The Real Estate Foundation's Board of Governors approved 91 grants during 2008. The total amount of grants approved was $6,115,751. This summary lists the recipients and a brief description of their projects. Grants are organized according to the Foundation's purposes, as described in the Real Estate Services Act (i.e., research, public education, professional education, law reform, and other real estate related projects). Grants approved under the Communities in Transition program are highlighted in blue.

Research

INVENTORY & MAPPING

$15,767 - Christina Lake Stewardship Society for inventory and mapping of the Christina Lake shoreline.

$20,000 - Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre for inventory and mapping of shoreline habitat and delivery of educational materials to public and local government audiences to support responsible stewardship of foreshore and nearshore areas.

$20,600 - Regional District of North Okanagan for Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping (stream mapping) in rural Vernon.

$50,000 - BC Ground Water Association to update digital well records for access through the online BC Water Resources Atlas.

HOUSING-RELATED STUDIES

$7,500 - City of Chilliwack to assess the condition of seniors' homes in Chilliwack, as part of a larger study on seniors' quality of life.

$7,500 - City of Terrace to conduct housing needs assessment research.

$8,600 - Gabriola Island Local Trust Committee to conduct an affordable housing needs assessment for the island.

$10,000 - Kamloops & District Real Estate Association for home buyers research.

$10,000 - Kindale Developmental Association for a feasibility study regarding non-profit housing and program space that would house complementary social service organizations in the North Okanagan.

$20,000 - City of Kimberley to conduct housing needs assessment research.

$24,505 - University of Waterloo for the BC component of the research project, “Building Toward Water Efficiency: Policy Innovation and Education in New and Existing Homes”.

$36,500 - Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver for home buyers and sellers research for the Lower Mainland (including Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley Real Estate Board areas).

IMPACT OF RESORT & RECREATION LAND USE

$25,000 - Oliver and District Community Economic Development Society to undertake an analysis of Crown lands in relation to the Province's establishment of an Agricultural Resort Area in Greater Oliver.

OTHER STUDIES

$5,000 - Land Trust Alliance of BC for research on measuring carbon values as offsets/credits for climate mitigation on lands owned or covenanted by land trusts.

$9,500 - First United Church to conduct an environmental assessment of a Vancouver property that is to be developed as non-profit housing.

$10,000 - Municipality of North Cowichan to undertake a community character assessment study.

$20,000 - Fraser Basin Council to research public amenity benefits and ecological services provided by farmland in Metro Vancouver.

$20,000 - Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen for research that will enhance the scope and depth of the “ Baseline State of the Region Report”.

$24,000 - Similkameen Valley Planning Society to conduct multiple futures scenario analysis as part of a strategic planning exercise for the Valley.

$25,000 - The Land Conservancy of BC to research strategies that individuals and local governments could implement to secure agricultural land for long-term sustainable food production.

Public Education

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

$2,500 - Powell River Sunshine Coast Real Estate Board to create an educational brochure on preserving local sources of drinking water.

$6,575 - Comox Valley Project Watershed Society in support of the Courtenay River Estuary Symposium, to be held in fall 2008.

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

$5,000 - Fresh Outlook Foundation in support of the 2009 SustainaAble Communities conference, to be held in Kelowna.

$6,400 - Comox Valley Land Trust for the Building Green, Living Green conference & tradeshow.

$8,000 - Smart Growth BC for the educational objectives of the 2008 conference, Making Smart Growth Happen: From Policy to Practice, held in Vancouver.

$10,000 - Earthwise Society to develop workshops on sustainable, small scale food production, to be delivered at the Earthwise Garden in Delta.

$12,500 - One Earth Initiative to produce and distribute a guide for reducing the ecological footprint of existing multi-family dwellings in Metro Vancouver.

$25,000 - The Natural Step Canada to create a sustainability toolkit for British Columbian households.

$26,500 - Green Bricks Education to support the second year of green building education programming for grade 10-12 students.

$50,000 - Real Estate Foundation of BC to sponsor the Gaining Ground III conference, held in Victoria.

