Grant Recipients 2023

North Island

Campbell River & District Public Art Gallery
CRAG Art Hive - a community art studio for peers with lived experience

Comox Valley Family Services Association
Family Nutrition Project

Cortes Community Health Association
Connection, Creativity and Mentorship - Youth Program

Discovery Coast Greenways Land Trust
Zeballos Ehattis Good Food Box

Hardy Bay Senior Citizens Society
Garden upgrades and wellness

LUSH Valley Food Action Society
Youth in Food Systems

North Island Metis Association
Miitsho: Feeding Our Métis Youth

Robron Centre, SD72
Robron After School

Sointula Resource Centre Society
Community Pantry and Garden Market Stand

Denman Island Community Education Society
The Eyrie - Teen Support Space

Strathcona Regional District
Enhancing Social Capital Through Water Lifesaving Training and Education

U'mista Cultural Society
Ha'mi'ksila (cooking, preparing food)


Central Island

1st Cobble Hill Scout Group
New tents for Dry Scouts - Camping Opportunities for Youth

Cowichan Brain Injury Society
Project Leisure

Cowichan Family Caregivers Support Society
Caregiver Community Resource Library

Cowichan Green
Community Resiliency Project

Cowichan Social Planning Society
Poverty Challenge

Cowichan Valley Arts Council
Art Sharing Connections

Cowichan Women Against Violence Society
Healthy Relationships, Youth Summer Program

Gabriola Community Bus Foundation
GERTIE free rides project

Gabriola Health Care Foundation
MamaMood/PapaMood

Growing Opportunities Farm Community Co-op
Preserving for the Future

Ladysmith Resources Centre Association
Healthy Food for All

Nanaimo Association for Community Living
Club Wellness

Nanaimo Brain Injury Society
Getting to Tomorrow - Ending the Overdose Crisis - The Anti-Stigma Project

Nourish Cowichan Society
Growing Good Food for Healthy Kids

Qualicum First Nation
Eat and Learn!

Regional District of Nanaimo
Area A Youth Social

School District 68 Community Schools
Community Schools Programming

The Men's Centre
Male Domestic Violence Prevention Toolkit

Thetis Island Community Association
Let’s Talk about Burning

Uchucklesaht Tribe Government
Uchucklesaht Community Garden

Volunteer Cowichan
Seniors Supported Volunteer Driving Program

Warmland Restorative Justice Society
Restorative Justice School Program

Warmland Women's Support Services Society
Calling Ourselves Home - Indigenous Outreach

Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government Ucluelet First Nation
Community Harm Reduction Project


South Island

BGC South Vancouver Island (previously Boys and Girls Club of Greater Victoria)
Fostering Fathering Connections

Canadian Earth Institute
Q'ushintul / Walking Together Peacemakers Gathering & Ancestor Walk

Edward Milne Community School Society
Community Cultural Kitchen

Home is Where We Live - LifeCycles Project Society
Active Outdoor Learning Project

Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria
Bystander Intervention Training for Youth: Practical Anti-Racist Tools

James Bay United Church
James Bay Community Lunch

Saanich School District #63 - Saanich Schools
Connect-ED Community Wellness Partnership

Sooke Family Resource Society
Women's Support Groups

Sooke Region Communities Health Network
Increasing access to food in the Sooke Region

Take a Hike Youth Mental Health Foundation
Take a Hike Cowichan Program

The Chuan Community Arts Society
Gabriel's Kitchen

The Galiano Club
Good Food Box Galiano Pilot Project

Umbrella Society for Addictions and Mental Health
Umbrella Cooking Academy

Victoria Community Food Hub Society
Nourish: a Food Equity Project

Victoria Disability Resource Centre
Lived Experiences Around Disability (LEAD)

Victoria Native Friendship Centre
Nourish and Network

Victoria Women's Transition House Society
50+ Support Group Project


Grant Recipients 2022

North Island

Campbell River & District Adult Care Society
Move into Groove

Comox Valley Child Development Association
Building Intergenerational Connections

