The Vancouver Foundation is an organization based in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. It administers over 1,600 funds and assets totalling $930 million, on behalf of individuals, families, corporations and charities.

History

Vancouver Foundation was founded in 1943 by Alice MacKay. MacKay had saved $1,000 from her secretarial job and wanted to help homeless women trapped in a cycle of poverty. Whitford Julian VanDusen oversaw the establishment and incorporation of Vancouver Foundation. VanDusen added $10,000 to the endowment and encouraged nine friends to match his own gift. In 1950, the Foundation was incorporated by the

Legislature of British Columbia The Parliament of British Columbia is made of two elements: the King in Right of British Columbia, represented by the Lieutenant Governor, and the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (which meets at the British Columbia Parliament Buildi ...

in a Special Act.

Activities

Vancouver Foundation, in partnership with its donors, has distributed more than $1 billion to community projects and programs. In 2014, Vancouver Foundation and its donors made more than 4,900 grants, and distributions totalling approximately $57 million, to registered charities across Canada. About 70 percent of grant amounts are received within the

Lower Mainland The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05million people as of the 2021 Canadia ...

region with the remainder in other parts of the province of

. Grant recipients range from social services to medical research groups, to organizations devoted to arts and culture, the environment, education, children and families, youth, and animal welfare.Vancouver Foundation , Recognition
/ref> By 2017, the foundation's grant recipients will be required to release their work under

Creative Commons Creative Commons (CC) is an American non-profit organization and international network devoted to educational access and expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has release ...

licence, which permits anyone to use the product freely without copyright limitations.

References

External links

* Information about activities.
Vancouver Foundation Act
{{Authority control 1943 establishments in Canada Community foundations Foundations based in Canada Non-profit organizations based in Vancouver