Columbia Valley Community Foundation

Our Work

As the Community Foundation for the region between Canal Flats and Spillimacheen, we build community vitality by:

  • Pooling charitable gifts into a permanent, income-earning endowment that benefits the region and fulfills the philanthropic objectives of donors
  • Making grants from the earnings of these funds to support a broad variety of initiatives; from health, education and social services, to arts, culture and the environment;

In addition, we also:

  • Support strategic decision making through the publication of the Vital Signs report.  This community snapshot is used by non-profit, public and private sectors to make better plans for our community’s future.
  • Liaise with other members of Canada’s charitable giving landscape.
  • Offer neutral advice and support to all kinds of individuals and organizations working to make philanthropic decisions in the region.
What is a community foundation?
What’s an endowment fund?

The term “endowment fund” means a sum of money which is permanently invested and whose income is devoted to a specific cause.

Our Organization

We were founded in 2001 by a dedicated group of community visionaries to support community vitality by building a mechanism for sustainable funding through investments. Our investments are made through a larger organization, the Vancouver Foundation, to ensure stable returns and good governance.

Since we began, we have donated thousands of dollars to causes near and dear to the heart of the Columbia Valley, We are a member in good standing of Community Foundations of Canada and a Registered Charitable Organization.

What is our relationship to government?

While we often help distribute money provided by the government for particular purposes through grant streams (for example, COVID Emergency Response Funds), we are an independent organization.

Strategic Plan

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Milestones
2001
2001
2001

  • The Foundation is formed and charitable status is approved

2002
2002
2002
  • Grants distributed for the first time
2012
2012
2012
  • Endowed assets surpasses $1 million
  • Single largest donation ($1,475,000) received from the Estate
    of Arnold Ellis; Arnold Ellis Scholarship Fund established
2013
2013
2013
  • First Executive Director is hired
2014
2014
2014
  • First scholarships disbursed from the Arnold Ellis Scholarship Fund.
2016
2016
2016
  • First Vital Signs Report is produced
2017
2017
2017
  • Winner of Community Impact Award at the Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards
2018
2018
2018
  • Cumulative Community Grants surpass $500,000
2020
2020
2020
  • The Foundation distributes $100,000 in COVID funding on behalf of the Federal Government
2021
2021
2021
  • Market value of all assets surpass $5 million.
2022
2022
  • The Doerr Family donates $1 million to support Columbia Valley youth in memory of their son Tommy.

Granting & Endowments

We support a variety of initiatives for the public benefit in the Columbia Valley through our grants. Community Grants and Student Awards are offered annually.

We also provide local support for other granting opportunities as funding is made available by partners, including government and the Vancouver Foundation.

We also manage endowments that are earmarked for the benefit of specific organizations

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Our People

We are governed by a volunteer board of directors, staffed by an executive director, and supported by ad-hoc grant committees.Board members are chosen for their integrity, professional knowledge, and local expertise.

Want to Join?

See our current volunteer opportunities on Volunteer Connector!