Vancity Community Foundation combines financial contributions - big and small - with advocacy, data and research to build communities and people that thrive in right relations with the land.
Charitable giving with impact
We work with our charitable partners to address community needs. Through combinations of grants, loans and advisory services, we are able to get creative, often finding innovative, flexible and nimble ways to catalyze support for impactful projects.
Funds are pooled and invested together for greater impact in a socially responsible way that screens out harmful practices and industries, including fossil fuels. The size of the Foundation's investment pool gives us the ability to diversify and reduce risk, while benefitting from lower investment management fees.
- Visit By the Numbers for more information about our financial highlights.
Housing and homelessness
With BC's housing crisis continuing to deepen, our spectrum of programs not only help ensure homelessness is prevented (such as BC Rent Bank) or at the very least rare, brief and one-time (through Reaching Home), we are also helping small- and medium-sized community housing organizations scale up the supply of affordable housing through the Affordable Community Housing Program + Accelerator Fund.
Social and economic innovation
But housing is just one part of healthy communities. 312 Main supports the critical work of decolonization, Reconciliation and economic resiliency.
Located in the heart of the Downtown Eastside, our building was converted from the former Vancouver Police Department headquarters, a six-storey building with approximately 100,000 square feet of space that is home to more than 40 impact organizations that focus on creating social, environmental and cultural change.
312 Main brings together mission-driven entrepreneurs, technological innovators, artists, non-profit organizations, Indigenous leaders, activists and local residents to foster local economic development, social innovation, job creation, cultural creativity and economic inclusion.
Harnessing data and research for advocacy
Across our programs and projects, we use the data we gather and the stories we hear to fine tune our work and increase our impact. The lessons we learn not only help with our own work, but are also shared through research and reports so that other organizations - no matter their size or location - can increase their impact as well.
We also use this knowledge to advocate to all levels of government in order to improve or create policy and channel funding and investment to where it is needed most.