are focused on improving the social and economic well-being of the communities in which we live and work. | |
| Cook Street Village Activity Centre Society (New Horizons) | 2023 | Belonging & Engagement | Seniors | The Cook Street Village Activity Centre offers social, educational, wellness, and recreational activities to those 50+. They are a membership-based organization that is successful by continually listening to the community and looking for ways to help people remain fully active and engaged in a wide variety of programming options from movies to speakers to food programs to fitness and wellness services. | |
| Cornerstone Youth Society | 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | Youth | Cornerstone Youth was designed to teach life skills and develop therapeutic relationships to best inspire and prepare youth for a successful life outside of the centre. Everything they do is intended to “fill the tool-belts” of youth so they may have the resources to handle life’s tricky situations before they are forced to deal with them. | |
| Cowichan Foundation | Hosted Organization | Learning | General Population | The Cowichan Foundation was created to enhance the quality of life of Cowichan area residents and students. In particular they provide grants for education and arts that improve the cultural life of the Cowichan Valley. | |
| Cowichan Musical Society | 2023 | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Cowichan Musical Society (CMS) has been bringing the highest quality amateur musical theatre to the Cowichan Valley since 1982. CMS productions offer a professional experience to singers, actors, and dancers, and provides work opportunities for other members of the local arts community. |
| Cowichan Therapeutic Riding Association | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | The Cowichan Therapeutic Riding Association (CTRA) provides therapeutic riding and equine-based therapeutic services for persons with disabilities. They promote and facilitate access to horses as a therapeutic alternative, recreational/sport opportunity, and agent of well-being in the lives of all participants. Through the power of the human-equine bond, CTRA brings together individuals, families, and the community in the spirit of healing, inclusion, and human growth. | |
| Cowichan Valley Hospice Society | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Cowichan Hospice offers support, information, and companionship to those living with an advancing illness, family and friends, and those grieving the death of a loved one. Hospice care is available to clients in their homes, hospital, residential care facilities, and any other environment within the Cowichan region. | |
| Cowichan Valley Intercultural and Immigrant Aid Society | Hosted Organization | Getting Started | Newcomers, Immigrants and Refugees | The Cowichan Intercultural Society is the leading community resource for immigrant settlement services, as well as for education and awareness in developing welcoming and inclusive communities. Their mission is to support newcomers to Canada toward their successful integration in the Cowichan Valley region, and to support our community in embracing diversity and enhancing intercultural awareness | |
| Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum Society | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | Craigdarroch Castle is a Canadian National Historic Site. The Castle Society’s charitable mission is to protect, restore, and preserve the Castle, while bringing its stories to life. Visitors who have returned to the Castle over the years will appreciate how far the Society has come in preserving and restoring its rooms as well as the grounds. | |
| Creating Community Wellness Society | 2024 | Health & Wellness | General Population | Creating Community Wellness Society leads in the development and coordination of community-based health and wellness initiatives and to support the charitable work of community organizations providing wellness education, and wellness, health, and medical services to the public. | |
| Crisis Intervention and Public Information Society of Greater Victoria | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | Youth | NEED2 Suicide Prevention Education and Support is a volunteer driven organization supporting young people in Greater Victoria. Through school-based prevention and awareness education, and on-line emotional and crisis support, NEED2 works to break the silence and challenge the stigma that exists around suicide and mental illness. NEED2 and the services it provides help to keep youth in our communities safe. | |
| Cycling Without Age Society | 2024, 2023 | Belonging & Engagement | Seniors | Cycling Without Age Society (CWAS) is a volunteer-run charity providing free cycle rides to those that otherwise could not get out to have fun riding a bike, or to see the sights or experience the sounds of their community. CWAS offers up to one-hour rides in the community on quiet streets and pathways and their services are provided 7 days a week, 365 days a year. | |
| Dance Victoria Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | Dance Victoria operates with the mission to promote the appreciation of dance by developing and presenting diverse local, Canadian, and international artists, and by engaging the community in the celebration of dance. |
| Dawson Heights Housing Ltd. | 2024 | Housing | Seniors | The objective of Dawson Heights Housing is to operate and maintain low-cost housing for the elderly. They create a safe home in a nurturing community for residents. They make every effort to identify what residents need and then go the extra distance to ensure they have a positive and rewarding experience in a supportive and loving environment. | |
| Downtown Blanshard Advisory Committee | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | The Quadra Village Community Centre (known as the Downtown Blanshard Advisory Committee) is a safe and welcoming gathering place and neighbourhood association in the vibrant and diverse neighbourhood of Hillside Quadra. They provide services, programs, and support to meet the various needs of individuals in their community. | |
| Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Program | Hosted Organization | Learning | Youth | The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Program is an international award for young people that equips them to be ready for the world and life. The award empowers young people to learn and grow through non-formal education, all while working towards a globally recognized accreditation. | |
| Early Music Society of the Islands | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Early Music Society of the Islands (EMSI) is dedicated to offering accomplished performances of music composed prior to 1800. EMSI embraces the idea that early music deserves to be heard as close to its original intent, so their concerts feature period instruments, accurate scores, and historical performance practices. EMSI presents an annual concert series of music from the middle ages to the early classical age. | |
| Eddie Reid Memorial Library Society | 2024, 2023 | Learning | Children | The Eddie Reid Memorial Library Society wishes to improve and expand the children and youth services at Saturna Library, making the library a vibrant, interesting, and attractive place to attend, and thereby encouraging literacy, fostering a habit of reading, and supporting local school and pre-school programs. Since the community is rural and isolated, the library has a central role in providing access to all levels of reading and research materials for children and youth. | |
| Edward Milne Community School Society | 2024 | Learning | Youth | It is the mission of Edward Milne Community School to partner with students, parents, and the community to build a safe, supportive, and challenging learning environment that enables people to make a living, make a life, and make a difference. | |
| Eine Kleine Summer Music Society | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | Sidney Concert Society amalgamated with Eine Kleine Summer Music Society in 2024. Eine Kleine presents world class chamber music concerts at affordable prices, allowing seniors, students, and the general public to enjoy top quality performances by local musicians as well as distinguished guests from around the world. | |
| Embrace Arts Foundation | 2024 | Belonging & Engagement | Persons with Disabilities | Embrace is an organization devoted to creating meaningful artistic opportunities for individuals of all abilities. They run classes, camps, school programs, shows, and community events on Vancouver Island. Embrace strives to build safe places of connection through movement, music, and artistic expression. | |
| Engineering Institute of Canada Scholarship Society | Hosted Organization | Learning | General Population | The Engineering Institute of Canada Scholarship Society awards scholarships to engineering students from their second to fourth (final) undergraduate year, including students who have been accepted by an accredited degree granting university for their third and fourth years and who are currently enrolled. | |
| Esquimalt Nation | 2022 | Belonging & Engagement | Indigenous People | Victoria Foundation granting programs support municipalities, Indigenous Nations, and churches for their charitable initiatives and community-building programs such as food banks and cultural events. | |
| Esquimalt Neighbourhood House Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | General Population | Esquimalt Neighbourhood House Society provides support services to children, youth, adults, families, and seniors. Services include early years and family resource programs with a focus on children’s learning and development, pre and post-natal services, mental health and supportive counselling for adults, youth and family support, as well as help for seniors to remain living independently in their home. | |
| F.P.S.S. Foster Parent Support Services Society | 2022 | Getting Started | Children | The FPSS Society is committed to providing meaningful and accessible support, education and networking services which will continually enhance the skills and abilities of foster parents to deliver the best care possible to the children in their homes. They work to establish a nurturing environment for caregivers that empower foster parents to become involved, enriching their understanding of Ministry expectations, and increasing their caregiver competency, awareness, and accountability. | |
| Fairfield Community Association of Victoria | 2024, 2022 | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | The Fairfield Gonzales Community Association offers recreation classes, community events, childcare, food access, parent and tot programs, and much more – right in the heart of the neighbourhood. They support the neighbourhood, create a haven and a warm welcome for community members, and seek the building of connections and collaborations with like-minded individuals to assist Fairfield and Gonzales neighbourhoods in enhancing their community’s vitality. | |
| Family Caregivers Society of British Columbia | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | General Population | Family Caregivers of BC (FCBC) proudly and compassionately supports over one million people in British Columbia that provide physical and/or emotional care to a family member, partner, friend or neighbour. FCBC supports caregivers by providing access to information, education, and supports that enable caregivers to feel more confident and successful in their role. FCBC provides leadership to strengthen the voice of family caregivers and the significance of their role. | |
| Family Services Of Greater Victoria Society | 2023 | Health & Wellness | General Population | Family Services of Greater Victoria (FSGV) helps children, youth, and adults manage the challenges of separation, divorce, or transition to a new family structure. They provide information and practical or emotional support so people facing these challenges can make the decisions that are best for everyone. FSGV believes all individuals can find ways to move forward in their lives when family relationships have changed or are changing. | |
| Farmfolk/Cityfolk Society | 2024 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | Farmfolk CityFolk is dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture and food systems. Their mission is to support small-scale farmers, foster connections between rural and urban communities, and encourage the consumption of locally grown food. They aim to bridge the gap between farmers and urban consumers to ensure that local, healthy, and environmentally responsible food is accessible to everyone. | |
| Fateh Care Charity | 2024, 2023 | Standard of Living | General Population | Fateh Care Charity is a mobile food bank that delivers food and essential supplies directly to people in need. They focus on helping a wide range of individuals including the elderly, disabled, and families in crisis by bringing necessities to their doorstep. | |
| FED Urban Agriculture Society | 2024 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | FED creates high impact urban food system projects that contribute to an equitable and regenerative future. They promote innovative urban agriculture and enhance engagement by creating garden spaces, delivering educational programs, and advocating for urban agriculture within our community. By partnering with growers, restaurants, community organizations, and beyond, they’re transforming our cityscape into a vibrant foodscape. | |
| Federation of Canadian Music Festivals | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | Children | The Federation’s main objective is the identification, development, and encouragement of Canadian talent in the performance and knowledge of classical music. From the local to provincial to national levels of the festival movement, young artists learn from each other as well as from formal adjudications by internationally respected adjudicators. | |
| Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group Society | 2024, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group Society (NRG) is a neighbourhood house run by and for the residents of Fernwood. Its primary purpose is to enhance the quality of life in the Fernwood neighbourhood by promoting economic, social, and environmental well-being. |
| First Peoples’ Cultural Foundaton | 2023 | Arts & Culture | Indigenous People | First Peoples’ Cultural Foundation is dedicated to the preservation, revitalization, and enhancement of Indigenous language, arts, and cultural heritage. Their primary purpose is to support First Nations communities in their efforts to maintain and strengthen their cultural identities. | |
| First Unitarian Church of Victoria Foundation | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | General population | The First Unitarian Church of Victoria Foundation promotes the principles and values of Unitarian Churches, the support and growth of the Unitarian religion by facilitating educational, artistic, and cultural activities, and aids Unitarian Churches in the relief of poverty, human rights, and the preservation of a sustainable environment. | |
| Fondation Canadienne Francaise d’Aide Culturelle de la Colombie Britannique | 2024 | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Fondation Canadienne Francaise d’Aide Culturelle de la Colombie Britannique represents the cultural and linguistic interests of a diverse community of French-speaking people in Victoria. Its main objectives are to provide public services by establishing and maintaining a community and cultural facility dedicated to French-language services in Victoria; to advance French-language education; and to promote public appreciation of Francophone arts and culture. | |
| Friends of Living and Learning Through Loss | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Youth | Friends of Living and Learning Through Loss provides counselling support for youth navigating the complex journey of grief, and delivers education for peers, parents, and youth-serving professionals enabling circles of informed and empathetic support. |
| Friends of Maltby Lake Watershed Society | Hosted Organization | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The purpose of the Friends of Maltby Lake Watershed Society is to conserve the riparian, Garry Oak, and coastal Douglas Fir ecosystems, the sensitive flora and fauna therein, and the watershed ecosystems draining into and from Maltby Lake; to educate the public and relevant stakeholders of the importance of this delicate ecological and cultural landscape; and to create wildlife corridors, generate habitat for native species, and to reduce pollution on Vancouver Island. | |
| Friends of Shoal Harbour Sanctuary ON The Salish Sea: Important Bird Area Society | 2024 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The acitivities of the Friends of Shoal Harbour centre on the management of the federal Shoal Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary by working with Sidney, North Saanich, and the Canadian Wildlife Service. | |
| Friends Of The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory Society | 2024, 2023 | Learning | General Population | The Friends of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory Society inspires visitors of all ages by expanding their understanding of their place in the universe and making Canada’s historic Plaskett Telescope and the Centre of the Universe sites of learning, creativity, and community for all. This is achieved through engaging storytelling that illuminates the pivotal Canadian contributions to space sciences and explores our strong connection to the cosmos. | |
| Galiano Conservancy Association | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | Located in the Southern Gulf Islands of BC at the heart of the Salish Sea, Galiano Conservancy is a community-based land trust and environmental charity working to protect, steward, and restore Galiano Island ecosystems by creating a network of natural areas where a healthy environment, learning, and a love of nature flourish. | |
