At their fall meeting, the Real Estate Foundation of BC Board of Governors approved $1,772,951 in funding to support 14 projects. Projects included land trusts for affordable housing, transportation planning to support active travel in rural areas, and support for Indigenous-led land use planning.

REFBC grants help to fund research, education, and policy analysis related to sustainable land use and real estate. To date, REFBC has awarded more than $80 million in grants to support projects in communities across BC.

Fall 2018 grants are listed in alphabetical order below.

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Aq’am will lead a water stewardship project to prepare Ktunaxa youth to act as caretakers and decision makers according to Ktunaxa understanding of land and water. ($20,000)

The BC Alliance for Healthy Living Society will conduct research on transportation planning models and built forms that support cycling, transit use, and walkability in small and rural communities. ($75,000)

The Canadian Centre for Investigative Journalism will expand on its First Nations Forward series, which uses multimedia journalism to share stories of Indigenous community leadership on land, water, housing, real estate, and energy. ($140,000)

The City of Kamloops will work with community partners to develop a community land trust for affordable housing and identify new opportunities for collaboration to meet housing needs. ($95,000)

Community Futures North Okanagan will build a regional food system network, develop a strategy to support a sustainable, prosperous, and accessible food system in the region, and begin implementing priority actions. ($20,000)

The False Creek South Neighbourhood Association will work with housing associations, the City of Vancouver, and the Cooperative Housing Federation of BC to explore and potentially develop a community housing trust for False Creek South. ($50,000)

HUB Cycling will partner with Translink to analyze and benchmark data on Metro Vancouver’s cycling network. ($20,000)

Kamloops Food Policy Council will work with researchers, community partners, and First Nations to implement food system plan objectives and actions in the Thompson Nicola region. Action plans could include a farm incubator and a network of urban gardens. ($20,000)

The Regional District of Central Kootenay will incorporate recommendations from the Kootenay Lake Partnership’s shoreline guidance report into freshwater planning processes at the local and regional level. ($18,000)

The SFU Adaptation to Climate Change Team (SFU-ACT) will work with communities and local governments to support integrated climate action and sustainability planning that addresses both mitigation (emissions reduction) and impacts (adaptation). ($750,000)

TNC Canada will support three Clayoquot Sound First Nations as they lead on developing and implementing land use visions to guide the sustainable use of lands and waters in their territories. TNC will provide GIS mapping, economic development, and community engagement support. ($300,000)

University of Victoria researchers will partner with First Nations in the Treaty 8 region to document their systems of land governance, ownership and use. ($207,876)

The Village of Telkwa will conduct a comprehensive review and rewrite of its zoning bylaw in order to incorporate smart growth principles. ($37,075)

Wildsight Elk Valley will form a working group with local partners and co-develop a Fernie Food Strategy that informs land use to increase agricultural opportunity and support sustainable food production. ($20,000)

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Our next grant submission intake is for the Real Estate Industry Grant stream. Applications are due December 14, 2018. Our next intake of General Grant applications is March 7, 2019. 

For inquiries about our funding programs, visit our grants page or contact Noémi Pomerleau, Grants Coordinator, at noemi@refbc.com.