At their June meeting, the Real Estate Foundation of BC’s Board of Governors approved 29 grants totalling $1,465,000. This funding supports applied research, public education, and policy and law reform to advance sustainable land use, built environments, freshwater stewardship, and food lands programming with a view to upholding Indigenous rights and title and racial equity and justice.

Including these latest grants, REFBC has awarded more than $90 million to non-profit organizations working to strengthen BC communities and protect our shared land and water.

The Summer 2021 grants are listed alphabetically by recipient organization below.

The BC Small Wetlands Association will hire youth field technicians to turn a wetland in Spallumcheen into a living showcase of Secwepemc culture and ecological knowledge and the value of conservation. ($20,000)

The British Columbia Law Institute will, through a new program, undertake research and engage the legal profession to advance new approaches to reconcile Crown legal frameworks with Indigenous legal frameworks. ($100,000)

The Building Owners and Managers Association of British Columbia will develop a new tool and training modules to help commercial building managers and owners take action to reduce the risks of climate shocks and other threats. ($90,000)

The Climate Caucus Council will identify best natural asset management practices for municipalities and increase municipal leaders’ capacity to adopt nature-based solutions to climate change. ($40,000)

The Cumberland Community Forest Society will work to build consensus on the road to the development of an ecosystem-centred strategy for the Perseverance Watershed. ($20,000)

The Fair Mining Collaborative will deliver Indigenous-settler reconciliation workshops and upgrade a tool for calculating the cost of mining in terms of land and water. ($40,000)

The First Nations Fisheries Council will convene First Nations across B.C. to address water challenges and strengthen First Nations’ capacity for water management and habitat protection through several roundtables, workshops, and research reports. ($150,000)

The First Nations Technology Council will develop an Indigenous Framework for Innovation and Technology, which will recommend a comprehensive plan for advancing digital equity and infrastructure for Indigenous peoples in BC. ($50,000)

The Greater Victoria Greenbelt Society is working with the WSÁNEĆ Knowledge Keepers to incorporate traditional ecological knowledge and develop kincentric mapping that will expand the scope of the land covenant at Mary Lake Nature Sanctuary, providing a model in BC for incorporating First Nations wisdom into conservation covenants. ($20,000)

The Habitat for Humanity Society of Greater Vancouver will catalyze the salvage and resale of building materials through its Rebuild Hub and, in doing so, promote building deconstruction over demolition, and help build the region’s circular economy. ($80,000)

HUB Cycling will research the status of cycling facilities in older commercial, industrial, residential, and mixed-use buildings, and recommend measures to better support cycling as a transportation choice for tenants of older buildings. ($20,000)

The Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance will hire First Nations liaisons for watershed working groups as it works to implement the Lower Fraser Climate Adaptation and Habitat Restoration Strategy. ($66,000)

The N-EAT (Nutrition through Engagement and Agricultural Technologies) project at Simon Fraser University will collaborate on an action plan to improve food security for at-risk youth and low-income people in the Stó:lō Nation. ($19,750)

Nawalakw Culture Project, hosted by MakeWay Charitable Society, will provide training to build knowledge and capacity to grow food and increase local food security in Indigenous communities on Vancouver Island. ($20,000)

The Okanagan Basin Water Board will take an Indigenous-led approach to design and facilitation of the 2021 Osoyoos Lake Water Science Forum, produce a documentary about the process, and contribute to reconciliation in the Okanagan. ($17,500)

One Straw Society will establish a Sunshine Coast Food Systems Action Team and conduct research to better understand the production and consumption of local food. ($14,800)

The Quw’utsun’ Cultural Connections Society and Social Planning Cowichan will establish a Quw’utsun’ Legacy Trust, to develop a framework for non-Indigenous people to donate or protect land for cultural use and access. ($75,000)

Reel Youth, a project hosted by MakeWay Charitable Society, will offer an online film program that brings together diverse participants to capture their visions for the future of land and water locally. ($20,000)

Savage Productions Society will develop five geo-located works of auditory theatre, created by Indigenous artists in collaboration with Indigenous memory holders, to reveal the hidden history of the land beneath the Lower Mainland. ($20,000)

The Sooke Region Communities Health Network will carry out research and community engagement to inform the design of an elders’ complex that will enable Indigenous and non-Indigenous seniors to age in place. ($20,000)

The Southern Gulf Islands Community Resource Centre and W̱SÁNEĆ School Board will create videos to share the W̱SÁNEĆ worldview and their reciprocal stewardship model for the Southern Gulf Islands (known to them as ṮEṮÁĆES which translates as “Relatives of the Deep”); this stewardship role will be shared with Gulf Islanders to build community-to-community relationships and to promote more inclusive use of lands and waterways. ($75,000)

The Starfish Environmental Society and its partners will create a leadership and innovation lab to engage diverse youth on positive placemaking initiatives in Victoria. ($16,676)

The Sunshine Coast Conservation Association will collaborate with local governments and First Nations and contribute policy analysis in support of the development of watershed protection plan for the West Howe Sound Watershed. ($25,000)

The Takla Nation will create a caribou management and restoration strategy that will inform the development of resource management and land use plans for Takla Nation territory. ($30,000)

The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association and the Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program will undertake three land-use initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through carbon sequestration, increase equity in decision-making between Syilx and non-Syilx partners, and enhance biodiversity. ($80,000)

221A Artist Run Centre Society will develop plans for an innovative Vancouver Cultural Land Trust, which will improve security of tenure for diverse artists and arts organizations in terms of affordable cultural spaces in East Vancouver, Downtown, and Chinatown. ($25,000)

Waterlution: A Water Learning Experience will jointly produce video stories with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities about freshwater challenges for a new interactive learning platform. ($40,000)

West Coast Environmental Law will provide legal analysis to the Living Dike Roundtable and Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance in support of nature-based solutions to climate change on the Lower Fraser River. ($70,000)

The Working Group on Indigenous Food Sovereignty will conduct research to inform a participatory approach to mapping and advocating for two Indigenous food lands conservation areas — one urban, one rural. ($200,000)

Looking for project funding?

The next General Grant application cycle opens in August and closes on September 8, 2021.

The next Real Estate Industry Grant application cycle opens in November and closes on December 15, 2021. This intake will be limited to applications from real estate boards and associations.

For information on eligibility and funding priorities, visit refbc.com/grants or email grants@refbc.com to discuss your project idea.