| Galiano Health Care Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | General Population | Galiano Health Care Society’s priority is promoting the health, the prevention of illness, and the well-being of the Galiano Island community in response to expressed community needs. Their primary purpose is to ensure that visitors and residents have access to essential health services, despite the island’s remote location. | |
| Galiano Island Recycling Resources Society | 2024 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | Galiano Island Recycling Resources Society (GIRR) strives to provide its community and its visitors with a recycling program that goes above and beyond expectations. With the support of memberships and donations, GIRR also offers an impressive recycling depot that rivals any in BC. Their ReDirectory remains a constant source of treasures, unique finds, and household necessities all available by donation. | |
| Gender Generations Project Society | 2024 | Belonging & Engagement | LGBTQIA2S+ | The Gender Generations Project provides a space for folks of all ages and gender identities (other than cisgender) to come together. They host bi-annual weekend retreats for Trans, Two-Spirit, Non-Binary, and other gender diverse youth and mentors. Youth learn under Trans+ experts in a variety of fields, often working towards a large, creative project | |
| Georgia Strait Alliance | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The Georgia Strait Alliance focuses on issues such as water quality, marine habitat protection, species conservation, and sustainable community development. Their work includes advocacy, public education, and community engagement aimed at addressing environmental challenges. They also collaborate with various stakeholders to promote sustainable practices and policies that benefit the marine environment and the communities that depend on it. | |
| Glad Tidings Church (Victoria) | 2024, 2023 | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | Victoria Foundation granting programs support municipalities, Indigenous Nations, and churches for their charitable initiatives and community-building programs such as food banks and cultural events. | |
| Goldstream Volunteer Salmonid Enhancement Association | 2024 | Hosted Organization | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | Goldstream Volunteer Salmonid Enhancement Association is an organization involved in salmonid enhancement, education, and maintaining where possible the number of Coho, Chum and Chinook salmon available in the waters off the south easterly tip of Vancouver Island for the sports fishery, native food fishery, and local commercial and charter operations. |
| Goosey Gander Kindergarten Association (Arbutus Grove Children’s Centre) | 2024 | Getting Started | Children | The mission of Arbutus Grove Children Centre is to support and enhance each child’s physical, social, emotional, creative, and intellectual growth through play-oriented learning. They operate three programs for children from age 3 to Grade 5. | |
| Gorge Waterway Action Society | 2024, 2023 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The Gorge Waterway Action Society is focused on preserving and enhancing the Gorge Waterway through environmental education, restoration, conservation, stewardship, and community involvement. They take on projects that support the ecological health of the Gorge Waterway, as well as the social well-being of the people who live within the watershed. | |
| Goward House Society | 2024 | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | Seniors | Goward House is a place where adults 50+ find friendship, wellness, and fun. They welcome new members from all over Greater Victoria. Goward House Society’s mission is to provide a vibrant activity center combining fellowship with social, educational, and special interest programs. |
| Greater Victoria Citizens Counselling Centre | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | General Population | The Greater Victoria Citizens Counselling Centre assists adult community members in attaining socially and psychologically satisfying lives by providing quality, accessible, volunteer counselling services. They offer individual, couples, and group counselling. | |
| Greater Victoria Coalition To End Homelessness Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Housing | General Population | The Alliance to End Homelessness in the Capital Region (AEHCR) started in 2008 as the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness (GVCEH) with a mission to end homelessness in the Capital Region. The AEHCR consists of local housing, health and social service providers, non-profit organizations, all levels of government, businesses, post-secondary institutions, the faith community, people with lived and living experiences of homelessness, and members of the general public. | |
| Greater Victoria DanceWorks Association | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | Children | Recognizing that dances performs for multiple reasons, and that dancers have a variety of needs and requirments, Victoria DanceWorks produces an inclusive festival comprised of the following Performance Festival Stream, Solo Competition Stream, NEW Competition Stream, and a Gala Evening of Dance. | |
| Greater Victoria Down Syndrome Society | 2024, 2023 | Belonging & Engagement | Persons with Disabilities | The mission of the Greater Victoria Down Syndrome Society is to empower individuals, educate and support families and those who support them, and enhance communities. Together they celebrate the diverse abilities of persons with Down syndrome. | |
| Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation | 2022 | Health & Wellness | Seniors | The Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation supports over 700 residents living in the Aberdeen, Glengarry, Priory/Heritage Woods, and Summit long-term care facilities in Greater Victoria, as well as supporting community programs that help older adults remain in their own homes longer. The Eldercare Foundation’s mission is to aide all seniors in aging with dignity. | |
| Greater Victoria Housing Society | 2024, 2023 | Housing | General Population | The Greater Victoria Housing Society is dedicated to providing affordable rental housing for low-to-moderate income families, seniors, working singles, and adults with diverse abilities who live independently. They believe that safe and affordable housing is essential to a person’s well-being and a foundation for success in life and imagine a community where everyone feels at home and has a home. | |
| Greater Victoria Lifetime Network Society | 2024 | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | Persons with Disabilities | Greater Victoria Lifetime Networks supports people with developmental and intellectual disabilities and helps them build meaningful friendships, develop life skills, and live more independent and fulfilling lives. They provide a range of programs and services and one of their key initiatives is helping individuals create personal networks by connecting them with volunteers and community members who offer friendship, mentorship, and practical assistance. |
| Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival Association | 2022 | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | Children | The Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival Association is dedicated to working with performing arts educators to develop artistic skills and a love of the performing arts for all ages and skill levels in music, dance, and speech arts. Annually, for six weeks from April to May, over five thousand Victoria-area performers and students of music, dance, and dramatic arts are on stages throughout the city receiving adjudications from renowned experts in the arts. |
| Greater Victoria Police Victim Services | 2024, 2022 | Safety | General Population | Greater Victoria Police Victim Services (GVPVS) provides emotional support, practical assistance, and referrals to individuals who have been victimized as a result of crime or trauma. Working with police to help people affected by crime, GVPVS’ mission is to have all victims achieve a state of well-being. | |
| Greater Victoria Public Library | Hosted Organization | Learning | General Population | The Greater Victoria Public Library builds community and supports literacy and lifelong learning by providing free access to information, space, tools, and expertise. | |
| Greater Victoria Volunteer Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | Volunteer Victoria is a volunteer centre that serves our community through six core functions: brokerage, marketing and promotions, training and development, developing volunteer activities, policy development and response, and strategic consultation and resources. Volunteer Victoria’s mission is to inspire and empower volunteerism. | |
| Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | Youth | The Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra exists to affirm and nourish the love of music in young people; challenge young orchestral musicians to achieve the highest standards attainable of instrumental competence and musical performance; teach commitment, discipline, co-operation, and responsibility through rehearsals and performances; and to pass on a depth of musical understanding through inspired musical direction and leadership. | |
| Green Teams Of Canada | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Environmental Sustainability | Youth | Green Teams Canada organizes outdoor hands-on environmental activities like invasive plant removals, planting of native species, litter clean-ups, and more. They raise environmental awareness while connecting people to one another and to nature, all while improving their health and well-being and inspiring environmental stewardship. | |
| Growing Young Farmers Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Learning | Children | Growing Young Farmers (GYF) Society works with schools, community gardens, and recreation facilities to educate children and youth about the benefits of growing their food. Children attending classes through the GYF Society receive hands-on gardening experience, as well as classroom time used to discuss the importance of local gardening and farming, and the role permaculture plays in food production. | |
| Gulf Islands Families Together Society | 2024 | Belonging & Engagement | Persons with Disabilites | Gulf Islands Families Together Society (GIFTS) supports people with developmental disabilities and is governed by a volunteer board of directors, consisting of family members, self-advocates, and community members. GIFTS was originally formed by families to ensure that their children living with disabilities were supported to participate in activities of their choice in their community. They recognize the right to employment, social, recreational and educational access, and housing in their community. | |
| Gulf Islands Seniors Residence Association (GISRA) | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Seniors | The mission of the Gulf Island Seniors Residence Association is to build and operate not-for-profit residential facilities on Salt Spring Island. They offer services and amenities that provide an affordable, safe, comfortable, and secure home for seniors in a community setting. | |
| Habitat Acquisition Trust | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | Habitat Acquisition Trust is a regional land trust that conserves nature on southern Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands. They envision a future where the full array of natural habitats are healthy and conserved. Their mission is to conserve natural areas through protection, collaboration, stewardship, and education. |
| Habitat for Humanity Victoria | 2024, 2022 | Housing | General Population | Habitat for Humanity Victoria brings communities together to help local hardworking families build strength, stability, and independence through affordable home ownership in the Capital Region. Their vision is a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. | |
| Harmony Project Society Of British Columbia | 2024, 2023 | Arts & Culture | Children | Harmony Project Sooke provides musical instruments and instruction to children and youth in the Sooke area. Modeled on the award-winning Harmony Project in Los Angeles, the project in Sooke was launched to promote the development of healthy youth and vibrant community through musical education and ensemble participation. | |
| Harvest & Share Food Relief Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Standard of Living | General Population | Harvest & Share Food Relief Society believes all people in our communities should have access to fresh nutritious foods. Their mandate is to delivery first cut, fresh, live leafy greens to recipients in need. They have partnered with several food banks and community kitchens to ensure foods are distributed accordingly. | |
| Haven Foundation | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Adults | The Haven Foundation offers programs and workshops aimed at fostering self-awareness, personal growth, and transformation and their mission is to support individuals in developing a deeper understanding of themselves and others, leading to healthier more fulfilling lives. | |
| Help Fill a Dream Foundation of Canada | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Children | Help Fill A Dream supports families from Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands whose lives have suddenly changed due to their child’s diagnosis with a medical condition or severe health challenge. Their Family Assistance Program helps reduce the financial stress that families experience from the costs and challenges associated with their child’s condition, and Dreams provide the experience of a lifetime for a child and their family. |
| Hockey Education Reaching Out Society | 2024 | Sports & Recreation | Children | The mission of HEROS is to use the game of ice hockey to teach life-skills and empower marginalized youth. They provide free hockey programming for at-risk children and youth, offering a safe and stable environment for them to grow, connect, and succeed. All of their programs support a player’s life journey by focusing on the four HEROS behaviours: Listening, Respect, Discipline and Having Fun. These core values are implemented by players in their every day lives beyond the rink. | |
| Home Is Where We Live-Life Cycles Poject Society | 2024, 2023 | Standard of Living | General Population | Life Cycles’ mission is to build a resilient food system in Greater Victoria by growing, harvesting, and sharing food. Year after year, they strive to make a difference by caring for the land, empowering our community, and building momentum within the local food movement to continue to connect people with healthy food. | |
| Horticulture Centre of the Pacific | Hosted Organization | Environmental Sustainability | General Public | The Gardens at Horticulture Centre of the Pacific (HCP), home to the Pacific Horticulture College, presents a year-round garden experience nestled in over a hundred hectares of conservation lands. The Centre’s mission is to bring a diversity of people together to learn, enjoy, and participate in the rewards of horticulture and environmental stewardship. | |
| Hulitan Family and Community Services Society | 2024 | Belonging & Engagement | Indigenous People | Hulitan preserves, unifies, and advocates for Indigenous families by supporting healing and fostering resilience through culturally rooted programs, services, and collaboration with community partners. Hulitan empowers Indigenous families and future generations, walking alongside them and using the cultural principles of Respect, Honour, Connectedness, Humility, and Integrity. | |
| Human-Nature Counselling Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | General Population | Human-Nature Counselling Society provides both individual and group nature-based therapy and programs for children, youth, adults, and families. They follow clients’ needs and goals, and take the work outside when suitable, safe, and desired by the client. | |
| Impulse Theatre Society | 2024, 2023 | Arts & Culture | General Population | Impulse Theatre Society creates and presents contemporary interdisciplinary theatre and dance performance, cultivates a community of artists, and empowers artists, emerging creative producers, and arts workers as leaders. Their vision is a collaborative and inclusive community of artists who are thriving, inquisitive, and capable regionally, nationally, and beyond. | |
| Indigenous Perpectives Society | 2024, 2023 | Learning | Indigenous People | Indigenous Perspectives Society: Centre of Excellence in Community Education (IPS) is a charitable social enterprise that offers specialized training and consulting services to help foster a deeper understanding of Indigenous perspectives, cultural differences, and the need for self-determination. | |
| Industrial Areas Foundation Canada | 2023, 2022 | Learning | General Population | The Industrial Areas Foundation Canada was created to teach community organizing skills and develop leaders who can create effective local community organizing organizations. Their purpose is to educate and inform the public and other registered charities by providing courses, conferences, workshops, and seminars on community involvement, leadership training, and volunteerism. They also conduct research relating to social and economic issues and disseminate the results of such research. | |
| InspireHealth Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | InspireHealth aims to improve the quality of life of people living with cancer through compassionate, evidence-informed, person-centered supportive care. Their team of supportive care physicians, clinical counselors, registered dietitians, and exercise therapists provide patients comprehensive programs and services, including group classes, workshops, and individual consultations. | |
| Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria | 2024, 2023 | Hosted Organization | Getting Started | Newcomers, Immigrants and Refugees | The purpose of the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria (ICA) is to support the full integration of newcomer immigrants and refugees into the social, economic, and civic life of the Capital Region. ICA offers a wide range of services that help newcomers access housing, healthcare, and employment as well as English language instruction and mentorship. Alongside their direct services to newcomers, ICA provides anti-racism programming and community education. |
