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Victoria Foundation program boosts Community Recovery

Community Action Fund donations continue to make a difference; grant applications open March 29
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When cancelled performances decimated arts organization revenues, the Victoria Foundation’s Arts & Culture Fund offered support. For Intrepid Theatre, funds helped them modify the Metro Studio Theatre to include distanced, cabaret-style seating.

As Greater Victorians welcome spring’s promise of a fresh start after a year dominated by COVID-19, we do so knowing there’s still much recovery work to be done.

It’s with that in mind that the Victoria Foundation will open applications for the next round of its Community Recovery Program grants next week.

Supporting federally registered charities and qualified donees in the Capital Region with flexible, general operating funds, the grants help address the social and economic impacts of the pandemic.

Supporting communities affected by the pandemic and strengthening the charitable sector’s ability to continue delivering services, the program encompasses a broad range of issue areas, from the environment and education to health and the arts.

“The past year has brought unprecedented social and economic impacts to our community and charitable sector, and these flexible, general operating funds are provided through the lens of recovery efforts and building resilience for both the short and long-term,” says Victoria Foundation CEO Sandra Richardson.

Organizations may apply for funding to support general operating costs, staffing, program or technology adaptation, capital costs and projects or programs, including relief efforts.

The Community Recovery Program utilizes a trust-based philanthropy framework to assess all applications. Some key values of this approach include equity, humility and transparency, and each application is assessed based on strength of the organization, evidence of need, community impact and budget.

See the Community Action Funds in action

Making the Community Recovery Program possible are the Victoria Foundation’s Community Action Funds, which provide the opportunity to donate directly to specific issue areas in our community.

When arts organization revenues were decimated when performances were cancelled, for example, the Arts & Culture Fund stepped in. When the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific needed to adapt its children and youth programming, the Education and Learning Fund let them add technical resources. And when the Together Against Poverty Society needed to help people with evictions, payment of rental arrears, and access to emergency COVID and post-COVID benefits, a grant from the Homelessness Prevention Fund helped.

To date, the program has distributed $2,389,996 to local charities, with more than $750,000 coming from direct donations made either to the Community Action Funds or from Donor Advised Funds.

Learn more about the Community Recovery Program

To learn more about the Community Recovery Program application process, contact Zahura Ahmed at 250-381-5532 x 230 or by email.

Learn more about the Victoria Foundation at victoriafoundation.bc.ca

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Intrepid Theatre’s Metro Studio benefited from a grant to create physically distanced cabaret-style seating during COVID.