Whistler Community Foundation funds $180K in grants designed to advance poverty reduction and social inclusion
The Community Prosperity Fund offers a $25 million investment in charities and communities facing global inflation across B.C.
For Immediate Release – September 10, 2024
Whistler Community Foundation, alongside other community foundations across B.C., have been managing the application intake for the Community Prosperity Fund (CPF). The Community Prosperity Fund is a $25 million investment from the Government of B.C. that advances poverty reduction and social inclusion. The funding was announced on the inaugural B.C. Nonprofit Day last fall.
“We’re excited to be serving a much larger area with this funding. It means that we can offer unrestricted granting support to programming that reaches as far as N’Quatqua. This is important in the charitable sector’s work toward reconciliation and relationship development with First Nations in the area,” said Claire Mozes, CEO, Whistler Community Foundation. “We not only received an application from Líl̓wat Nation, but we also received applications from regional organizations that took the purpose of social inclusion and sought to collaborate with the communities of Líl̓wat and N’Quatqua.”
WCF’s grants committee reviewed 22 applications that were seeking funding that totaled more than $1.28 million. After a lengthy deliberation, Whistler Community Foundation will be distributing the $180,000 allotted across 5 organizations serving or located within the CPF distribution area.
AWARE, GROW Whistler, $50,000
Líl̓wat Nation, Stqaka7stúmc Líl̓wat Transition House, $45,000
Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council (SSISC), Líl̓wat and N’Quatqua Outreach, Training, and Support, $33,000
Whistler Multicultural Society, Organizational Capacity Building, $35,350
Whistler Community Services Society, Food Bank, $16,650
“As we get closer to 2030, it’s great to see Vital Signs (VS) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) making a difference. In our VS latest report, our team recognized the intersection of multiple community issues, and it excites me to see applications that addressed the overlaps receive meaningful funding,” said Claire Mozes, CEO. “One project that really stands out to me is the Sea to Sky Invasives Species Council application. It’s impressive how it connects invasive species outreach, training and support with the fund goals of advancing poverty reduction and social inclusion.”
The SSISC will collaborate with Líl̓wat Nation and N’Quatqua Nation to prioritize areas in need of attention. Invasives are known to cause damage to Indigenous cultural land and natural food system sovereignty by pushing out biodiversity and wildlife habitat.
The goal is to take a two-eyed seeing approach where traditional ecological ways of knowing meets scientific knowledge. SSISC will provide support with community education and outreach and train nation members with a focus on connection with and stewardship of the land in effort to protect food sources and cultural land practices.
The Community Prosperity Fund was designed differently to reflect the needs and priorities of the non-profit sector and communities and to make a difference for people at the community level who are struggling during a time of global inflation. It is unique in that organizations decide how they use the funding, and it can be used to fund operational expenses or project delivery.