| Intrepid Theatre Company Society | 2024, 2023 | Arts & Culture | General Population | Intrepid Theatre, including the Victoria Fringe Festival, is dedicated to creating a safe, fun, and creative space for everyone. They are devoted to providing an environment free from discrimination, violence, and harassment, where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully, and have equal opportunities. | |
| Island Arts Centre Society (ArtSpring) | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | ArtSpring is a community performing and visual arts centre on Salt Spring Island. ArtSpring hosts 300 events each year, primarily associated with rentals by local performing and visual artists of all ages. Their curated season of professional touring artists – ArtSpring Presents – features events that are chosen to complement and enhance what is already available through local arts organizations. | |
| Island Community Mental Health Association | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Island Community Mental Health Association is a community center of knowledge regarding information, referrals, system navigation, advocacy, and services. In addition, they participate in activities to increase public awareness of mental health issues, participate in broad-scale advocacy efforts, cooperate with other organizations to increase the scope/effectiveness of service delivery, and expand funding sources to provide additional services. |
| Island Deaf & Hard of Hearing Centre Association | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Island Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre, the only non-profit agency of its kind on Vancouver Island, provides leadership, innovative solutions, and services through engaging and educating communities, strengthening families, and fighting isolation. Their vision is of strong inclusive communities built on equal access and empowered individuals. |
| Island Kids Cancer Association | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | Children | The Island Kids Cancer Association provides year-round practical and local support specifically for children and youth with cancer and their families on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Their goal is to help the entire family navigate the journey by offering programs and services focused on connections, mental health, wellness, and financial support. | |
| Island Metis Family & Community Services Society | 2024, 2023 | Health & Wellness | Indigenous People | Island Metis’ mission is to research, develop, implement, and evaluate human service programs for the Metis people of Vancouver Island and to provide integrated and holistic service delivery that culturally and spiritually strengthens Metis children and families. | |
| Island Montessori House Society | 2024 | Getting Started | Children | At Island Montessori House School, inclusion is not a goal it is a fundamental principle. Every child, regardless of their differences, is welcomed, valued, and given the opportunity to thrive in a diverse community where acceptance and understanding are the cornerstones of education. | |
| Island Sexual Health Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | General Population | As a community health care centre, Island Sexual Health Society offers pro-choice and comprehensive sexual health clinics, education programs, and products for people of all genders, orientations, abilities, and ages in Greater Victoria. They also offer primary care attachment for priority population clients. | |
| Island String Players Society | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | Island String Players Society has developed two main mandates: the promotion and advancement of string orchestra music in our community and the support of regional young string players. They provide opportunities for string players of all ages and skill levels to engage in music performances, workshops, and community events. | |
| Islanders Working Against Violence Society | 2024 | Safety | Women | Islanders Working Against Violence offers free programs and services to provide practical and emotional support to those directly or indirectly impacted by violence and abuse. They welcome all women, inclusive of trans women, non-gender conforming people, and members of the LGBTQ+ community in all their services. | |
| Islands Trust Conservancy | Hosted Organization | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The Islands Trust Conservancy works with local island conservancies, landowners, and communities to protect places of natural significance in perpetuity. They are a special purpose government serving islands in the Salish Sea and are responsible for preserving and protecting the islands’ unique amenities and environment. | |
| James Bay Health & Community Services Society (dba James Bay Community Project) | 2024, 2022 | Health & Wellness | General Population | The James Bay Community Project is a community centre that provides family, community, and volunteer Services. Their programs and services seek to enable connections and build resilience for all ages. | |
| James Bay New Horizons Society | 2023 | Belonging & Engagement | Seniors | James Bay New Horizons Society provides accessible programs, services, and volunteer opportunities their members and to local residents in general. Their goal is to help people maintain, improve, and develop new skills, interests, and social opportunities, and to enhance the quality of life of our members and visitors | |
| James Bay United Church | 2024 | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | The James Bay United Church’s hosted organization fund contributes to the mission and vision of the church. |
| Jewish Community Centre of Victoria | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Jewish Community Centre of Victoria (JCCV) provides educational, recreational, cultural, and social programs for the Jewish community and the general public. The JCCV is an important facility for the Jewish community on Southern Vancouver Island. The Centre is a place people can come together to celebrate and enjoy their Jewish heritage, whatever their affiliation or level of religious observance. | |
| Meal Exchange – takes you to a betting website | 2020 | Grantee | Standard of Living | General Public | CRA status revoked August 2023 |
| Jewish Family Services Of Vancouver Island | 2024, 2022 | Arts & Culture | General Population | The mission of Jewish Family Services of Vancouver Island is to provide supportive services, primarily in food security, and to reduce social isolation, thereby strengthening families and individuals within the context of their unique needs and traditions. | |
| Junior Achievement of British Columbia | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Learning | Youth | Junior Achievement British Columbia (JABC) delivers free hands-on, immersive education in work readiness, financial health, and entrepreneurship. In partnership with educators and dedicated volunteers, JABC brings important educational experiences to thousands of students annually across British Columbia. JABC prepares young people for the future of work, teaches them how to think entrepreneurially, and ensures they have the tools to be financially capable adults. | |
| Kaleidoscope Theatre Production Society | 2024, 2022 | Arts & Culture | Children | Kaleidoscope is a professional theatre company dedicated to creating and presenting high quality theatre experiences for young people. They foster love for the performing arts among young people while enriching the fabric of the community. | |
| Kidsport Canada | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Sports & Recreation | Children | KidSport Greater Victoria exists to ensure that children and youth from local families experiencing financial need are not limited from opportunities to participate in, and benefit from, organized sport. They provide grants to help cover the costs of registration fees so all kids aged 18 and under can play a season of sport. |
| Langham Court Theatre Society | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | Langham Court Theatre produces engaging and high-quality theatre with dedicated actors and creative teams. Their purpose includes community engagement, theatrical production, cultural enrichment, theatre education, and volunteerism. | |
| LDABC The Learning Curve Society | 2024, 2023 | Hosted Organization | Learning | Children | LDABC The Learning Curve supports families and educates and advocates for children and youth experiencing learning and/or behavioral challenges. They believe that the greatest personal growth and learning occurs when children are provided with safe, nurturing environments that recognize and celebrate their strengths. |
| Lester B Pearson College of the Pacific and United World Colleges | 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Learning | Youth | Pearson College UWC is located southwest of Victoria and is Canada’s most international school and the country’s only United World College — a movement encompassing 18 global schools dedicated to uniting cultures and countries around the world through education. More than 4,200 students have graduated from the College — its alumni are determined to make a difference in the lives of others and the world. |
| Let’s Talk Science | 2024 | Learning | Youth | Let’s Talk Science helps youth build the skills they need for their – and Canada’s – future success. Through STEM education they are helping youth learn to take risks, develop the persistence to find innovative solutions to real-world problems, and the competencies required to thrive in an ever-changing world. | |
| Linden Singers of Victoria | 2022 | Arts & Culture | General Population | Linden Singers is an auditioned choir in Victoria, BC. The Linden Singers repertoire is diverse and includes sacred and secular choral works from all eras, reflecting the wide interests and ability of its singers. The choir is proud to have commissioned works by well-known Canadian composers. | |
| Living Edge Community Church | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Standard of Living | General Population | The Living Edge Community Church is committed to bringing food equality for all to the CRD by recapturing food from retailers, distributors, and farmers. The food is then sorted and distributed six days/week at one of their seven free weekly Neighbourhood Markets, where people on low income reside. | |
| Loaves and Fishes Community Food Bank Society | 2023 | Standard of Living | General Population | Loaves and Fishes Food Bank is committed to serving as many people as possible. Currently over 15,000 people in more than 44 communities, including 15 Indigenous communities, across Vancouver Island benefit from the food Loaves and Fishes provides, free of charge. | |
| Luther Court Society | 2024, 2023 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Seniors | The Luther Court Society is an inclusive caring community that nurtures excellence in health care, a sense of belonging, wellness and healing, while sharing life’s journey. |
| MakeWay Charitable Society | 2023, 2022 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | MakeWay works to create a more just and sustainable world by supporting and empowering communities, fostering partnerships, and driving positive environmental and social change across Canada. Their purpose includes environmental conservation, social justice, collaboration and partnership, and capacity building. | |
| March of Dimes Canada | 2023 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | March of Dimes Canada is a leading national charity committed to championing equity, empowering ability, and creating real change that will help the more than eight million people with disabilities across the country unlock the richness of their lives. Together with their clients, partners, supporters, and allies, they are working to create communities in which people with disabilities can not only live, but thrive in all they aspire to do. | |
| Maritime Museum of British Columbia | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Maritime Museum of BC offers a wide variety of opportunities for the public to explore nautical history and ocean sciences. They have an extensive collection of objects, archives, photographs, library books, and boats, all with significant meaning to maritime history and culture in BC, as well as running programs for adults and children. |
| Mary Winspear Centre Foundation | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Mary Winspear Centre Foundation is a non-profit centre that provides a space for residents and visitors to enjoy quality events, theatre, art shows, conferences, programs and celebrations. | |
| Mayne Island Assisted Living Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | Seniors | The mission of Mayne Island Assisted Living Society is to create a thriving, age-friendly community. For over 20 years they have assisted Mayne Island residents to age in place and to enhance their quality of life by staying active, independent, socially engaged, and integrated within the community. | |
| Mayne Island Conservancy Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | Mayne Island Conservancy works with the community to conserve the ecology of Mayne Island and its surrounding waters for future generations. They engage in caring for the land and shoreline, community education and engagement, landholder consultations, land acquisition, and advocacy. |
| Mayne Island Health Centre Association | 2024 | Health & Wellness | General Population | The Mayne Island Health Centre Association is deeply committed to ensuring the community can access healthcare services without leaving the island. Through collaboration with Island Health and community health experts, they strive to make comprehensive healthcare services accessible to island residents and ensure every member of our community has the support they need for their health and well-being. | |
| Mayne Island Housing Society | 2024 | Housing | General Population | The purpose of Mayne Island Housing Society is to relieve poverty by providing affordable housing for low or modest income residents of Mayne Island. Their goal is to increase both the quantity and quality of affordable rental units in their community. | |
| Mayne Island Recycling Society | Hosted Organization | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The goal of the Mayne Island Recycling Society is to provide a comprehensive recycling service to the Mayne Island community. This includes maximizing participation in recycling, educating the community in waste resource use and management, and fostering concepts and practices of conservation through a non-profit organization. | |
| Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) British Columbia | 2024, 2023 | Health & Wellness | General Population | Through local programs, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) works to meet needs here in British Columbia. They also support MCC’s work in over 40 countries around the world by raising funds, mobilizing materials, and providing international workers. MCC is committed to meeting basic human needs and working for peace and justice. | |
| Mental Health Recovery Partners Society – South Vancouver Island | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | People living with Mental Illness | Mental Health Recovery Partners South Island provides programs and services for people with mental illness, with or without substance use, regardless of their diagnosis. They also offer a variety of services for family members and friends supporting their loved ones. They provide hope and authentic support to all who are impacted by their own or someone else’s mental illness, mental health, and/or substance use challenges |
| Metchosin Foundation | Hosted Organization | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The Metchosin Foundation exists to encourage and support the rural nature of Metchosin, maintain a harmonious community, and preserve and safeguard Metchosin’s unique ecosystems, flora, and fauna. The Metchosin Foundation undertakes and supports initiatives to improve environmental protection, stewardship, and education. | |
| Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts (MISSA) provides high calibre specialized workshops for artists, teachers, and serious adult students. MISSA has a reputation for hosting local, national, and international instructors who engage with students in an intense multi-disciplinary environment. MISSA welcomes students from around the world to participate in an artistic immersion for two weeks every summer. | |
| Metchosin Preschool Society | 2024 | Getting Started | Children | Metchosin Co-Op Preschool is a parent-governed, parent-participation program for children aged two and a half to five years old. Operating under the co-op model for over 60 years, the preschool has succeeded as a direct result of the enthusiasm and dedication of the families, teachers, and other community members that show their support through fundraising, volunteering, donations, and enrollment. | |
| Ministry of Child and Family Development | Hosted Organization | Learning | Youth | MCFD’s Hosted Organization fund, the Learning Fund for Young Adults, supports persons born after 2007 who were in care for a period of at least 12 months, to provide financial assistance towards their training and education. | |
| Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD Canada) | 2024 | Learning | Youth | MADD Canada’s mission is to stop impaired driving and to support victims of this violent crime. They achieve their mission through victim/survivor services, youth services, public awareness and education, public policy, and technology. | |
| Mount Douglas Secondary Alumni Association | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | Youth | The Mount Douglas Alumni Association is a group consisting of former students and teachers of Mount Douglas Secondary. Their goal is to reunite staff and students to become a catalyst for building a dynamic Alumni network to enhance opportunities for Mount Doug students in various activities. | |