Comox Valley Transition Society
Golden Girls

Comox Valley Transition Society
Lilli's Garden

Denman Island Community Education Society
Full Circle Foods

Eureka Support Society
Eureka Outreach

Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw Nation
GNN Fall language immersion pilot program

Habitat for Humanity Vancouver Island North
A Supportive Campbell River for the Unhoused

Hornby Island Education Society
Hornby Island Intergenerational Theatre Project

LUSH Valley Food Action Society
Widening the Circle: Reducing Barriers to Growing Food Together

North Island Metis Association
Mamawi: North Island Metis Women's Group


Centre Island

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Cowichan Valley
"Up Your Game" Group Mentoring for Pre-Teen Boys Impacted by Adversity

Cowichan Family Life Association
Building Resiliency in Young Adults through Counselling & Mentorship training

Cowichan Green Community
KinPark Community Food Pantry

Cowichan Valley Regional District - Kerry Park Recreation Centre
Social Therapeutic Chair Yoga

District 69 Society of Organized Services
SOS Family Night

Gabriola Arts Council
Mindful Creation: Addressing Anxiety through Art

Ladysmith Family and Friends Society
Connected and Thriving Families

Mid Island Metis Nation Association
Aashtum Kiikiwaahk (Come Home)

Mid Island Pensioners & Hobbyists Association
Oceanside Around the Table

Mill Bay Nature School
Q'shintul/Mill Bay Nature School Community Gardens

Nanaimo Community Kitchens Society
Bellies To Babies Cooking Program (BTBCP)

Port Alberni Family Guidance Association
Rainbows

Port Alberni Shelter Society
Nourishing our Loved Ones

Red Girl Rising Movement Society
Team 700

Take a Hike Youth at Risk Foundation
Take a Hike Vancouver Island

The Ita Wegman Association of BC for Curative Education and Social Therapy ("Glenora Farm")
Inclusive Agriculture Egg Production Initiative

Tofino Community Food Initiative/Tofino Community Food Society
Growing West Coast Growers (GWCG)

Tsawout First Nation Health Dept
Wsanec Craft Group

Warmland Women's Support Services Society
Nuts'amaat Syaays - Working Together as One

Westcoast Community Resources Society
Substance Use Outreach


South Island

BC Muslim Association
Strengthening Muslim families in Victoria

Boys and Girls Club Services of Greater Victoria
BGC South Vancouver Island (BGCSVI) Parents Together Plus (PT+)

Chinese Community Services Centre (CCSC)
Workshop Series

Embrace Arts Foundation
Embrace: Creativity at Any Age

FED Urban Agriculture Society
FED Urban Learning Garden - Workshop Series

Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group Society
Welcome to Fernwood

Human-Nature Counselling Society
Guam Guam Specums (Strong Flowers)

Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria
Forging a New Path for LGBTQ+ Refugees and Immigrants

Oasis Society for Spiritual Health
Traditional Wellness

PISE (Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence)
Kids on Wheels

Recreation Department, City of Victoria
Growing in the City: Community Access Project

Saanich Neighbourhood Place
Family Dinner 'Seconds'

Take a Hike Youth at Risk Foundation
Take a Hike Sooke

The Pandora Arts Collective Society
PACS Stay-at-Home Studio

Umbrella Society for Addictions and Mental Health
Indigenous Healing Garden for People in Recovery

Vancouver Island Men's Therapy Centre Society
Step Up

Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society
Autobiographical Storytelling Among Newcomer Women Through the Visual Arts

Victoria Native Friendship Centre
Food, Forage, and Feast: Strengthening Food Security in the Urban Indigenous Community

