We do not inherit the land from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.
- Ancient Haida saying
Respect for the land and what it sustains is key to the work of the Real Estate Foundation of BC.
In August 1985 the British Columbia real estate industry, in cooperation with the Ministry of Consumer and Corporate Affairs, enacted legislation which established the Real Estate Foundation as a non-profit corporation. Under the legislation the Foundation receives interest from pooled or "unassigned" trust deposits held by real estate brokers and uses the funds to support real estate related education, research, law reform, and other real estate related activities intended for the public or professional good.
The Real Estate Foundation differs from other funders in the types of projects it considers. The mandate of the Foundation is broad – real estate related projects. The basis of real estate is the land, and the land is the foundation of our lives. The homes we live in, the parks we walk in; the watersheds that supply our drinking water. These things are all real-estate related.
The Foundation envisions British Columbia as being both a significant centre for creating solutions to planning communities, and, an adopter of sustainable examples from other parts of the world. Our funds are used to support innovative projects which will stand as examples of responsible and sustainable land use.
See the Grants section of the website for further information on eligibility and criteria.
The Foundation has a role to play as a supporter of change; as an agent in the development and dissemination of knowledge related to new, innovative and best ways of stewarding the land and community. The Foundation recognizes that innovation must be continuous – as the world and environment change around us – so too must the solutions we use to mitigate and adapt to that change.
From 1985 to 2010, the Foundation Governors approved $57.6 million in grants; an amount which exceeds the trust account income it collected.