| Mount Douglas Seniors Housing Society | 2024 | Housing | Seniors | The mission of Mount Douglas Seniors Housing Society is to provide a safe, caring community and comfortable, quality, affordable homes to seniors 55+ on lower incomes. The team’s goal is to operate the building as if it were their own home and foster a caring community that nurtures and supports its tenants. | |
| MS Wellness Centre Association of Vancouver Island | 2024 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | The MS Wellness Centre of Vancouver Island provides programs to people living with Multiple Sclerosis who are often on a fixed income and cannot afford the services needed to maintain a healthy and active life. Their programs provide the added value of creating a safe space for people living with MS to exchange information and support one another. | |
| Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada is here to ensure that no one faces MS alone. In communities across Canada, volunteers and staff provide information, support, educational events, and other resources for people with MS and their families and work to change government practices. With their sights firmly set on a world free of?MS,?their mission is to connect and empower the MS community to create positive change. | |
| Municipality of Saanich | 2023 | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | Victoria Foundation granting programs support municipalities, Indigenous Nations, and churches for their charitable initiatives and community-building programs such as food banks and cultural events. | |
| New Marine Centre Society | 2023 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea (operated by The New Marine Centre Society) connects the public with the Salish Sea bio-region and its ecosystems through engagement, knowledge, and awareness. This one-of-a-kind aquarium and learning centre offers an interactive, informative, and hands-on experience with the Salish Sea through self-guided visits, daily programs, group and school bookings, and special events and lectures. | |
| North Saanich Parks Ecosystem Restoration Society | 2024, 2023 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The mission of the North Saanich Parks Ecosystem Restoration Society (known as Friends of North Saanich Parks) is to mobilize volunteers to remove invasive plant species and restore ecosystems in North Saanich parks. As well, they strive to educate volunteers, youth, and residents about related ecological matters. They hope to remove all the invasive plant species out of a series of parks, plant native species to ensure rejuvenation, and support the development of stewardship for these parks. | |
| Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society | 2024 | Environmental Sustainability | Youth | Through engaging education and stewardship programs, Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society (NWPS) introduces audiences to the wonders of the natural world to encourage an enduring understanding and appreciation of nature. NWPS offers their programs free of charge to inner-city school children and at-risk youth in low-income areas to ensure marginalized children are given an equal opportunity to understand their interconnectedness to the environment and the importance of protecting it. | |
| O.C.C. Our Children’s Centre Society of Greater Victoria | 2024 | Getting Started | Children | At Our Children’s Centre, they are committed to creating a high-quality and accessible early childhood education environment where meaningful relationships are nourished so that everyone has a sense of belonging. They run programs for children from ages 8 months to 5 years. | |
| O.R.C.C.A. Dental Clinic Society | 2024 | Health & Wellness | Children | ORCCA’s purpose is to provide children and adolescents from low-income families access to oral care in a non-profit setting. The society is based on the belief that all kids have the right to healthy oral care, and that effective oral care positively transforms the health and lives of children and adolescents. ORCCA services include basic dental care, oral hygiene instruction, and many more resources. | |
| Oak Bay Heritage Foundation | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Oak Bay Heritage Foundation promotes the preservation, maintenance, and restoration of structures, sites, and land of heritage value in the Municipality of Oak Bay. It also promotes education and awareness of heritage conservation in the District through public programs and activities. | |
| Oak Bay Kiwanis Pavilion Foundation | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | The emphasis of the Oak Bay Kiwanis Pavilion has been the care of people with dementia. They provide care through all stages, from the earliest to the most advanced. Their goal is to create a warm, home-like atmosphere of understanding and support. | |
| Oak Bay Volunteer Services Society | 2024, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | Seniors | Oak Bay Volunteer Services Society provides free one-to-one services to those in need in the municipality of Oak Bay. They offer transportation assistance for clients who require transportation to medical appointments, recreational activities, run errands and shop for essentials, regular visits at a client’s home, and scheduled wellness check phone calls that ensure the health safety of a resident who lives alone. |
| Oaklands Community Association | 2023, 2022 | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | The vision of the Oaklands Community Association is to provide a welcoming, engaging, sustainable community where all members can live, learn, and thrive. With locations at Oaklands Community Centre, Oaklands Neighbourhood House, and Hamilton Park, they offer a summer and winter farmers’ market, a wide range of recreation programs, childcare programs for ages 6 months to 5 years old, out-of-school care, camps, youth drop-in programs, community services, events, and learning workshops. | |
| Oasis Society for the Spiritual Health of Victoria | 2024, 2022 | Belonging & Engagement | Indigenous People | Oasis Society delivers an effective culturally appropriate program to urban Indigenous peoples. They work with vulnerable Indigenous people living on the streets of Victoria and those involved in street life. The objectives of Oasis Society are to foster a sense of belonging in a caring, inclusive, and culturally appropriate community, nurture the establishment and growth of authentic relationships between people from different walks of life, and to host events that encourage connection to self, others, extended family, nature, elders, and ceremony. | |
| Ocean Wise Conservation Association | 2024 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | ?Ocean Wise, together with business leaders, researchers, community members, governments, and ocean lovers around the world, is monitoring and protecting whales, fighting climate change and restoring biodiversity, protecting and restoring fish stocks, innovating for a plastic-free ocean, educating, and empowering youth. Their mission is to build a global community that takes meaningful action to protect and restore our oceans. | |
| Olive Branch Revival Foundation | 2024, 2023 | Getting Started | Newcomers, Immigrants and Refugees | Olive Branch Revival Foundation (OBRF) provides wrap-around services to newcomers and their families in a variety of ways, building community integration and supporting people going through culture shock and identity crisis. | |
| OneAbility Foundation | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Sports & Recreation | Persons with Disabilities | OneAbility provides support to members who deliver adaptive sport and recreation programming, servicesn and resources to participants in their respective communities. OneAbility fosters active living and sport participation for people with disabilities by facilitating connections, partnerships, advocacy, educationn and knowledge sharing among its members and communities. | |
| Open Space Arts Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | Open Space is an artist-run centre that works to present contemporary visual arts, music, writing, media arts, and more. Open Space invites engagement in the contemporary arts by participating in local, national, and international social and cultural contexts, as well as offering financially accessible programs, stimulating critical exchange, dialogue, and debate, and supporting freedom of expression. |
| Operation Freedom Paws Canada Society | 2023 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Operation Freedom Paws Canada empowers veterans and individuals with disabilities to restore their freedom to live life by teaching them to train their own dogs and certifying them as service dog teams. Through a special therapeutic canine-human relationship, their mission is for all veterans and individuals with disabilities to live an enriched life and engage with their communities. | |
| Our Place Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Standard of Living | General Population | Our Place is dedicated to serving the homeless, impoverished, and vulnerable members of our community. Its purpose includes providing essential services such as shelter, meals, clothing, and hygiene facilities. Our Place also operates a successful, long-term recovery community. |
| Outward Bound Canada | 2022 | Sports & Recreation | Youth | Outward Bound Canada empowers youth to discover their inner strength, build resilience, and take charge of their destinies. ?They envision a Canada where all youth have access to high-quality, impactful outdoor education experiences that help them realize their potential. | |
| Pacific Animal Therapy Society | 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Pacific Animal Therapy Society (PATS) enhances the mental, physical, and social well-being of individuals through contact and connection with their pets. Volunteers and their pets serve the people of Vancouver Island with pet therapy visits in health care facilities, care homes, schools, and more. PATS also partners with local high schools and post-secondary institutions to provide well-attended and beloved “de-stress” events, giving students a chance to benefit from pet therapy at challenging times in the school year. | |
| Pacific Centre Family Services Association | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Pacific Centre Family Services Association promotes dignity and quality of life for families and individuals across southern Vancouver Island, with a focus on the Westshore and Sooke, through education, counselling, and creative programming. Their mission is to provide equitable access to team-based, trauma-informed, culturally safe, and holistic care for individuals and families within the diverse communities they serve. |
| Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Sports & Recreation | General Population | The Pacific Institute for Sports Excellence (PISE) helps build a healthy, active community with a focus on inclusion, physical literacy, active living, and developing performance athletes. Recognized as a passionate, innovative leader in the field, they strive to transform lives through physical activity and sport by providing facilities, education and leading programs for children, youth, and adults of all levels and abilities. PISE’s mission is to support, educate, and inspire individuals to lead healthy lives. |
| Pacific Opera Victoria Association | 2024 | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | Pacific Opera Victoria is one of the most influential professional opera companies in Canada. Its inspired repertoire comprises original productions of classic favourites and lesser known works, as well as new commissions, co-productions, and collaborations with other companies and arts organizations across the country. Their mission is to create distinctive and inclusive opera experiences which inspire and engage artists and audiences. |
| Pacific Peoples Partnership | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | Black & People of Colour | Pacific Peoples Partnership actively works with Indigenous peoples and South Pacific islanders towards peace, justice, environmental sustainability, and community-led development and their shared vision of empowered people and thriving communities across the Pacific. | |
| Pacific Salmon Foundation | Hosted Organization | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The Pacific Salmon Foundation is an environmental organization dedicated to making transformational change for the benefit of Pacific salmon at every scale – from the smallest streams to the open ocean. They work with First Nations, government, ENGO partners, industry, and all salmon supporters to achieve their vision of a healthy, sustainable, and naturally diverse population of Pacific salmon. | |
| Pacific Training Centre for the Blind Society | 2024 | Learning | Persons with Disabilities | The Pacific Training Centre is committed to empowering its students to achieve independence, employment, equality, and first-class citizenship by offering cutting edge blindness skills training based on a positive, proven, world-renowned model. | |
| Pacifica Housing | 2024, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Housing | General Population | Pacifica Housing provides over 1,400 units of quality, affordable, independent and supportive housing across Greater Victoria and Nanaimo, including some designated for geriatric specialty seniors. Their mission is to advance the independence of individuals and families through equitable housing and supportive services. |
| Parkinson Wellness Project | 2024, 2022 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Parkinsons Wellness Project (formerly amalgamated with HeadWay – Victoria Epilepsy and Parkinsons Centre) empowers, improves function, and increases quality of life for those affected by Parkinson’s, through their evidence-based fitness classes, support groups, specialized counselling, and education programs. They offer a place for people living with Parkinson’s to participate in leading-edge exercise programs, to share, and to be supported. | |
| Parks & Recreation Foundation of Victoria | Hosted Organization | Sports & Recreation | General Population | Parks and Recreation Foundation of Victoria was established to enhance the parks system, community leisure services, recreation services, horticultural projects, and public art and related education within, but not restricted to, the City of Victoria. | |
| Pauquachin First Nation | 2024, 2023 | Belonging & Engagement | Indigenous People | Victoria Foundation granting programs support municipalities, Indigenous Nations, and churches for their charitable initiatives and community-building programs such as food banks and cultural events. | |
| PEERS Victoria Resource Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Safety | Women | PEERS Victoria Resource Society has been providing outreach, harm reduction, and education services for people in the sex industry for more 25 years. Through direct service delivery and community partnerships, PEERS provides an array of outreach and drop-in harm reduction and support services alongside education and employment training for current and former sex workers, in Victoria and on Vancouver Island. | |
| Pender Island Child Care Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Getting Started | Children | Pender Island Child Care Society (Dragonfly Child Care and Family Resource Centre) is dedicated to creating opportunities to foster community through outreach programs and childcare. At Dragonfly, they facilitate learning through a child-led approach grounded in nature, where play is integral to well-being, learning and connection. They see children as unique people with their own special strengths, interests, and gifts to the world. | |
| Pender Island Recreation & Agricultural Hall Association | 2024 | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | The Pender Islands Community Hall hosts an assortment of concerts, plays, art exhibitions, Saturday Market, the annual Fall Fair, and an array of recreation programs. | |
| Pender Islands Conservancy Association | 2024, 2023 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The Pender Islands Conservancy Association values and appreciates the natural beauty of the Pender Islands and the surrounding Salish Sea and understands the importance of preserving the varied habitats found there. Their mandate is to endeavour to safeguard the evolution of our natural environment in balance with increasing human presence. | |
| Pender Islands Health Care Society | 2024 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | The Pender Islands Health Care Society strives for quality, accessible healthcare and wellness supports for the Pender Islands community. To accomplish this, the society manages the healthcare facility, enables the delivery of complementary health programs, seeks and manages funding, engages the community, and advocates for improved services. | |
| Peninsula Streams Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | Peninsula Streams Society helps coordinate restoration and habitat conservation projects throughout Greater Victoria. Their goal is to achieve healthy aquatic habitat that supports self-sustaining populations of native species in both freshwater and marine environments. |
| Pepaken Hautw Food Systems Education Foundation | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Standard of Living | Indigenous People | PEPAKE? HÁUTW?’s mission is to provide participatory education opportunities about traditional and healthy food systems and to contribute to the restoration and revitalization of native ecosystems in the W?SÁNE? homelands. They aim to promote food security and Indigenous food sovereignty in the W?SÁNE? community and beyond, while upholding the traditional values of the W?SÁNE? people and land. | |
| Physical Literacy For Life | 2023 | Health & Wellness | General Population | The purpose of the Physical Literacy Life is to empower families with the knowledge and skills to live a healthy and active lifestyle through providing an online, interactive medium with goal setting, accountability, and fun incentives. | |