VIDEA
The Land-based Wellness Group

Worker Solidarity Network
Precarious Worker Resilience and Mental Health


Previous Grant Recipients 2020

Geo 1 – Total Awards $130,589

Individual Program Grants

Hornby Island Farmland Trust Society
Share the Harvest

Town of Comox Recreation
Kindergym

Ka;’yu;’k’t’h’/Che’k’tles7eth’ First Nations
Kyuquot Youth Soccer

Hardy Bay Senior Citizens Society
Hardy Bay Senior’s Garden Project

Denman Island Community Education Society
Denman School Food Program

Quatsino First Nation
New Land-Based Traditions/Language Revitalization Program

Strathcona Regional District
Partners in Care

Partnership Grants

Comox Valley Regional District
Regional Airshed Protection Project

Wachiay Friendship Centre
Qummunity Connections


Geo 2 – Total Awards $126,501

Individual Program Grants

Nanaimo Community Kitchens Society
Cooking Out of the Box in Schools

Maaqtusiis Elementary School
Maaqtusiis Elementary School Garden

Forward House Community Society
Moving Forward in Nanoose

Port Alberni Shelter Society
Shelter Farm – Incubator Program

Nanaimo School District #68
DancePl3y Program

Farm to School BC
School to Farm Impacting Community

Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre
NAC Early Years Mental Wellness

Tofino Community Food Initiative
From Seed-to-Table: Connecting our School Garden to the Community

Partnership Grants

Nanoose First Nation
Connection Medicine: Strengthening Ties to Land, Family and Community


Geo 3 – Total Awards $119,086

Individual Program Grants

Warmland Women’s Support Services Society
Transformation Through Movement

Take a Hike Youth at Risk Foundation
Vancouver Island Take a Hike - Cowichan

Cowichan Green Community Foundation
Inclusive Farming

Human-Nature Counselling Society
Waves of Change

Capital Region Female Minor Hockey Association
Female Hockey Development and Referee Training

Stz’uminus First Nation
Family Connectedness for Wellbeing

Gulf Islands School District #64
Pilot Garden School at Salt Spring Elementary

Beacon Community Services
Mental Health Wellness Support Groups

Cowichan Valley Starfish Backpack Program
School is Out and the Food Ran Out

Partnership Grants

Salt Spring Health Advancement Network
Salt Spring Community Mental Wellness Initiative


Geo 4 – Total Awards $193,377

Individual Program Grants

Recovery Victoria
Growing Together

North Park Neighbourhood Association
North Park Needs Assessment

Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence
Embedded Professional Learning to Create Resilient Children Through Physical Literacy

Boys & Girls Club Services of Greater Victoria
Parenting Program Expansion to Sooke

Boys & Girls Club Services of Greater Victoria
Westshore Initiative for Food Security

Victoria Women’s Transition House Society
Stride: Active Living for Senior Women

Junior Forest Wardens
Outdoor Safety for Families

The Hustlers’ Art Collective Society
Community Art and Yoga Night

Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable
Food Security Connections

Home is Where We Live – Life Cycles Project Society
Seed the City

Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria
A New Path: Forging Ahead for LGBTQ2+ Refugees

Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness Society
SPAKEN House Indigenous Plants and Medicine Garden

Fernwood Neighborhood Resources Group
Fresh Food for Life

Tsartlip Nation
Since Time Immemorial

Bike Victoria Society
All Aboard Family Cycling Program

Partnership Grants

Crisis Intervention and Public Information Society of Greater Victoria (dba NEED2 Suicide Prevention, Education and Support)
Text-based Follow-up

Previous Grant Recipients 2019

Geo 1 – Total Awards $183,421

Individual Program Grants

Cape Mudge Band
Youth Group Healthy Eating & Physical Fitness Program

Comox Valley Art Gallery
Arts-based and Arts-informed Cultural Mapping of the Opioid Crisis in the Comox Valley

Discovery Coast Greenways Land Trust (Campbell River)
Pilot Fruit Tree Project: Assessing Feasibility and Building Capacity for Promoting Healthy Eating

Georgia Park Elementary School (Campbell River)
Connecting Families Through Cooking

Indigenous Parents Advisory Club (IPAC) (Courtenay)
IPAC Winter Wellness Retreat

Laichwiltach Family Life Society
Urban Indigenous Housing Dialogue/s

LUSH Valley Food Action Society
Young Cooks – Traditional and Multicultural Focus

