Executive Brief

Chief Executive Officer
West Vancouver Foundation

September 2021

Organizational Profile

About the West Vancouver Foundation

WVF believes that the future resilience and prosperity of the community starts with long-term investments made today. Its fundamental job is to keep an eye on community needs and put resources where they are needed.

As a community foundation, WVF deeply understands the North Shore and the Greater Sea to Sky region – from the local issues and needs to the people and organizations doing the best work to address these issues.

The Foundation has been successful in building both permanent and flexible funds, providing grants, and enabling philanthropic partnerships and its work to date is a reflection of the great value that individuals, families, and businesses place on West Vancouver, its heritage, its people, and its future.

WVF stewards funds under administration in excess of $25 million, the income from which supports non-profit organizations, community projects, and scholarships. The West Vancouver Foundation aims to enhance its impact on behalf of the ever-changing community that is West Vancouver.


Vision, Mission & Values

West Vancouver Foundation articulates its vision, mission, and values in the following way:

Vision

A healthy and vibrant West Vancouver, where everyone is valued, contributes and feels they belong.

Mission

We leverage the generosity, talent, and commitment of our residents to build a stronger, more caring, and inclusive community.

Fuller Vision

"We aspire to be a healthy and vibrant community where everyone feels:

Values

INCLUSIVE: We are committed to ensuring that everyone in the community has the opportunity to benefit from the philanthropy of our residents.

TRUSTED: We manage financial donations to the Foundation with the utmost care.

COLLABORATIVE: We actively seek partnerships with community organizations to meet emerging needs.

FOCUSED: We seek to enhance the quality of life in West Vancouver through four main pillars: our natural environment, arts and culture; physical and social wellness; and education.

CURIOUS: We continually seek to understand unmet community needs that demand our attention.

CONNECTED: We know the community and are committed to building long-standing relationships with our donors and grant recipients.

JOYFUL: We make it easy to be philanthropic and celebrate the joy that comes with giving.

A sense of community

A Community needs many things to be a place where people choose to live and work.

10 Principles

 


Programs

Grants

At the heart of the Foundation are the grants distributed to a myriad of worthwhile organizations and not for profits. Last year alone, approximately $700,000 were distributed:

Community Grants

West Vancouver Foundation supports charitable organizations working to create and sustain a healthy and vibrant North Shore, where everyone is valued, contributes, and feels they belong. Community Grants support a wide range of community programs and projects that create connections and belonging for the North Shore community.

COVID – 19 Grants

This program has issued 37 grants for $145k. In addition to urgent and emergency programs, the grant program also covers recovery, rebuilding, and program modification in response to the COVID- 19 pandemic.

The North Shore COVID-19 Response Grant is for local charitable organizations serving those disproportionately affected on the North Shore (with priority given to charities that serve West Vancouver) by the COVID-19 pandemic. Grants will be made based on need, reach, and available funding.

Transformation Grants

West Vancouver Foundation supports charitable organizations working to create and sustain a healthy and vibrant West Vancouver, where everyone is valued, contributes, and feels they belong.

The Transformation Grant supports community initiatives that focus on systems-level change and transformation for current and emerging issues for the benefit of the community of West Vancouver.

Micro Grants

West Vancouver Foundation supports charitable organizations working to create and sustain a healthy and vibrant West Vancouver, where everyone is valued, contributes, and feels they belong.

Micro Grants provide responsive support for smaller charitable initiatives that create connection and belonging for the community of West Vancouver but fall outside of the Community Grants funding amount and timeline. The grant is to be used for time-limited projects or events that will benefit the community at large.

Neighbourhood Small Grants

The Neighbourhood Small Grant (NSG) program was started in 1999 as a way to combat loneliness and social isolation by making communities stronger, safer, and more welcoming. By offering a small grant (up to $500) to residents, North Vancouver Community Foundation enables the applicant to bring their project to life, often in a more impactful way or with people in the community they may not have previously been familiar with. The NSG kickstarts people's imagination and often makes neighbours more willing to participate. Traditional projects have included concepts such as park cleanups, emergency preparedness meetings, community gardens, and enhanced block parties.

Programs

Youth Philanthropy Council

The Youth Philanthropy Council (YPC) is a passionate group of West Vancouver students dedicated to developing leadership and next-gen philanthropy through youth-led grantmaking and volunteerism. 100 Youth Who Care is a 'giving circle' that invites local youth to hear from charities that serve North Shore youth and vote on which programs to grant to. The Youth Philanthropy Council relies on fundraising and donations to add to their Funds. Without community generosity, many programs for youth simply do not happen. Whether you are making a one-time donation or monthly, it all goes to helping youth programs on the North Shore.

Leadership Labs

The West Vancouver Foundation, in conjunction with the community foundations in the Greater Sea to Sky and Howe Sound region, proudly presented a free, online learning series for charities and non- profits during this time of recovery and rebuilding due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This free, online learning series focused on building capacity and addressing key areas of concern, featuring subject matter experts and hosted by the community foundations.

Vital Signs

Vital Signs uses local knowledge to measure the vitality of a community and support action towards improving collective quality of life. Local data gathered through the program is used to support evidence-based, locally relevant solutions to improve the quality of life at the community level. Vital Signs aims to inspire civic engagement, to provide focus for public debate, and to help a range of actors take action and direct resources where they will have the greatest impact.

The 2019 Vital Signs report builds upon earlier work identifying trends along with existing and emerging areas of need in the community. The report covers ten key themes, consolidating a vast array of research into one thoughtful community-centric report. We hope to stimulate discussion, debate, and action by underscoring the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities in West Vancouver.

In 2020, the community foundations in the Greater Sea-to-Sky and Howe Sound region came together to create a Vital Exploration report – a report that highlights some of the pressures experienced throughout the region and aimed at catalyzing conversations to better understand the issues and identify potential solutions and region-wide responses.

Funds

WVF gratefully accepts donations of any amount to any of the numerous funds held in the Foundation. Examples include the West Vancouver Marine Fund, the North Shore Rescue Tim Jones Legacy Fund, the Ian and Rosemary Mottershead Fund, and the Gift of Music Fund. And while there are any numerous funds to choose from, general categories of support that they fall under include:


 

Strengthening Relationships with Indigenous Communities

The West Vancouver Foundation understands the importance of acknowledging that the land on which we live, and work is the unceded traditional territories of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations and are grateful for the opportunity to do so. Acknowledging territory shows recognition of and respect for Indigenous people – both past and present. Recognition and respect are essential elements of establishing healthy and reciprocal relations, which are the key to working towards reconciliation.

 

The West Vancouver Foundation is committed to working together with our community towards a shared goal of reconciliation and are committed to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and has signed onto the Philanthropic Community's Declaration of Action and are members of The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada.

 

The Foundation's work includes a focus on funding and supporting projects related to reconciliation and creating learning opportunities for staff, Board, and community about shared history and opportunities to combine strengths.


 

West Vancouver Foundation Board of Directors

West Vancouver Foundation Board of Directors

To learn more about West Vancouver Foundation, please visit their website at: https://westvanfoundation.ca/

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