| Planet Earth Poetry Reading Series Society | 2023 | Arts & Culture | General Population | Planet Earth Poetry is a literary organization that aims to cultivate and celebrate the art of poetry. Its purpose is to provide a platform for both established and emerging poets to share their work, connect with audiences, and foster a vibrant poetry community. | |
| Power to Be Adventure Therapy Society | 2024, 2022 | Sports & Recreation | Persons with Disabilities | Power to Be believes everyone belongs in nature. They believe finances shouldn’t prevent anyone from accessing nature, and they work to remove cognitive, physical, and social barriers to the outdoors, supporting participants to explore who they are and what they are capable of with the support of staff, volunteers, and each other. | |
| Ptarmigan Arts Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | Ptarmigan Arts Society is a community arts organization based on Pender Island that delivers arts programs, workshops, and events to the Southern Gulf Islands and Greater Victoria. Ptarmigan nurtures creativity in our island communities by providing creative artistic opportunities to emerging and established artists, community members of all ages and abilities, and the island’s visitors. |
| Puente Theatre Society | 2022 | Arts & Culture | Black & People of Colour | Puente Theatre is dedicated to celebrating our country’s cultural diversity through theatrical experience. Puente has created, produced, translated, toured, and presented professional theatre from the perspective of people outside of the mainstream, bringing people together across boundaries, and exploring what it means to forge a future for our planet made out of billions of different and utterly unique identities. | |
| Quadra Education Foundation | Hosted Organization | Learning | Youth | Quadra Education Foundation was established to raise funds and award scholarships to worthy cadets, officers, and children of former cadets and officers who have served in an HMCS Quadra Cadet Training Centre, located in Comox. Scholarships are awarded to qualified applicants who are entering into post-secondary education. | |
| RAD Recreation Adapted Society | 2023 | Sports & Recreation | Persons with Disabilities | RAD Recreation aspires to create a world where individuals living with mobility issues have the opportunity and means to live independent, active (outdoor) lifestyles regardless of financial circumstance. They have made it their mission to make outdoor recreation in BC accessible by providing an inventory of adapted outdoor recreation equipment for low-cost rental fees. | |
| Raincoast Conservation Foundation | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | Raincoast Conservation is a team of conservationists and scientists empowered by research to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of coastal British Columbia. They use rigorous, peer-reviewed science and community engagement to further conservation objectives. As a charitable conservation science organization that operates a research lab, field station, and a research sailing vessel, they are unique in Canada. | |
| Red Cedar Cafe Association | 2024, 2023 | Standard of Living | General Population | The Red Cedar Cafe is a meal program fueled by volunteers and community. They are proud to offer a meal service that is important to the community we are a part of. It is their hope that they can continue to keep serving meals that they are proud of in an intentional and caring way, and to improve the accessibility of this service. | |
| Rocky Point Bird Observatory Society | Hosted Organization | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | Rocky Point Bird Observatory (RPBO) seeks to influence and inform ecological management practices and conservation of migratory birds in western North America through monitoring, scientific research, and public education. RPBO is a member of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network, gathering information on bird demographics and population trends over southern Vancouver Island and beyond. | |
| Ross Bay Villa Society | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | The mission of the Ross Bay Villa Society is to educate the general public, including children, about Canada’s social, cultural, and architectural heritage, specifically with respect to the colonial era, by restoring, conserving, researching, and presenting the house, grounds, and furnishings of this 1865 house and garden. | |
| Rotary Club of Victoria British Columbia Foundation | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | Rotary Club of Victoria BC Foundation supports community service projects and charitable activities within the Victoria community. The Foundation seeks to embody the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self” by making a positive impact on both the local and global community. | |
| Royal Commonwealth Society Vancouver Island | Hosted Organization | Learning | Youth | The Royal Commonwealth Society Vancouver Island (RCS VI) is an integral part of the Royal Commonwealth Society. Its mission is to create civic involvement and activities to improve the lives and prospects of Commonwealth citizens locally and globally. Through their Hosted Organization fund, they strive to implement the vision of ‘Engaging the Future’ by focusing on youth involvement in Commonwealth activities. | |
| Royal Roads University Foundation | 2024 | Learning | General Population | At Royal Roads, they celebrate a vibrant community of students, staff, faculty, associate faculty, researchers and alumni. Together, they create a safe and welcoming space to deliver life changing education. Their goal is to make education a valuable and fulfilling experience. | |
| Saanich Community Legacy Foundation | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | The Saanich Community Legacy Foundation (SCLF) supports community-based projects that continue to make Saanich a vibrant and caring community. With donations from considerate and civic-minded citizens, the SCLF is able to respond to the requests from these organizations, and help them achieve their goals, which in turn creates the strong, vibrant, and caring community that Saanich is today. |
| Saanich Historical Artifacts Society | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | At Heritage Acres, visitors will take a step back into the Peninsula’s farming history as they tour the pioneer church and log cabin and sit in desks in the old schoolhouse. Farm tractors, steam engines, old cars, buggies, wagons, and blacksmith shop, all artfully displayed, prompt visions of the past in both the young and older visitors. The museum houses a large number of family and community artifacts. | |
| Saanich Neighbourhood Place | 2024 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | General Population | Saanich Neighbourhood Place serves the community of Saanich and the surrounding neighbourhoods by investing in our community to help make better neighbourhoods for all who live, work, and play here. Their mission is to enrich lives through caring programs that connect people to each other and their community. |
| Saanich Peninsula Community Foundation | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | The Saanich Peninsula Community Foundation supports activities in the areas of health and social services, arts and culture, education, conservation, and recreation, benefiting the residents of the Saanich Peninsula. Their mission is to enrich the quality of life for the residents by encouraging donations to the Foundation, investing the donations in a permanent endowment fund, identifying worthy local charitable initiatives, and making annual disbursements to those charities. | |
| Saanich Volunteer Services Society | 2024 | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | Seniors | Saanich Volunteer Services matches people who need help with people eager to provide it. Delivering food hampers, driving to appointments, visiting for companionship, helping with light yard work, doing minor home repairs, and preparing income tax returns are just a few of the ways they contribute to a healthy Saanich. |
| Salt Spring and Southern Gulf Islands Community Services Society | 2022 | Health & Wellness | General Population | Salt Spring and Southern Gulf Islands Community Services Society is dedicated to strengthening and supporting individuals, families, and communities by providing a broad range of quality services and supports to the communities of the Southern Gulf Islands. | |
| Salt Spring Arts Council | 2024, 2022 | Arts & Culture | General Population | Salt Spring Arts (SSA) promotes the role of the arts in establishing a healthy and vibrant community. SSA provides opportunity for creative growth by supporting participation in the arts, through education, programming, advocacy, and by linking Salt Spring arts and artists beyond those shores. | |
| Salt Spring Baroque Music Society | 2022 | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Salt Spring Baroque Music Society helps advance the public’s appreciation of the arts by providing high quality artistic performances and advances education by providing instructional workshops and seminars on Baroque music. | |
| Salt Spring Community Health Society | 2022 | Health & Wellness | General Population | Salt Spring Community Health Society is dedicated to improving and promoting the health and well-being of residents on Salt Spring Island. | |
| Salt Spring Island Conservancy | Hosted Organization | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The Salt Spring Island Conservancy protects and enhances the natural values of the island and its surrounding waters by acquiring land or covenants, and by educating landholders and the public toward improved land and water stewardship. Working with landowners, partners, and supporters, the Conservancy protects all of Salt Spring’s environmentally significant places. | |
| Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust Society | 2024, 2022 | Standard of Living | General Population | With close to 200 farms, Salt Spring Island is known for its robust food and farm culture. The Farmland Trust is on a mission to preserve, promote, and revitalize local agriculture by acquiring, restoring, and maintaining farmland for lease, developing community gardens and the Island’s first commercial-level food hub, and stewarding food and farming educational programs to create a more sustainable, knowledgeable, and food-secure community. | |
| Salt Spring Island Public Library Association | 2023 | Learning | General Population | Salt Spring Island Public Library Association provides library services, resources, and programming to the Salt Spring Island community. | |
| Salt Spring Literacy Society | 2022 | Learning | General Population | Activities of the Salt Spring Literacy Society include a one-to-one reading program, tutoring, family literacy, friendly readers (seniors program), literacy themed workshops, and events. | |
| Saltspring Therapeutic Riding Association | 2024 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | The program at Saltspring Therapeutic Riding Association is designed for individuals from kindergarten to retirement, with a variety of mental, physical, and emotional challenges. A team of professionals provide an inclusive riding environment that aids in physical rehabilitation, helps people with their personal development, teaches horsemanship skills, and is a stimulating recreational activity. | |
| Saturna Island Marine Research And Education Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | Saturna Island Marine Research and Education Society is a community-based organization building awareness of marine life and ecosystems in the Salish Sea. They work to promote scientific, evidence-based research and provide support and facilities for marine research and education on Saturna Island. | |
| Scale Institute Society | 2024, 2023 | Economy | General Population | Scale Institute provides research, development, and education programming in the areas of social innovation, social enterprise, social procurement, and social finance. They support the sector through a variety of different means: resources and toolkits, case studies, webinars and workshops, and programs. | |
| Scouts Canada | 2023 | Sports & Recreation | Youth | Scouts Canada is the country’s leading co-ed youth organization, offering programming for children and youth aged 5-26. With over 42,000 youth participating across the country, in multiple languages and reflecting Canada’s multicultural landscape, kids and youth in Scouts chart their own path of discovery. Through a variety of fun experiences, outdoor adventures, and contributions to their community, Scouts builds resilience and skills that set them up for life. Their mission is to help develop well-rounded youth, better prepared for success in the world. | |
| SeaChange Marine Conservation Society | 2022 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | SeaChange Marine Conservation Society works in partnership with coastal communities to use scientifically rigorous and technologically sound methodologies to survey, map, and assess the condition of nearshore coastal ecosystems in a database accessible to anyone; conserve, restore, and protect those ecosystems into the future; measure the success and impact of restoration efforts; and foster community engagement and partnerships through education and by sharing data, knowledge, and experience. | |
| Seniors Serving Seniors Association of British Columbia | 2022 | Belonging & Engagement | Seniors | Seniors Servings Seniors Association is an inclusive volunteer organization promoting quality of life and well-being for seniors of all diverse communities in Greater Victoria. Their vision is for seniors’ quality of life and independence to be enhanced as a direct result of the caring, supportive connections created between their needs and the resources offered by the community. | |
| Shekinah Homes Society | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | Persons with Disabilities | Shekinah Homes Society’s mission is to build a community life for adults with a diverse spectrum of disabilities, their families, and other community members to create positive social change, enabling each person to be a respected and valued member of community and society and in turn, open a world of incredible opportunities. | |
| Shelbourne Community Kitchen Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Standard of Living | General Population | The Shelbourne Community Kitchen is a warm and welcoming neighbourhood food centre, located in Saanich. Through their many programs and services, they work to lower barriers to healthy food for families and individuals who are living on low income in our community. Their mission is to create opportunities with people to cook, grow, share, and connect for improved health and well-being. |
| Sidney Pre-School | 2024 | Getting Started | Children | Sidney Pre-school focuses on the social, emotional, and intellectual development of children, achieved through age-appropriate play and activity. Play is facilitated by the teachers, but led by the children, ages 3-5. | |
| Sierra Club of BC Foundation | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | At Sierra Club BC, they’re building a movement that invites everyone to better care for the ecosystems that sustain us. They are working to repair relationships with the land, water, and all the living beings who share this home. Their mission is to support people stewarding abundant ecosystems and a stable climate, while building resilient, equitable communities. | |
| Silver Threads Service | 2024, 2022 | Belonging & Engagement | Seniors | Silver Threads enhances social connections and well-being for individuals age 55+. Their mission is for individuals age 55+ in Greater Victoria to be engaged and supported thereby enhancing their quality of life, by providing accessible programs and services. | |
| Singyourjoy Young Adult Chorus Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Arts & Culture | Youth | SingYourJoy is a non-auditioned family of choirs serving Greater Victoria. They believe that everyone can sing and they strive to remove all barriers to participation. This group is a barrier-free organization and offer the unique opportunity of a safe space for creative expression, learning new skills, and forming new friendships. | |
| Soap for Hope Canada Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Standard of Living | General Population | Soap for Hope Canada provides access to essential hygiene products to improve the health, hope, and dignity of vulnerable people, from children to seniors, low-income families, refugees, Indigenous communities, homeless people, and people in evacuation centers for fires and floods. They primarily work with the hotel industry, collecting gently used hygiene products, linens, and lost and found items. They re-purpose these items and distribute them to community facilities serving people in need. |
| Society for Kids at Tennis | 2024 | Sport & Recreation | Children | The mission of the Society for Kids at Tennis is to improve the physical, emotional, and social well-being of children and youth from families facing challenges due to chronic low income or due to cognitive or physical developmental disabilities. They do so by providing free of charge tennis lessons including all equipment. Lessons are conducted in a manner that promotes physical activity and engages the participants in learning and connectedness with peers and mentoring adults. | |
| Sooke Autism Support Society | 2023 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Sooke Autism Society is a group of proactive parents working collaboratively with family, neighbours, community, education and autism professionals, school districts, government, and private associations to create happiness and success for their children with Autism. | |
| Sooke Family Resource Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | General Population | Sooke Family Resource Society’s mission is to provide people of all ages and abilities on southern Vancouver Island with services and resources that encourage them to enhance skills, address challenges, and create a path forward. Since the early days of providing family services in Sooke, they have expanded to offer a wide range of supports for those in need from Port Renfrew to Victoria. | |