REAL ESTATE INFORMATION

$1,044 - Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network in support of a forum on homeownership options for people with disabilities.

$5,000 - Hornby Island Community Economic Enhancement Corporation for a workshop on community land trusts and cooperatives.

$10,000 - Community Arts Council of Vancouver for a housing and land use workshop as part of the Downtown Eastside Community Land Use Planning Project.

$10,000 - Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre Society for printing and outreach associated with TRAC's multilingual "Landlord Guide".

$30,000 - Vancouver Heritage Foundation to deliver Old School: Courses for Heritage Building Conservation.

$50,000 - Smart Growth BC to develop and deliver educational products and tools to help local governments and others deliver affordable housing.

Professional Education

REALTOR PROFESSIONALISM

$5,800 - South Okanagan Real Estate Board in support of the 2008 CPE (continuing professional education) program.

$11,500 - Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board for the 2008 CPE program.

$12,630 - BC Northern Real Estate Board for the 2008 CPE program.

REAL ESTATE & LAND USE PRACTITIONER EDUCATION

$2,000 - BC Society of Landscape Architects to assist with keynote speaker costs associated with the LANscapes: Celebrating Collaborative Networks in Space Design conference, held in Vancouver in 2008.

$5,000 - Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team for workshops to assist local governments and First Nations with the protection of Garry oak and associated ecosystems.

LAND USE PLANNING

$50,000 - BC Water and Waste Association for the 2009 activities of Convening for Action on Vancouver Island (CAVI), an initiative focused on leadership in green infrastructure and water sustainability.

$100,000 - West Coast Environmental Law for research, education, and law and policy reform activities of the Liveable and Sustainable Communities initiative.

$150,000 - Grasslands Conservation Council of BC to support the Planning for Change initiative from 2008-2010.

Law Reform

$50,000 – BC Law Institute to research existing real property law in British Columbia and propose recommendations for legislative reform.

Other Real Estate Related Projects

The "other" category includes both "good works" projects--mostly housing related--and projects that do not fit neatly into other categories. Often such projects have research and educational objectives, and seek to inform land use and/or real estate related policy and/or practice.

NON-PROFIT HOUSING

$15,000 - Habitat for Humanity Mid-Vancouver Island to assist with construction of a single family home in Ladysmith.

$30,000 - Chilliwack Supportive Housing Society to assist with the purchase of an apartment to be used as non-profit rental housing for the Society's clientele.

$37,500 - Habitat for Humanity Sunshine Coast to build a duplex in Wilson Creek.

$40,000 - John Howard Society of North Island for renovation of a building in Campbell River that will provide six units of supportive housing for youth.

$45,000 - Habitat for Humanity Kelowna to build an eight unit housing complex.

$50,000 - Cridge Centre for the Family to create eight units of supportive housing for women in Victoria.

$50,000 - Greater Victoria Housing Society to purchase a building that will provide 19 units of non-profit rental housing.

$50,000 - District of Ucluelet to build four units of affordable housing.

$50,000 - Habitat for Humanity Society of Greater Vancouver to assist with the construction of five townhouse units as part of phase five of the Society's Burnaby project.

$60,800 - Habitat for Humanity Vancouver Island North for construction of a duplex in Campbell River.

$100,000 - BC Life Builders Rehabilitation Society to purchase a property in Kelowna which provides 10 beds of supportive housing.

$100,000 - Fernwood Neighborhood Resource Group to assist with the construction costs of the Yukon Street Affordable Housing Project, six units of non-profit housing for families in Victoria.

$125,000 - Canadian Mental Health Association for the Kootenays to assist with construction of 18 units of second stage transition housing for women and children in Cranbrook.

$150,000 - Nechako View Senior Citizens Home Society to build eight units of housing for seniors in Vanderhoof.

$150,000 - Pacifica Housing Advisory Association for Clover Place, an 18 unit non-profit housing complex for individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in Victoria.