Ocean Grove School PAC (Campbell River)
Ocean Grove School Community Garden

Quatsino First Nation
Bringing Healing Home

Sayward Parents Advisory Committee PAC
Healthy Kids, Healthy Minds

Partnership Grants

Comox Valley Early Years Collaborative
25 by 25 Social Innovation Project

Kelsey Recreational Centre
Sayward Physical and Community Wellness Project


Geo 2 – Total Awards $198,806

Individual Program Grants

Alberni Drug and Alcohol Prevention Service
The Changing Gears Bike Club

Central Vancouver Island Job Opportunities Building Society
The Art of Job Search and Employment Sustainment

Dandelion Dance
Train the Trainer with First Nations

District 69 Society of Organized Services (SOS)
School Nite Out

Family Caregivers of BC Society in Partnership with Beacon Community Services
Caregiver Ambassador Project

Gabriola Dragon Boat Society
Healthy Aging & Community Through Dragon Boating

Haven Society
PEACE New Parent Education Sessions

Literacy Alberni Society
Senior Suppers

Mid-Island Youth & Community Development Cooperative
Food Art Fun

Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research
Snaw-naw-as First Nation Healthy Food Box Program

Pacific Rim Hospice Society
West Coast Seniors’ Wellness

People for a Healthy Community
Community Kitchen Gabriola

School District 64 Gulf Islands
Resilience for All

Sea View Seniors Housing Society
Forest Glen Seniors Healthy Aging

Spirit of the Canoe Society
Seitcher Feast

Tsehaht First Nation
Strength of a Nation

Vancouver Island University
Shed Your Threads

Partnership Grants

Dandelion Dance
Train the Trainer


Geo 3 – Total Awards $198,623

Individual Program Grants

Beacon Community Services
Isolated Seniors Lunch and Learn

Cowichan Green Community
reFRESH Cowichan Coupon Program

Cowichan Hospice Society
Traumatic Loss Project

Ladysmith Resources Centre Association
Building Food Security in Ladysmith

Malahat Nation
Community Wellness Events

Nourish Cowichan Society
Past 0-4, Nourishing 4-18 Years in Our Community

Salt Spring Island and Southern Gulf Islands Community Services
Family Place Community Kitchen

Stz’umimus First Nation
Bringing Back Our Traditional Medicines

Warmland Women’s Support Services Society
The Art of Wellness – Creatively Writing Our Recovery

Partnership Grants

Nourish Cowichan Society
Cooking with Penelakut & Nourish


Geo 4 – Total Awards $198,864

Individual Program Grants

Boys & Girls Club Services of Greater Victoria
Parenting Programs in Victoria and West Shore

Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable (Also covers the Saanich area of Geo 3)
Food is Medicine

Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Centre
Parenting Outreach Program

Island Sexual Health Society
You’re Doing What?! At Your Age?!

LifeCycles Project Society
Grow Together

Oaklands Community Association
Play in the Park

Oaklands Community Association
Parent & Baby Group

QCHAT Support Association
Peer Support Services for LGBTQ2S Youth

Sooke Region Communities Health Network Cooperative
Sooke Region Falls Prevention Sessions

Sooke School District #62
Enhancing Youth Food Literacy and Healthy Local School Food Systems

Society of Saint Vincent de Paul of Vancouver Island
Food Security Initiative

University of Victoria, Gustavson School of Business
Kidovate

Partnership Grants

Community Social Planning Council (Also covers the Saanich area of Geo 3)
Community Engagement on Determinants of Health and Wellness in the Capital Region

Edward Milne Community School
Youth Engagement Capacity Building for Sooke-West Shore

Esquimalt Youth Coalition
Esquimalt Youth Community Dinner

Previous Grant Recipients 2018

Geo 1 – Total Awards $154,135

Individual Program Grants

Cheslakees Elementary School (Port McNeill)
Growing Food and Families Together

Lake Trail Community Education Society (Courtenay)
Back to School for Seniors Drop-In

