The Real Estate Foundation of BC’s Board of Governors approved $1,613,572 in grants at their spring meeting. This funding supports research, education, and policy analysis on topics like radon, community agriculture, affordable housing, and industry leadership. This batch of funding will support 19 projects, including 13 projects led by non-profits in the real estate industry.
To date, REFBC has awarded over $85 million to non-profit organizations in communities across British Columbia.
Spring 2019 grants are listed alphabetically, by category, below.
General Grants
REFBC’s General Grants support research, education, and policy analysis related to land use. These grants are available to any non-profit organization or community contribution company working in British Columbia.
The BC Lung Association is partnering with Simon Fraser University to increase awareness of radon risks in BC communities. This project includes a legal review, engagement with real estate industry groups, and policy recommendations on radon disclosure. ($25,300)
BC Tomorrow is an interactive tool for high school students to test the sustainability of land use scenarios. With funding, BC Tomorrow will expand access to the tool, develop new learning materials, and assess program outcomes. ($131,000)
Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable will partner with local government to develop a farm school for new farmers on public land, providing access to plots and training. ($120,000)
The Community Energy Association will work with local governments, NGOs, and industry partners to increase heat pump building retrofits in the Lower Mainland. ($150,000)
UBC Collaborative for Advanced Landscape Planning will use their Community Energy Explorer tool to increase knowledge on community energy options and conduct outreach to policymakers. ($58,000)
The Wilp Luutkudziiwus will map lands, waters, and resources within their territory to inform land use planning, educate community members, and establish a framework for land stewardship and reconciliation. ($66,500)
Real Estate Industry Grants
REFBC’s Real Estate Industry Grants support research, education, and policy analysis related to real estate or land use. These grants are available to non-profit organizations within BC’s real estate community.
The BC Non-Profit Housing Association will update its inventory of BC’s non-profit housing stock and add this information to the Canadian Rental Housing Index. This information will help with housing planning, policy, research, development, and maintenance. ($100,000)
The BC Northern Real Estate Board will use funds to subsidize instructors’ travel and accommodation costs in order to deliver cost-effective professional development courses for Realtors. ($7,515)
The Canadian Mortgage Brokers Association – BC will develop new courses and educational materials on timely real estate topics (including mortgage co-owner interests, application fraud, and subject to financing clauses) that will be made available through the Mortgage Brokers Institute. ($61,500)
The Kootenay Real Estate Board will use funds to subsidize instructors’ travel and accommodation costs, as well as purchase equipment to expand online courses for Realtors. ($5,000)
Landlord BC and the Hey Neighbour Collective will develop and test ways to build social resilience in multifamily housing communities. ($300,000)
Langara College will update courses in its social housing management program and migrate course content to an online learning platform. ($8,700)
OPEN will develop a web-based tool to educate builders and developers about high-performance building standards and materials, and to model the demand for green buildings in the Lower Mainland. ($80,000)
The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver will create multimedia resources (webinars, videos, podcasts, web tools) for Realtors on emerging issues in real estate, including rule changes, ethics, and industry trends. ($80,000)
The Real Estate Institute of BC will host a series of learning events in locations around the province. These events will cover emerging real estate trends, as well as topics of local interest. ($13,200)
The Real Estate Institute of BC and the Social Purpose Real Estate Collaborative will conduct research on the real estate needs of social purpose organizations, including the impacts of high real estate prices on the non-profit and community sectors, and strategies for supporting these organizations. ($45,000)
Small Housing BC will work with local governments to promote small housing forms and pilot an affordable home ownership model that uses creative legal, financial, and design approaches to encourage infill housing in single-family neighbourhoods. ($298,032)
The Vancouver Regional Construction Association will create an online inventory of research hubs, innovation centres, and education programs contributing to BC’s construction and building sector. ($40,000)
The Victoria Real Estate Board is creating a volunteer leadership development program to support local Realtors to serve as effective volunteers on non-profit boards and committees. The program will include training in governance, liabilities, risk management, and leadership. ($23,825)
Looking for project funding?
The next General Grant application cycle opens in August and closes on September 5, 2019.
The next Real Estate Industry Grant application cycle opens in November and closes on December 4, 2019.
For information on eligibility and funding priorities, visit www.refbc.com/grants or email Noémi Pomerleau, Grants Coordinator, at noemi@refbc.com to discuss your project.
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