| Sooke Fine Arts Society | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Sooke Fine Arts Society was created to encourage and promote a greater understanding and appreciation for the arts by organizing an annual art show and hosting public learning opportunities to demonstrate artistic technique and expertise. The annual art show, held at the end of July and early August of each year, is Vancouver Island’s premier adjudicated art show. It brings artists, volunteers, visitors, and art patrons together in a 10-day celebration of the arts. | |
| Sooke Harbour Players Society | 2024, 2022 | Arts & Culture | General Population | Over the past 40 years, Sooke Harbour Players has entertained the people of Sooke and surrounding communities with first-rate theatrical productions. The Society has a long history of partnering with community and regional businesses and organizations in order to create a healthy community and economy. | |
| Sooke Hospice Society | 2024 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Sooke Hospice is a team of concerned people who offer care for those with life threatening illnesses and offer support and understanding to their families. Their team includes palliative care trained physicians and nurses who have received special education and a group of trained volunteers. They attempt to help in any way that is appropriate to the individual’s or family’s needs. | |
| Sooke Meals on Wheels Association | 2024 | Standard of Living | Persons with Disabilities | Meals on Wheels is a meal delivery program available to all persons who are unable to provide meals for themselves due to physical, mental, or medical limitations regardless of age or income. Sooke Meals On Wheels has served the Sooke community for more than 50 years. | |
| Sooke Region Communities Health Network Cooperative | 2024, 2023 | Health & Wellness | General Population | Sooke Region Communities Health Network Cooperative (SRCHN) acts as an umbrella organization for other voluntary groups. SRCHN has open membership to individuals and organizations and a Board of Directors who assume a leadership and governance role for a pre-determined period. They also have several working committees that bring together interested community residents and other experts to concentrate on new initiatives. | |
| Sooke Region Historical Society | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | The purposes of the Sooke Region Historical Society are to gather and preserve information, records, and objects of educational, historical and cultural value associated with the area and to maintain a museum for the purpose of preserving, recording, and exhibiting for public enjoyment. Their mission is to inspire an appreciation of the Sooke Region’s past and its relevance to our present and future. | |
| Sooke Shelter Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Housing | Persons with Disabilities | Sooke Shelter Society works to increase access to affordable housing for those with lower-income, to prevent and end homelessness in Sooke. They offer shelter and temporary outdoor survival shelter gear for those experiencing homelessness. The Society’s mission is to ensure all people in the greater Sooke area have access to safe, affordable, appropriate, and long-term housing. | |
| St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church | 2024 | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church is a Hosted Organization fundholder and the purpose of their fund is to support the restoration, maintenance, and preservation of the red brick heritage church in downtown Victoria. |
| St. Margaret’s School | Hosted Organization | Learning | Children | St. Margaret’s School is the only girl-centered school on Vancouver Island, and Canada’s first girl-focused STEM school. The school helps girls become powerful learners with knowledge, attitudes, and courage to thrive in their studies, careers, and in life. Their Global Girls’ Scholarship fund is in support of girls studying both at home and abroad. | |
| Stigma-Free Mental Health Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | Youth | Stigma-Free Mental Health Society (originally the Bipolar Disorder Society of British Columbia) provides education about stigma with an emphasis on mental health. Their resources support educating children and youth on mental well-being and stigma. In addition, they offer programs tailored for rural residents ensuring that everyone, regardless of their location, has the knowledge they need to foster a Stigma-Free community. | |
| Story Studio Writing Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Learning | Children | Story Studio is an award-winning charity that inspires, educates, and empowers youth to be great storytellers, transforming lives and strengthening communities. They develop innovative ‘fun-first’ workshops that give youth the narrative tools to create amazing stories, using a methodology they have developed with almost 10,000 youth. | |
| Stqeeye’ Learning Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Learning | Indigenous People | Stqeeye’ Learning Society is an Indigenous led organization based on Salt Spring Island in the traditional territory of the Quw’utsun Peoples. Their mission is the restoration and preservation of lands and waters within Xwaaqw’um (Burgoyne Bay Provincial Park). The Society supports self-determination, relationship building, and reconciliation through traditional ecological restoration and land-based education programs. | |
| Suddenly Dance Theatre Society | 2024, 2022 | Arts & Culture | General Population | Through live performances and touring, television broadcasts, film festivals, outdoor installation, and the internet, Suddenly Dance Theatre has strived to educate and provide opportunities for dancers and choreographers to improve in their craft, and to educate and increase the public’s understanding and appreciation of dance by providing performances of an artistic nature in public places. | |
| Surrounded by Cedar Child and Family Services | 2024, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Getting Started | Indigenous People | The mission of Surrounded by Cedar Child and Family Services is to provide child and family services strongly rooted in Indigenous cultural values and world views while ensuring urban Indigenous children and youth grow up connected to family, community, and culture. |
| Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary Society | 2024 | Hosted Organization | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is an accessible green space in an urban landscape and includes two distinct ecosystems – a wetland around Swan Lake and a rocky Garry Oak forest on top of Christmas Hill. Both habitats are home to an incredible array of rare and threatened native plants and wild animals. The Sanctuary is a living classroom fostering a greater understanding of nature through direct experience. Educational programs are available for all ages that encourage stewardship of the natural environment. |
| Swim Drink Fish | 2024 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The name Swim Drink Fish comes from signs that are all too often found on shorelines around Canada: no swimming, no fishing, and no drinking. Swim Drink Fish’s goal is to restore the health of local waters so that every one of those signs is removed. They strive for a world where every watershed can be enjoyed by the communities, doing what they love. | |
| Take a Hike Youth Mental Health Foundation | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | Youth | Take a Hike partners with public school districts to engage vulnerable youth in a full-time mental health and emotional well-being program embedded in an alternate education classroom. Their mission is to empower vulnerable youth with the skills and resilience they need to graduate high school, build healthy relationships, navigate the challenges of young adulthood, and achieve success – however they define it. Take a Hike does this by engaging youth in intensive and continuous clinical counselling, regular outdoor adventures, and supporting youth in a safe and caring community. | |
| TFL Technology for Living Society | 2024 | Belonging & Engagement | Persons with Disabilities | Technology for Living works with people who have severe physical disabilities and helps them to live as independently as possible. They provide people who experience physical barriers with peer support, innovative technologies, respiratory therapy services, and equipment that address unmet needs to increase independence, inclusion, and well-being. | |
| The Anglican Synod of the Diocese of BC | 2024 | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | Victoria Foundation granting programs support municipalities, Indigenous Nations, and churches for their charitable initiatives and community-building programs such as food banks and cultural events. | |
| The ArtsREACH Society | 2024, 2023 | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | Children | ArtsREACH was created to provide high quality visual and performing arts training to young children. They deliver free 60-90 minute workshops in public elementary schools identified as having a higher percentage of vulnerable families. More than 45,000 children, in their public schools, have participated in an artsREACH workshop, delivered by professional artists, actors and dancers. |
| The Belfry Theatre Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | As a professional adult theatre company, the Belfry Theatre Society is dedicated to producing contemporary plays, with an emphasis on Canadian work, and to promoting artistic, cultural, and educational events in the Greater Victoria region. |
| The Board of Education of School District No. 61 (Greater Victoria) | 2024, 2023 | Learning | Children | Greater Victoria School District No. 61 is proud to provide quality education for 20,000 students in 28 elementary schools (kindergarten to grade five), 10 middle schools (grades six to eight), and 7 secondary schools (grades nine to 12). More than 1,000 International students from across the globe attend schools in the District, and each year, over 650 adult learners register in the Continuing Education Program. | |
| The Board of Education of School District No. 63 (Saanich) | 2023, 2022 | Learning | Children | The Saanich School District enrolls close to 8,000 students in a number of neighbourhood and special program schools including 8 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 3 secondary schools. They provide educational programming at the Children’s Development Centre, two Individual Learning Centres, and a kindergarten to grade 12 online learning school called SIDES (South Island Distance Education School). Saanich schools boasts one of the most successful international student programs in the province at SISP (Saanich International Student Program). | |
| The British Columbia Lions Society for Children with Disabilities | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Belonging & Engagement | Children | Easter Seals BC and Yukon creates opportunities and tools to help children and adults with disabilities address life’s challenges while building self-esteem, self-confidence, and independence. Since embarking on the vision of the BC Lions Society for Children with Disabilities in 1947, Lions Clubs have continued to be an integral and formidable supporter for children and adults with disabilities with by their incredible fundraising events and time volunteering at camps. | |
| The Canadian Heritage Arts Society (Canadian College of Performing Arts) |
2024 | Hosted Organization | Learning | General Population | The Canadian College of Performing Arts (CCPA) offers quality training in a broad spectrum of skills to prepare students for careers in the performance arts locally, nationally, and internationally. They offer programs where students can develop their performance and career management skills under the close supervision and guidance of highly qualified professional teachers, mentors, and theatre artists. |
| The Capital Region Prostate Centre | 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | The Capital Region Prostate Centre (known as Island Prostate) is the only non-profit that guides and empowers Vancouver Island patients and their families as they navigate the uncertainty of a prostate cancer diagnosis. They help Vancouver Island men and their families to stay informed about prostate cancer concerns, issues, and topics. |
| The Circle Salt Spring Education Society | 2023, 2022 | Safety | General Population | The Circle Education Society fosters healthy relationships to promote communities free of violence, bullying, discrimination, assault, and abuse. They do this by delivering innovative, evidence-based, social-emotional educational programs for children, youth, and adults, and by inspiring and training others to deliver their programs. The Society believes that all human beings should be free to develop their personal abilities and make choices without the limitations set by assumptions, stereotypes, rigid gender roles, and prejudices. | |
| The Cridge Centre for the Family | 2024, 2023 | Health & Wellness | General Population | The Cridge Centre for the Family’s purpose is providing excellence in support, housing, education, and community. They work together to restore hope and a future to those overcoming the challenges before them. From childcare services to senior living, including specialized programs like their Brain Injury Initiative and the Cridge Transition House for Women, they’re committed to delivering top-notch care. | |
| The Discovery School Society | Hosted Organization | Learning | Children | The Discovery School is an independent school that presents an intensified academic program to the learning-disabled student individualized to the student’s needs and based on the BC core curriculum. A non-denominational school with Christian values, Discovery strives to develop the child as a whole being. They create a nurturing and inclusive environment where everyone can flourish academically, socially, and personally. | |
| The Farmlands Trust (Greater Victoria) Society | 2023, 2022 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The Farmlands Trust (Greater Victoria) Society was established to enhance the farming capability of Mt. Newton Valley, rehabilitate the stream ecology of Hagan Creek, and create a community trail system. Their mission is to protect and preserve farmlands and associated agricultural, natural, and cultural features in the Greater Victoria region for the benefit of current and future generations. | |
| The Galiano Club | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | The Galiano Club plays a vital role in maintaining the social fabric and environmental health of Galiano Island to ensure that it remains a vibrant and sustainable community. Its key purposes include community building, environmental stewardship, cultural preservation, and recreational opportunities. | |
| The Gorge View Society | 2023 | Housing | General Population | Gorge View Society is an innovative and community-focused housing provider and developer, helping people to live affordably and independently. The Society seeks new opportunities to provide affordable, stable, and community-focused housing. | |
| The Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education, and Conservation | 2024 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The mission of The Jane Goodall Institute is to create an informed and compassionate multitude who will help build a better world for people, other animals, and our shared environment. They envision a healthy planet where people make compassionate choices to live sustainably and in harmony with each other, the environment, and other animals. | |
| The John Howard Society of Victoria | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Belonging & Engagement | Persons with Disabilities | John Howard Society Victoria is committed to leading transformative social change our community. They are dedicated to assisting individuals, families, youth, and adults with programs and services focused on employment, housing, mentorship, and restorative justice. They recognize the need for supports for those who face barriers and aim to restore dignity and self-worth to all those who work toward becoming their best selves. | |
| The Khalsa Diwan Society of Victoria | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Arts & Culture | Black & People of Colour | The mission of the Khalsa Diwan Society of Victoria (Sikh Temple) is to foster community bonds and development through spiritual, educational, social, and sports initiatives, with a particular emphasis on engaging youth and families. | |
| The Marie Esther Society | 2024, 2023 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Seniors | Mount St. Mary Hospital is owned and operated by the Marie Esther Society. They are a community of caring for adults who require complex care services to live life fully. They provide a safe environment that fosters mutual respect, ethical reflection, and personal growth within systems that are responsive to evolving needs. |
| The Mustard Seed Street Church | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Standard of Living | General Population | Mustard Seed’s vision is to be a compassionate community where the cycles of poverty have been broken and lives restored. Their mission is to build community and maintain relationships, providing essential and transformative services to those in need. The Mustard Seed has become an essential part of reducing poverty and community transformation for the Greater Victoria area. | |
| The Polis Foundation | 2024 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | POLIS is to be a place of active learning and exchange where diverse people can enhance their understandings of and contributions to ecological governance, and enact changes needed for an equitable, just, and sustainable world with a regenerative future. Their community-engaged and action-oriented research, policy work, and education is rooted in place, and seeks to understand and address pressing, complex questions. | |
