Health Promotion Grants
Related topics: Healthy communities and population health Public Health
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) Health Promotion Community Investments develops, manages, and administers several grant programs in support of community organizations actively engaged in health promotion initiatives.
About Health Promotion Grants
Since 1997, VCH has provided more than $4 million dollars each year in grants across the VCH region to support over a hundred community partners facilitating health promotion programs and projects designed to build on inherent strengths and meet diverse needs of communities. By partnering with community organizations and local governments, we hope to acknowledge, and raise awareness, of the significant value of upstream health promotion efforts and the critical role of community organizations in these efforts.
"Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. It moves beyond a focus on individual behaviour towards a wide range of social and environmental interventions."
– World Health Organization
Over 90% of funding is currently committed to providing stable, long-term core operational funding to approximately 70 programs hosted by registered not-for-profit partners. The remainder is made available to fund one-time program enhancements, development and innovation, organizational capacity building, partnership and collaboration, and innovative projects responding to emergent health promotion priorities.
Current grant holders
Are you a current grant holder? Find information for current grant holders.
Types of grants
VCH Health Promotion Community Investments provides funding to a range of community partners working on health promotion across the VCH region through long-term funding for ongoing programs and one-time-only project support.
SMART and CFAI Grants
The majority of funding is currently committed to providing stable, long-term, core operational and/or program funding through Sharon Martin (SMART) Health Promotion Program Grants and Community Food Action Initiative (CFAI) Grants. Given the long-term commitment of this funding, there is no general call for applications anticipated for SMART and CFAI grant programs in the foreseeable future.
One-time-only Health Promotion Project Grants
Each year, VCH Community Investments accepts applications in response to current and emerging health promotion priorities and regional health needs through our one-time-only (OTO) and multi-year project grants for health promotion activities.
How to apply
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One-Time-Only Climate Adaptation Health Promotion Project Grants
These grants are for projects that are one-time-only in nature and intent. Projects should promote the health of equity-deserving communities in the face of climate change-driven extreme weather events, and help community organizations develop tools and resources to adapt their systems and programming for extreme weather response. Thank you to BC Hydro for their generous contribution to this grant program.
We are not accepting applications for this grant at this time.
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One-Time-Only Health Promotion and Capacity Building Project Grants
The One-time-Only Health Promotion and Capacity Building Project Grants provide funding opportunities for projects that are one-time-only in nature and intent, and that lead to greater equity in wellness by building on a community's social, environmental, cultural and economic foundations. OTO grants support organizations to respond to time-limited (rather than ongoing) community and/or programmatic needs, and OCB grants increase the capacity of a health promotion program or organization and its staff in their work.
Applicants must be a registered non-profit organization, school or school district, local government, First Nation or Métis Nation/organization within the VCH Region (Vancouver, Richmond, North Shore, Sunshine Coast, Powell River, Sea-to-Sky, Bella Coola Valley and/or Central Coast).
Applications are now open. Click here for the 2024/25 Application Form
The application deadline is November 1, 2024, at 4:30 p.m.Please submit all applications by e-mail to CommInvestApplications@vch.ca.
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One-Time-Only ACTION Mini-Grants
Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) Trauma Services and VCH Community Investments jointly provide funding opportunities for innovative community-driven projects, partnerships and initiatives that promote the prevention of injuries in the Vancouver Coastal Health region. ACTION Mini-Grants range from $500 to $2,500 in value.
Applicants must be a registered non-profit organization, school or school district, local government, First Nation or Métis Nation/organization within the VCH Region (Vancouver, Richmond, North Shore, Sunshine Coast, Powell River, Sea-to-Sky, Bella Coola Valley and/or Central Coast).
Applications are now open. Applications must be received by email before 5:00PM on October 25, 2024.
For more information, please check out the VGH Trauma Services Website at https://vghtrauma.vch.ca/injury-prevention/community-grants
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One-Time-Only Vision Zero Grants
The British Columbia Vision Zero in Road Safety Grant Program was established in 2021 from the joint partnership of the British Columbia Injury Research and Prevention Unit, the Government of British Columbia, the First Nations Health Authority and the five local health authorities. The purpose is to provide funding for projects that support British Columbian communities planning to make their road safer. Proposed projects are eligible to receive up to $20,000 in funding to enhance the safety of road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.
Applicants must be a registered non-profit organization, school or school district, local government, First Nation or Métis Nation/organization within British Columbia.
Vision Zero Grant applications must be completed online before November 29, 2024 at https://www.visionzerobc.ca/apply-now
For more information, please check out the Vision Zero BC website at https://www.visionzerobc.ca/
Application information
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General grant criteria
Please carefully read the specific eligibility criteria for each grant program listed on each application form. Typically, these criteria include:
- Projects must consist of or support activities that empower participants to increase control over and improve their health through addressing upstream social and/or environmental factors.
- Projects must not provide direct professional or charitable supports. Some examples of direct supports include providing individuals with home supports, food services, counselling, and medical and other therapeutic care.
- Projects must build the capacity of peer groups and/or communities. Projects must not focus solely on building the knowledge and skills of individuals to improve their own health.
- Projects must be based within, and primarily serve, residents of the VCH region (Vancouver, Richmond, North Shore, Sunshine Coast, Powell River, Sea-to-Sky, Bella Coola Valley and/or Central Coast).
- Applicants must be a registered non-profit organization, school or school district, local government, First Nation or Métis Nation/organization with an independent, active governing body (e.g. Board of Directors, Council, etc.), and be in good fiscal, operational and administrative standing.
- Project expenses must be reasonable in relation to proposed activities, and estimates well supported.
Please see the respective application forms for the full list of eligibility criteria for each grant.
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Application and adjudication processes
- Applicants can apply to more than one grant program within a year, and can submit an application for more than one different project to the same grant program.
- Proposals must indicate how a project will be successful and what the anticipated impacts will be.
- Project expenses must be reasonable in relation to proposed activities, and estimates well supported. Funding is very limited; please only ask for what you need.
- Applicants must indicate how they will sustain the activities, if any activities and/or impacts are intended to continue beyond the one-time-only funding period. This means providing assurance that any financial and other resources needed for the future have been reasonably secured and/or planned for.
- Pilot projects must clearly indicate why the pilot is needed (i.e., what specifically needs to be tested through a pilot), how success will be measured, along with a strong and reasonably secured plan to implement the project should the pilot be successful. Pilot projects are not eligible for consideration without these elements.
- Applicants are not notified prior to the application deadline if their proposed project is ineligible. Please carefully review the guidelines for the grant you are applying for, before submitting your application. When in doubt, please contact us at community.investments@vch.ca
- An adjudication panel makes the funding decisions. Please allow for up to 6 weeks following the application deadline to be notified of decisions. Please consider this timeframe when developing your project.
- All funded applicants must complete and submit a final evaluation report once a project has been completed.
Stories of change
Learn about one of the many initiatives supported by VCH Health Promotion Grants.
Read more about how the Wuikinuxv First Nation Encourages Community to Let Their Spirits Dance from 2019.
Contact
Vancouver Coastal Health Community Investments
520 West 6th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H5
community.investments@vch.ca