April 9, 2020: $1M in new funding announced for arts, culture, and community benefit groups
Grants from the Community Response Fund (CRF) are intended to support qualified donees in BC whose staff, volunteers, programs, and operations have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
We know there are wide-spread and diverse funding needs across the charitable sector at this time, so we are now offering two streams of granting through the CRF:
Health and Social Services – This stream of granting is intended for front-line health and social services charities.
Arts, Culture, and Community Benefits – This stream of granting is intended for charities offering arts, culture, and other community programming and services that are not considered front-line health and social services.
We are currently accepting requests for funding consideration between $10,000 to $50,000. Please note that each stream has a different set of eligibility criteria and separate funding request form.
We ask that only organizations that meet the specific requirements outlined below submit a request for consideration.
Eligibility for Stream 1: Health and Social Services
Our current priority is to support charities in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health regions.
Serve vulnerable populations in your community.
Demonstrate an intention to use funding to address at least one of the following priority areas:
Immediate needs of low-income populations caused by COVID-19 related closures, including access to food, hygiene, housing and other basic needs.
The economic impact of reduced and lost work within the charitable sector.
The information needs among our vulnerable community members to promote resiliency and mitigate fear and confusion.
Mobilizing our citizens to assist their vulnerable neighbours with the challenges they are facing from isolation.
Eligibility for Stream 2: Arts, Culture, and Other Community Benefits:
Based in BC or delivering community benefit programming and services within BC communities.
Demonstrate an intention to use funding to address at least one of the following priority areas:
The economic impact of lost work and increased precarious employment for arts, culture and community benefit organizations, particularly those that support, engage, and work with equity-seeking groups.
Loss of revenue, confirmed prepaid and unrecoverable expenses due to mandated COVID-19 closures resulting in cancellations or postponed activities.
Immediate needs arts, culture, and other community benefit organizations in remote and/or small and rural municipalities.
New and additional costs incurred to date due to COVID-19, to support operations and human resource needs such as paid sick leave, work from home needs, and the equity and access impacts of technology.
If you meet the eligibility and granting criteria, please submit a request for funding by clicking here.
Granting Principles:
These are the principles that will guide our granting decisions:
Nimbleness: We will work hard to move money quickly and strategically recognizing the immediacy of the crisis.
Informed decision-making: We seek regular intelligence in a rapidly changing environment, and consider all data sources, both formal and informal.
Equity, diversity, and inclusion: We recognize some groups are disproportionately impacted by this crisis and will require priority consideration.
Strategic alignment: We will work to coordinate with other funders and policy makers to coordinate the allocation of resources to maximize impact.
Reconciliation: We recognize the unique relationship we have with Indigenous people, that requires special consideration.
Transparency: We are open, transparent, and communicative about our decision-making.