| The Salvation Army Victoria Addictions Rehabilitation Centre | 2024, 2022 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | The Salvation Army Addiction & Rehabilitation Centre has stood in this city since 1918 and continues to be the safe place for men to heal, address and defy dependencies, and transform lives. Their team is determined to provide safe, affordable housing, emergency shelter, transitional housing, quality counselling, education, and drug and alcohol recovery programming to those making the transition from homelessness, poverty, and addiction to family and community – housed, healthy, and free from addictive lifestyles. | |
| The Starfish Environmental Society | 2023 | Environmental Sustainability | Youth | Starfish Canada supports youth to take action on environmental stewardship and climate action, whether locally or globally. The Society uplifts youth changemakers, amplifying their voices in climate action while centering their approach on equity and justice. They provide the essential education, resources, communities, and recognition for youth to thrive as leaders in shaping a climate-resilient future. | |
| The Story Theatre Productions Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Arts & Culture | Children | Story Theatre Company has a mandate to create theatre productions for young people that enhance and complement their learning experiences. The Theatre’s plays use narrative storytelling and improvisation to encourage enthusiasm for one’s own literacy and storytelling abilities. Their mission is to inspire imagination and encourage literacy through live theatrical performance. | |
| The Victoria Cool Aid Society | 2024, 2023 | Hosted Organization | Standard of Living | General Population | Working with partners in the Capital Region, Victoria Cool Aid Society offers life-changing services to adults who are impacted by poverty, colonization, stigma, and homelessness. These services include permanent housing, emergency shelter, health and dental care, employment assistance, and social and recreational opportunities. |
| The Victoria Stroke Recovery Association | 2024 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | The mission of the Victoria Stroke Recovery Association is to assist stroke survivors and their caregivers maintain and improve their overall quality of life and good health so that all of those affected by a stroke can help with the ongoing recovery of the stroke survivor and enable independent living. |
| The Victoria Youth Empowerment Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | Youth | Victoria Youth Empowerment Society (YES) offers services for youth and their family or caregivers throughout the Capital Region. Their vision is to provide a continuum of care that empowers positive choices in the lives of multiple-barrier youth by providing accessible, innovative, and proactive programs. | |
| Theatre SKAM Association | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Arts & Culture | General Population | Theatre SKAM strives to effect positive social change in the community, to propel the professional careers of a wide range of artists, notably Victoria artists, and especially emerging artists, and to invigorate our community with living contemporary theatre and events that provide varied, inventive, and surprising entertainment for audiences in Victoria and on tour. | |
| Thermopylae Club | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | Thermopylae Club has the following purposes: to stimulate interest and pride in British Columbia and Canadian maritime heritage; to make available to the public information on BC’s maritime heritage; to provide financial assistance and merit awards for maritime studies; to encourage gifts of maritime artifacts to maritime museums in BC; and to provide a forum for discussion of BC’s maritime heritage. | |
| Threshold Housing Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Housing | Youth | Threshold Housing Society was born out of concern from community members in response to the number of youth living on the streets. Threshold offers safe housing, support services, community, and prevention for youth aged 15-24 years at risk of homelessness. |
| Thrive Social Services Society | 2024, 2023 | Learning | General Population | Thrive Social Services Society (formerly Phoenix Human Services) is a team of social service professionals with a mission to help the children, youth, adults, and families they serve live their best lives by providing high-quality services through a variety of programs. Thrive’s mission is to provide services to individuals and families that create opportunities to build skills, strengths, and resourcefulness. | |
| TLC, The Land Conservancy of British Columbia | Hosted Organization | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | TLC is a Land Trust working throughout British Columbia that protects important habitat for plants, animals and natural communities as well as properties with historical, cultural, scientific, scenic or compatible recreational value. TLC envisions a future where the biological diversity of BC is protected for the benefit of future generations. | |
| Together Against Poverty Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Standard of Living | General Population | Together Against Poverty Society (TAPS) is one of the largest anti-poverty organizations on Vancouver Island. Through legal advocacy and public education, they strive to uphold and promote human rights, justice, and community. TAPS membership is open to individuals or groups concerned with the preservation of civil society, social justice, the eradication of poverty, and the continuing moral progress of those ideals. |
| Transition Salt Spring Society | 2023, 2022 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | Transition Salt Spring Society is the only organization on Salt Spring devoted exclusively to addressing the climate crisis. Their focus is on mobilizing islanders and the organizations that serve them to lower emissions and help prepare for the increasing climate change risks faced by our community and our ecosystems. | |
| Tsartlip First Nation | 2024 | Belonging & Engagement | Indigenous People | Victoria Foundation granting programs support municipalities, Indigenous Nations, and churches for their charitable initiatives and community-building programs such as food banks and cultural events. | |
| T’Sou-ke First Nation | 2022 | Belonging & Engagement | Indigenous People | Victoria Foundation granting programs support municipalities, Indigenous Nations, and churches for their charitable initiatives and community-building programs such as food banks and cultural events. | |
| Ukrainian Catholic Parish of St Nicholas | 2023 | Getting Started | Newcomers, Immigrants and Refugees | Ukrainian Village is a transitional housing initiative that provides free, safe, and supportive housing for Ukrainians fleeing war and starting a life here on Vancouver Island. In cooperation with Help Ukraine Vancouver Island Society, VICCIR, and many volunteers, Ukrainian Village provides its guests with English classes, counselling services, and grocery supplies. Many volunteers help the guests to settle into a routine, obtain necessary documents, update resumes, and apply for jobs, while ensuring a safe and friendly environment. | |
| Umbrella Society For Addictions And Mental Health | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | General Population | Umbrella Society for Addictions and Mental Health provides mental health and substance use supports to individuals and their loved ones. Their services include outreach, recovery housing, counselling, harm reduction, and education. The team meets people wherever they are at in their journey and provides meaningful support to help them achieve their personal goals. |
| United for Literacy | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Learning | General Population | United for Literacy (formerly Frontier College) aims to empower individuals and communities by breaking down learning and fostering a culture of literacy across Canada. Their main purpose is to provide access to literacy and educational opportunities, particularly for those facing barriers to education. | |
| University of Victoria | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Learning | General Population | The University of Victoria (UVic) is one of Canada’s leading research-intensive universities. They are widely recognized for leadership in research, inspired teaching, and community engagement. They provide innovative undergraduate and graduate programs and dynamic learning experiences in their diverse and welcoming West Coast setting. | |
| Vancouver Island Counselling Centre For Immigrants And Refugees Association | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Getting Started | Newcomers, Immigrants and Refugees | VICCIR’s mission is to provide specialized counselling and training services to assist refugees and immigrants who suffer from the effects of trauma and torture. They train professional counsellors in the treatment of trauma and torture and provide ongoing training and support to VICCIR interpreters. They educate, train, and counsel sponsorship groups, teachers, school board personnel, public health workers, first responders, and the general public to address and resolve vicarious trauma and to assist them to better meet the unique needs of migrants to Canada. | |
| Vancouver Island Kids Klub Centre Society | 2023, 2022 | Getting Started | Children | Kids Klub is a Island Health licensed Christian-based organization that is committed to providing children with a safe, supervised environment, staffed by qualified, professional people. The staff members at Kids Klub are focused on providing opportunities for the continued development of each child’s social, physical, emotional, cultural, and intellectual needs. | |
| Vancouver Island Men’s Therapy Centre Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | The Men’s Therapy Centre provides support and/or counselling services to over two hundred masculine identified persons and their family members each year. The Men’s Therapy Centre is becoming increasingly busy and they now run a wide range of therapy programs, educational outreach, and an advocacy services. | |
| Vancouver Island Persons Living with HIV/AIDS Society | 2024 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Vancouver Island Persons Living with HIV/AIDS Society is the only peer based HIV/AIDS organization on Vancouver Island, and has been providing peer support, peer navigation, education and treatment information to persons living with HIV/AIDS since 1991. | |
| Vancouver Island Providence Community Association | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Vancouver Island Providence Community Association (Providence Farm) is a therapeutic working farm nestled in the heart of the Cowichan Valley. Providence Farm is a trauma-informed agency, invested in promoting healing opportunities for those who may not be easily accepted elsewhere. The impact of Providence Farm extends beyond their “farmily” to benefit the region (and beyond) as a leader in providing hope and optimism within our greater community. | |
| Vancouver Island School of Art Society | 2024 | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Vancouver Island School of Art is a learning community dedicated to the advancement of art education through comprehensive programs and presentations for adults of all ages. The focus of the courses and workshops offered by the school is on technique, personal expression, and contemporary context. | |
| Vancouver Island Trail Association | Hosted Organization | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The Vancouver Island Trail Association is committed to a hiking trail that links communities on Vancouver Island from Victoria to Cape Scott. To make that a reality, they are committed to doing all they can to help make the Trail and their organization a welcoming and inclusive space. They value diversity, equity, and inclusion that respects and reflects the ways people connect with the Trail. | |
| Vetta Chamber Music Society | 2024 | Arts & Culture | General Population | The mission of Vetta Chamber Music Society is to create quality concert experiences that they can share with their audiences in an engaging and intimate way. They are committed to presenting a wide selection of repertoire to their audience, including regularly commissioning new works by BC composers. | |
| Victoria Arion Male Choir Society | 2022 | Arts & Culture | General Population | The mission of the Victoria Arion Male Choir Society is to maintain the great tradition of male-voice choral music and to share that music through two main concerts each year. They also perform at seniors’ residences, the Victoria Remembrance Day ceremony, and other public events. | |
| Victoria Arts Council | 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Victoria Arts Council (VAC) exists to support artists at all levels of their engagement. They engage audiences, celebrate local arts, and encourage artistic expression. VAC provides opportunities for artists and audiences to connect through exhibitions, performances, readings, publications, and educational programmes. |
| Victoria Association for Community Living | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | Persons with Disabilities | The Victoria Community Living Foundation was established to raise funds and awareness that benefit the children, youth, adults, and their families supported by Community Living Victoria. Through fundraising and public awareness, the Foundation promotes Community Living Victoria. Together, they support people with intellectual disabilities. | |
| Victoria Baroque Music Society | 2024, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | Victoria Baroque Music Society presents dynamic, personal, and engaging performances of music from the Baroque and Classical periods. Bringing Baroque music to life, Victoria Baroque inspires Vancouver Island audiences through exciting live performances. Victoria Baroque concerts are presented by the Victoria Baroque Music Society. |
| Victoria Brain Injury Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | The Victoria Brain Injury Society gives survivors and their loved ones long-term support through the many steps of life after brain injury. From those just released from hospital to those who have lived with their injuries for decades, survivors consistently express gratitude and relief once they’ve walked through the Society’s doors. The Society’s mission is to provide support, education, and advocacy, and to empower survivors to move toward emotional, economic, and social self-reliance. |
| Victoria Chinatown Care Foundation | 2024 | Health & Wellness | Black and People of Colour | Victoria Chinatown Care Centre is an accredited, non-profit, long term care centre that provides complex care to 31 residents. In addition to full-time residents, they operate an Adult Day Program to provide socialization and appealing activities to members of the community, most of whom are of Chinese descent. | |
| Victoria Chinatown Museum Society | 2024 | Arts & Culture | Black and People of Colour | The Victoria Chinatown Museum honours the history, culture, and contribution of Chinese Canadians. They are dedicated to the creation of a permanent museum to serve as a tribute to the vital role the Chinese community played in the cultural fabric of the City of Victoria and British Columbia. | |
| Victoria Coalition for Survivors of Torture | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Getting Started | Newcomers, Immigrants and Refugees | Victoria Coalition for Survivors of Torture (VCST) was formed as a coalition of agencies and individuals responding to the needs of survivors of torture and their families. Their mission is to help survivors of torture and political violence overcome the legacy of violent oppression. | |
| Victoria Community Food Hub Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Standard of Living | General Population | The purpose of the Victoria Community Food Hub Society is to alleviate poverty and hunger by providing access to healthy food while fostering a local food-based economy. They believe that through providing access to healthy food, education, and care they can support individuals, families, and communities to achieve greater health and well-being. | |
| Victoria Compost & Conservation Education Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The Compost Education Centre (CEC) reconnects people to simple, land-based, resiliency practices. Their organizational practices sustain the CEC, the natural environment, and our communities. They actively work towards right relations, anti-oppression, and environmental justice in solidarity with the Indigenous peoples on whose land we work. Their vision is to cultivate resilient communities which enable the land and all living beings to thrive. | |
| Victoria Conservatory of Music | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | Victoria Conservatory of Music (VMC) is a music centre for the whole community. They welcome participants of all ages and musical abilities, exploring their creative talents across musical genres and eras, supported by a range of instruments and technologies. VMC develops creative potential and healthy communities through music education, wellness, and live performance. |
| Victoria Disability Resource Centre | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Victoria Disability Resource Centre is a cross-disability, grassroots organization run by and for persons with disabilities. They work closely with people who have a disability and with other community organizations to find and remove barriers that prevent full participation in life. Their mission is to promote a new perspective on disabilities and to increase the options for independent living for persons with disabilities and their integration in all aspects of their communities. | |
| Victoria Festival Of Authors Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Arts & Culture | General Population | Victoria Festival of Authors’ annual festival is a celebration of ideas to recharge our imaginations. From politics to poetry, science to music, history to thrillers, they celebrate the richness of Canada’s literary community, and are passionate about providing a welcoming, respectful and comfortable environment for all. | |
| Victoria High School Alumni Association | Hosted Organization | Learning | Youth | The Victoria High School Alumni Association is a network of engaged alumni supporting Victoria High School, its culture of inclusivity and acceptance, and its students to achieve their highest potential. | |