Village of Cumberland
Creating Community Connections

Hornby Island Farmland Trust Society
Farris Community Farm Expansion Project

Town of Comox Recreation
Drop-in Sports Program

Village of Gold River
Seniors Cardio Plus

Cortes Community Health Association with the Cortes Community Radio Society
Youth Voices! Empowerment Radio Camp

Homalco First Nation
Punemenaye

LUSH Valley Food Action Society (Courtenay)
Share the Harvest - Vegetable Gleaning, Recovery and Redistribution Project

River City Cycle Club (Campbell River)
Vancouver Island Fall Bike to Work & School Weeks

Sacred Wolf Friendship Centre (Port Hardy)
Dladlapola (Standing Together)

Komoks First Nation
Elder and Community Connectivity Through Cultural Practices

School District 72
Building Community Capacity

Geo 2 – Total Awards $144,437

Individual Program Grants

Spirit of the Canoe Society (Tofino)
Moving Forward

Forward House Community Society (Parksville)
Looking Forward to Giving Back

Canadian Mental Health Association, Port Alberni Branch
Mental Health First Aid

Vancouver Island Mental Health Society
Community Mental Health First Aid

City of Port Alberni, Parks, Recreation & Heritage
Youth Healthy Foods Program

Alberni Valley Transition Town Society, Cycle Alberni
Vancouver Island Fall Bike to Work & School Weeks

Vancouver Island University Foundation
The Centre for Community Outreach and Care Family Nights

City of Nanaimo
Vancouver Island Fall Bike to Work & School Weeks

Greater Nanaimo Cycling Coalition, Oceanside Chapter
Vancouver Island Fall Bike to Work & School Weeks

Mind Matters Nanaimo
Dementia Inclusive Communities – Capacity Building

Vancouver Island University
Recreation Prescription Project

Geo 3 – Total Awards $154,003

Individual Program Grants

Transition Salt Spring
Healthy School Gardens for the Gulf Islands

Beacon Community Services
Saanich Peninsula Rural Neighbourhood Chats Project

Pender Islands Health Care Society
Pender Island Community Kitchen Program

Victoria Sexual Assault Centre
Project Reclaim

Tsawout First Nation
ÃLISDÃL?EW (Good Medicine) Garden

Ladysmith Family and Friends Society
LaFFing and Learning Together

Cycle Cowichan
Vancouver Island Fall Bike to Work & School Weeks

Hiiye’yu Lelum Society
Four Pillars Aboriginal Youth Wellness Program

PLAY Cowichan
Multi Sport Initiative

Cowichan Tribes
Cowichan Tribes Young Women’s and Young Men’s Groups

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Cowichan Valley
Go Girls! Group Mentoring

Cowichan Seniors Community Foundation
Pop Up Seniors Wellness Days & Guide

Nourish Cowichan Society
Early Years Food Security

Geo 4 – Total Awards $246,479

Individual Program Grants

Greater Victoria Bike to Work Society
Greater Victoria Bike to Work Society

Saanich Volunteer Services Society
Food and Friends: Staying Healthy Program

Highlands Parks and Recreations Association Sponsoring the
Highlands Community Garden Committee
Highlands Community Garden Accessibility Project

Saanich Neighbourhood Place
Growing Together: Community Early Screening Project

Peers Victoria Resources Society
Trauma-Informed Peer Counselling Training for Sex Workers in Victoria

The Power of Hope Society
Across the Lines Weekend Camp

LifeCycles Project Society
Street Feast

GoByBikeBC Society (aka Bike to Work BC Society)
Vancouver Island Fall Bike to Work & School Weeks

Westshore Youth Pride Sponsored by Westshore Parks & Recreation
Vancouver Island Youth Resource

Sooke School District
Fostering Resiliency of Elementary School Aged Children in Sooke School District

Saanich Parks and Recreation in Partnerships with Panorama Recreation Centre
Panorama Recreation Centre Physical Literacy Indoor and/or outdoor Markings

Saanich Parks and Recreation
Neighborhoods Engaging in Activities Together (NEAT)

Saanich Parks and Recreation in Partnerships with City of Victoria Recreation Services
Youth Nature and Wellness Program