$150,000 - Sunshine Coast Community Services Society to build six units of supportive housing for the Society's clients in Sechelt.

$175,000 - Canadian Mental Health Association for the Kootenays to build 30 units of housing for aging clients of the CMHA in Nelson.

$230,000 - Delta Hospice Society to assist with construction of a ten-bed hospice residence.

$250,000 - Canadian Mental Health Association, Mid Island Branch to renovate a Nanaimo building that will provide 20 units of housing for hard-to-house adults.

$250,000 - Fraserside Community Services Society to create 37 units of non-market housing in New Westminster.

$250,000 - Prince George Hospice Society to expand the free-standing hospice facility from five to ten beds.

$250,000 - YWCA Vancouver to assist with construction of Como Lake Gardens, 30 units of non-profit housing for single mothers and their children in Coquitlam.

$300,000 - Marguerite Dixon Transition Society to construct nine units of second stage housing for women and their children in Burnaby.

$400,000 - Central City Foundation to develop The Crossing at Keremeos, a long-term residential care facility for youth challenged by addiction.

COMMUNITY-BASED GOOD WORKS & LAND USE PLANNING

$8,700 - Cariboo Regional District for mapping and public education related to the sustainable use and conservation of land around Quesnel Lake and Horsefly Lake.

$9,400 - Vancouver Island University to assist with a community sustainability mapping project and lecture series for the Powell River area.

$10,000 - Columbia Valley Community Action for Responsible Development to assist with three-dimensional landscape visualization activities as part of scenario planning in the region.

$20,000 - Fraser Valley Regional District to assist with the creation of a Local Area Plan for the community of Deroche.

$21,000 - Committee for a Strong and Sustainable Salmon Arm to assist with a real estate market analysis of the city’s downtown and a charrette associated with CASSSA's smart growth initiative.

$22,000 - District of Barriere in support of a community park development master plan.

$27,500 - Columbia River Greenways Alliance to assist with planning of the Invermere to Radium greenway.

$40,000 - Collaborative for Advanced Landscape Planning, University of BC for development of three-dimensional landscape scenarios for projected climate change impacts in Kimberley, as part of the Columbia Basin Climate Change Visioning project.

$65,000 - Smart Growth BC for research, education, and stakeholder consultation associated with Smart Growth on the Ground in Prince George.

$90,000 - Real Estate Institute of BC for real estate economic analysis and stakeholder convening activities of Smart Growth on the Ground in Prince George.

$100,000 - Island Corridor Foundation to assist with the development of a comprehensive corridor plan for Vancouver Island and associated regional workshops.

$375,000 - Fraser Basin Council to fund regional facilitators under the Smart Planning for Communities program from 2008-2010.

CAPACITY BUILDING FOR KEY ORGANIZATIONS

$50,000 - Land Trust Alliance of BC to support research and public and professional education objectives of the Alliance in 2008-2009.

$80,000 - Light House Sustainable Building Centre in support of education initiatives in 2009 and 2010.

$95,000 - Allan Brooks Nature Centre Society to support the research and education objectives of the Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program from 2008-2010.

$140,000 - Comox Valley Land Trust on behalf of the Comox Valley Conservation Strategy Partnership for implementation of region-wide conservation planning over three years.

$150,000 - The Nature Trust of BC to support the program coordination, research, education, and land use planning functions of the South Okanagan-Similkameen Conservation Program from 2008-2011.

$240,000 - BC Real Estate Association for research, public and professional education, and law and policy initiatives during 2009 and 2010.

SPECIAL PROJECTS

$7,500 - Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver to archive the Board's historical records.

$100,000 - Real Estate Foundation of BC for grants to be awarded under the Real Estate Foundation of BC/Vancity Green Building Grant Program in 2008.

$125,000 - Real Estate Foundation of BC to operate the Communities in Transition program in 2008 and 2009.

POST-SECONDARY ENDOWMENT FUNDS

$16,430 - School of Community and Regional Planning, University of BC to supplement the “SCARP Real Estate Endowment Fund” grant approved in 2006.