| Victoria Horticultural Society | Hosted Organization | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | Victoria Horticultural Society (VHS) inspires people by demonstrating what can be grown in the Victoria area, displaying the beauty of gardens, sharing knowledge of how to grow plants and food, and providing calm and healing refuges. The VHS’ objectives are to collect and diffuse information on all topics relating to horticulture, stimulate the knowledge and love of horticulture, and to cooperate and/or affiliate with other horticultural organizations. | |
| Victoria Hospice Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Victoria Hospice provides end-of-life care focused on palliative treatment. Their interdisciplinary team provides comfort for patients and support for their families. Their mission is to enhance the quality of life for people facing life-limiting illness, death and bereavement through patient and family-centred care, education, research and advocacy. |
| Victoria Hospitals Foundation | 2022 | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Victoria Hospitals Foundation works in partnership with Island Health to enable donations to every area of care at Royal Jubilee Hospital, Victoria General Hospital, and Gorge Road Health Centre. As Island Health’s charitable partner, they raise donations for medical equipment, special projects, education, and research. Their mission is to champion a culture of philanthropy that transforms healthcare on the Island. | |
| Victoria Humane Society | 2024, 2023 | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | The Victoria Humane Society (VHS) is a small community group committed to finding homes for animals in need. Since it was formed in 2013, thousands of animals have been adopted through VHS. Their facility is a place where animals can find the time and space to settle, to heal mentally or physically if necessary, and to stay for a short period until an appropriate foster home can be found, or in some cases, after the initial assessment, be adopted directly into their forever home. | |
| Victoria Immigrant & Refugee Centre Society | 2024, 2023 | Hosted Organization | Getting Started | Newcomers, Immigrants, & Refugees | As a leading organization in the Greater Victoria Region, the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society is dedicated to supporting immigrants and refugees. Their mission is to assist immigrants and refugees in settling and integrating through comprehensive services for their evolving needs. |
| Victoria Independent Film & Video Festival | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Victoria Film Festival (VFF) embodies the spirit of the cinematic arts on Vancouver Island. They worship cult films, offer a ritual of initiation for emerging filmmakers, and bring unique artistic voices from Canada and around the world to local screens. VFF is open to all forms of creative media and every February they deliver a 10-day film festival across the city. | |
| Victoria Kiwanis Foundation | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Children | The mission of the Victoria Kiwanis Foundation is deeply rooted in fostering positive change and supporting the betterment of society through compassionate and dedicated service. They are dedicated to improving the lives of children in their community. | |
| Victoria Literacy Connection Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Learning | General Population | The vision of Victoria Literacy Connection is that everyone in Greater Victoria has opportunities to acquire the literacy skills to function effectively in today’s society. They help children, youth, and adults improve their literacy skills including reading, writing, and math, by providing tutoring and a variety of other programs. |
| Victoria Native Friendship Centre | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | Indigenous People | The Victoria Native Friendship Centre (VNFC) is an Indigenous-led organization located on the traditional lands of the Lekwungen speaking people of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. The Centre comprises compassionate staff members building and delivering programs to improve socio-economic conditions for urban Indigenous peoples. Their goal is to stitch the fabric of Indigenous traditions into everything the VNFC does, and to greet each other and the natural world in a good way every day. |
| Victoria Philharmonic Choir Society | 2022 | Arts & Culture | General Population | Victoria Philharmonic Choir (VPC) is an auditioned choir that excels in vibrant, engaging performances of great choral works, from the Renaissance to the 21st century. Their choristers are committed to improving vocal and choral skills, regular weekly rehearsals, independent work on repertoire between rehearsals, and participation in the season’s concerts. Their vision is to provide the highest attainable standard of live choral music to Greater Victoria, Vancouver Island, and further afield. | |
| Victoria Rainbow Kitchen Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Standard of Living | General Population | Rainbow Kitchen is a family-friendly community kitchen that specializes in providing delicious meals and connecting the community to resources. Rainbow Kitchen specializes in programming that strengthens food security surrounding Southern Vancouver Island. Hot breakfasts, tasty lunches, food sharing– there’s a program for everyone. Their mission is to provide food security and access to resources to all that we welcome through effective community partnerships. |
| Victoria Restorative Justice Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Safety | Youth | Restorative Justice Victoria provides a range of services in the Greater Victoria area for youth and adults in order to promote restitution, safety, and healing in the aftermath of criminal and other harmful behaviour. The goal of their work is to address the harms resulting from crime and violence. Their methodologies can be used as a diversion from, or in conjunction with, the traditional justice system, or outside of the traditional justice system entirely. | |
| Victoria Sexual Assault Centre Society | 2024, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Safety | Women | Victoria Sexual Assault Centre is a feminist organization committed to ending sexualized violence through healing, education, and prevention. They are dedicated to supporting women and all Trans survivors of sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse, through advocacy, counselling, and empowerment. |
| Victoria Single Parent Resource Centre Society | 2023 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | General Population | 1Up Victoria Single Parent Resource Centre assists and supports single parents in their task of raising a family alone, and help to increase single parents’ self-worth, self-confidence, and self-reliance by providing a central facility where they can meet, develop friendships, and share experiences with other single parents and their families. |
| Victoria Society for Children with Autism | 2024 | Health & Wellness | Children | Victoria Society for Children with Autism (VSCA) serves, encourages, educates, supports, and inspires families in Greater Victoria who are caring for autistic children. Whether your child has been newly-diagnosed with Autism, or you’d like to know more about the subject or talk with other parents, VSCA is there to help. | |
| Victoria Summer Music Festival Society | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | The Victoria Summer Music Festival (VSMF) presents an annual chamber music festival at the University of Victoria’s Philip T. Young Recital Hall. The festival provides audiences with the opportunity to hear the finest chamber musicians from around the world, together with world-class musicians from our local community. In addition to the annual festival, the VSMF supports talented young musicians by providing paid, public performance opportunities, along with a number of free student tickets to their concerts. | |
| Victoria Symphony Society | 2024, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Arts & Culture | General Population | With a mission “to inspire, educate, and captivate our community through the transformative power of music”, the Victoria Symphony is one of BC’s largest performing arts organizations and one of only two full-time professional orchestras in the province. They provide 36 weeks of guaranteed performance opportunities for 44 professional musicians who also share their expertise as teachers and mentors at the University of Victoria and the Victoria Conservatory of Music. They are proud to offer a diverse range of programs appealing to all ages and demographics. |
| Victoria Target Theatre Society | 2023 | Arts & Culture | Seniors | Target Theatre is a group of mature actors who create and perform entertaining and educational plays on seniors’ issues to increase awareness of topics relevant to an aging population and to contribute to fostering healthy communities. While Target focuses primarily on themes of immediate relevance to seniors, their families, or their caregivers, they are also committed to creating accessible theatrical experiences with diverse casts for engaged audiences of all ages. | |
| Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association | 2024, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Persons with Disabilities | Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association (VTRA) uses horseback riding as a recognized therapeutic aid and offers a variety of equine-assisted activities to more than 200 children and adults throughout the region. Their mission is to build individual capacity through human and horse teamwork. |
| Victoria Truth Centre | Hosted Organization | Belonging & Engagement | General Population | Victoria Truth Centre is not a traditional church that focuses on bible readings and preaching, but on philosophy and positivity. They believe that if you change your thinking, you can change your world. They host nourishing events every week that are open to the public, and wherever you are on your spiritual journey, they accept and celebrate you exactly as you are. | |
| Victoria Visual Arts Legacy Society | Hosted Organization | Learning | General Population | Victoria Visual Arts Legacy Society was established to support innovative and creative visual arts knowledge, development, and education. The Society supports students who choose a post-secondary visual arts education. | |
| Victoria Women’s Transition House Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Safety | Women | Victoria Women’s Transition House Society (VWTS) supports and advocates for women as they move forward with their lives after experiencing intimate partner violence. They strive to foster a culture of inclusion free of all forms of discrimination and violence, where people are treated with respect and are committed to deepening appreciation of diversity. VWTS is committed to advancing gender equality through access to justice so all women can assert their social, economic, cultural, political, and civil rights, as well as advocating for affordable housing as it is critical to women’s safety and well-being. |
| VIDEA A BC-Based International Development Education Association | 2023 | Belonging & Engagement | Youth | VIDEA strengthens the environment where youth and communities have access to the education, skills, and support necessary to take feminist leadership in developing their own sustainable solutions to gender equality, environment, Indigenous, and human rights violations and injustice. They strive to support and inspire others, especially Indigenous and underrepresented youth, to better understand global issues, and issues of oppression, discrimination, systemic sexism, and colonialism, and to use their power and voice towards more just communities. | |
| Voices in Motion Choral Society | 2024 | Belonging & Engagement | Persons with Disabilities | At Voices in Motion Choir, all participants benefit from belonging to a supportive community where they experience love, connection, and support. Participation in social singing draws upon emotional and procedural brain systems unaffected by dementia, so these life-giving moments of music foster increased socialization, cognitive function, meaningfulness, and a multigenerational appreciation of others. | |
| Watershed Watch Salmon Society | 2023 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | Watershed Watch Salmon Society is a science-based charity working to defend and rebuild BC’s wild salmon. Their work tackles the complex issues facing wild salmon through collaboration with other organizations and community groups. | |
| Wear 2 Start Society | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Getting Started | Women | Wear2Start is dedicated to empowering self-identified women by providing professional clothing, accessories, and essential personal care items. They support women in various challenging situations, including those facing emergencies, returning to school, or seeking legal assistance. Their services also extend to coordinating haircuts and clothing alterations, ensuring clients have access to attire suitable for work and daily life. The mission of Wear2Start is to create a community where every self-identified woman has the confidence and resources to pursue their professional and personal aspirations. | |
| West Coast Children’s Choral Society | 2024, 2022 | Arts & Culture | Children | Victoria Children’s Choir (VCC) offers the highest standards of music education, immersing our choristers in the transformative world of choral music in a dynamic and supportive environment. VCC strives for choral excellence by pursuing a challenging, distinctive, and inspiring multicultural repertoire, performing locally, nationally, and internationally, and empowers choristers to develop lifelong friendships, while gaining confidence, discipline, and self-esteem. | |
| West Coast Reach Association | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Belonging & Engagement | Persons with Disabilities | West Coast REACH! Association is a dynamic organization on lower Vancouver Island, celebrating diversity (of ages, cultures, and abilities) through the power of the performing arts. They are continually excited to see lives transformed and communities strengthened as a result of their programs and shows that are truly inclusive, empowering, and inspiring. | |
| Whole Way House Society | 2024 | Housing | Persons with Disabilities | Whole Way House provides community building programs and tenant support services to low-income seniors, veterans, families and vulnerable residents to build healthy community in non-profit housing. They partner with landlords to help reduce the risk of homelessness, increase quality of life, and rebuild a sense of belonging. | |
| WITS Program Foundation | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Safety | Children | WITS Programs work in schools to teach children strategies that promote kindness and reduce victimization. They train educators and community leaders in their whole-community approach to ending peer victimization and bullying. The award-winning WITS Programs started in Victoria and has since spread into elementary schools across Canada, into the USA, and internationally. |
| World Fisheries Trust | 2024 | Environmental Sustainability | General Population | The mission of World Fisheries Trust is to support and build equitable and sustainable use and conservation of aquatic resources through education, research, and stewardship. Coastal Collaborative Sciences operates in the Greater Victoria area, focusing on local research and stewardship projects. | |
| W?SÁNE? Land Trust Society | Hosted Organization | Environmental Sustainability | Indigenous People | The purpose of the W?SÁNE? Lands Trust Society (WLTS) is to provide a place for land to be returned to the W?SÁNE? people who were stripped of their lands through colonization. Although the main goals are to help future generations of W?SÁNE? access land for cultural purposed and to positively impact the environment through W?SÁNE? stewardship, the WLTS will also seek land back for collaborative projects such as community housing and economic development initiatives. | |
| YMCA-YWCA of Vancouver Island | 2024, 2023, 2022 | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | General Population | The YMCA-YWCA is committed to strengthening communities by empowering young people, improving the health and well-being of people of all ages, and inspiring action in and across communities. The organization aims to create meaningful change across the country by connecting people to their potential, purpose, and each other. |
| Young Entrepreneurs of Canada Association | 2024, 2022 | Learning | Youth | PowerPlay Young Entrepreneurs is dedicated to inspiring and empowering youth with the entrepreneurial mindset. Whether students aim to be entrepreneurs or simply want to chase their dreams and develop new skills, PowerPlay provides various opportunities for authentic learning and exploration in a real-world context. They equip students with the skills, mindset, and adaptability to set ambitious goals, push their boundaries, and embrace innovative thinking. | |
| Youth Parliament of BC Alumni Society | Hosted Organization | Learning | Youth | The Youth Parliament of BC Alumni Society is the sponsoring body of the BC Youth Parliament. The society is comprised of those who are former members of BCYP, or its predecessor the Older Boys Parliament. Any member of BCYP can become a member of the Alumni Society and continue to participate in the activities of the Society. Youth parliament provides a platform for youth to take initiative, harness new passions, and make an impact. | |
| Zonta Club of Victoria | Hosted Organization | Health & Wellness | Women | The Zonta Club of Victoria is part of Zonta International, a worldwide service organization of executives in business and the professions working together to advance the status of women. Throughout the history of Zonta International, they have been improving the lives of women by enhancing their education, health, and socio-economic status. | |