West Vancouver Foundation supports charitable organizations working to create and sustain a healthy and vibrant West Vancouver, where everyone is valued, contributes and feels they belong.
The Transformation Grant supports community initiatives that focus on systems-level change and transformation for current and emerging issues for the benefit of the North Shore community.
WHY SYSTEMS CHANGE?
Big, complex problems cannot be solved by any one improvement or any one organization acting alone. These problems, sometimes called “wicked problems”, typically have numerous causes and lack clear solutions. They involve multiple stakeholders and ultimately require lots of people and organizations to shift their mindset and behavior. Examples include; climate change, poverty, mental health and wellness. Principles for action can include collective solutions, developing learning cultures and alternatives to top-down leadership.
There is one grant for up to $25,000
The 2026 program is now closed and applicants have been notified. The 2027 program will open in May 2027.
An organization is eligible to apply if it serves the West Vancouver Community, is a registered charity or qualified donee with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and hasn’t received the Transformation or Major grant in the past.
An organization that is not a registered charity wishing to apply for funding from the Foundation, may consider developing a formal and genuine partnership with a registered charity whose mandate is similar. The registered charity would apply for funds for the proposed project and receive the funds on behalf of the partner. The CRA requires this relationship to be set out in writing, signed by the charity and organization doing the charitable work. Click here to visit CRA’s website for more details.
The Transformation Grant aims to support the West Vancouver community and address root causes of issues. Organizations must have submitted a final report for previous WVCF grants before submitting a new application.
Eligible initiatives:
- Must address the root cause and aim to transform the issue, versus general operations;
- Must be charitable in nature;
- Fall within the Impact Areas as listed in the Grant Guidelines;
- Must be for the benefit of the community of West Vancouver.
The following initiatives are ineligible:
- Deficit reduction (e.g. debts or loans);
- Building an endowment or fundraising;
- Primarily benefitting individuals (such as scholarships);
- Expenses incurred before the date of the grant approval;
- National or provincial initiatives without specific benefit to West Vancouver;
- Religious activities or services that focus on only one spiritual tradition;
- Political activity that is prohibited by the Canada Revenue Agency.
Preference will be given to charities located on the North Shore.
When the program opens:
- Create an account or login to our online grant portal.
- At the top, click on ‘Apply’.
- This brings you to the ‘Apply’ page. You will see our current grant programs and can click on the blue ‘Apply’ button in the Transformation Grant 2027 section.
- Fill out the application and submit.
Staff may contact you to discuss your application or to set up a site visit. The Grants Committee will meet to recommend grants for approval by the Board of Directors. By the end of June you will receive an email notifying you if your grant request was approved or denied and you can also login to the grant portal for updates.
For more information you can read the information package or email info@westvanfoundation.ca
2026 Grant Recipients
Recipient: Lions Gate Hospital Foundation
Project:Re-Imagine Rehab – Lions Gate Hospital Rehabilitation Unit
Fund: Ian and Rosemary Mottershead Fund
The Re-Imagine Rehab Campaign will support the creation of a new inpatient rehabilitation unit at Lions Gate Hospital, improving access to specialized care for patients recovering from neurological conditions, injuries, and serious illness. This project will reduce the need for transfers to Vancouver and enable patients to recover closer to home. This major capital initiative will create a new, purpose-built inpatient rehabilitation unit within Lions Gate Hospital. The overall project requires an investment of approximately $30 million. The grant from the West Vancouver Community Foundation will be allocated toward capital costs within the rehabilitation unit, contributing to the creation of functional therapy and patient care spaces.
Recipient: The Hollyburn Society
Project:Hidden Housing Solutions
Funder: Howard Martin Memorial Fund
Hidden Housing Solutions addresses two growing community issues: the lack of affordable senior housing and the increasing isolation of seniors living alone. The program matches senior homeowners with seniors seeking safe, affordable housing, creating shared living arrangements that benefit both parties. What makes this project transformational is that it goes beyond simple referrals. We provide intake, compatibility screening, facilitated matching, and ongoing support through regular check-ins to ensure arrangements remain safe, stable, and successful.
By unlocking existing underused housing, the program creates affordable housing options without new construction, helps seniors age in place, reduces loneliness, improves financial stability, and decreases pressure on shelters and subsidized housing systems. The project creates a practical, community-based model that uses existing resources more effectively while building stronger social connections and long-term housing stability.
2025 Grant Recipients
We are pleased to announce that there are 2 grant recipients for 2025.
Recipient: Learning Disabilities of Greater Vancouver (LDS)
Project: Bright Minds North Shore
Funder: Howard Martin Memorial Fund and John Welson and Hong Lin West Vancouver Legacy Fund
LDS Bright Minds addresses the critical intersection of learning challenges (e.g., dyslexia, ADHD, autism) and mental health—root causes of long-term social, academic, and economic inequities. Vulnerable learners with diagnosed or suspected learning challenges often face co-occurring anxiety, depression, or more serious mental health concerns. LDS Bright Minds introduces trauma-informed, holistic support via a full-time social worker and on-call psychologist, integrated within our individualized Research-Informed Individualized Student Education (RISE) programs. This systemic innovation allows LDS to proactively triage and support families, reducing burnout in educators and dropout rates among learners. The program’s wraparound approach transforms outcomes for those historically excluded from care due to financial, cultural, or systemic barriers, and will inform broader education and mental health systems through shared learnings and evidence-based adaptation.
Recipient: Hollyburn Community Services Society
Project: The Greenhouse
Funder: Godfrey Lynum Legacy Fund
The Greenhouse – A nurturing space for growth, healing, and transformation for marginalized youth.
Our goal is to move beyond crisis response toward a holistic, youth-empowered hub that fosters resilience, inclusion, and systemic justice. Systems-level transformation of a drop-in center addresses the root causes of inequity by shifting policies, structures, and culture. This includes integrated cross-sector services (mental health, housing, education), trauma-informed and anti-oppressive practices, and youth-led governance. The center prioritizes culturally safe, tech-accessible, and community-rooted spaces. Long-term change involves advocacy for structural reform, data-driven equity, and prevention-focused models—supporting youth to move from poverty, housing insecurity, and social isolation to having consistent access to the resources and relationships they need to thrive.
2024 Transformation Grant Recipient
Recipient: Lions Gate Hospital Foundation
Project: West Vancouver Adult Day Centre
The West Vancouver Adult Day Centre project aims to address pressing community needs for seniors with dementia and cognitive impairment. By providing specialized care and therapeutic activities, it delays or prevents the need for long-term residential care, fostering independence and relieving caregiver burden. This initiative fills a crucial gap in the local healthcare system by directly engaging North Shore community members, promoting social inclusion, supporting mental health, and providing specialized care and support for seniors with complex needs.
Lions Gate Hospital Foundation is raising funds to support the construction and furnishing of the Centre, and Vancouver Coastal Health will cover operational costs, ensuring sustainability for the next 50 years.
2022 Transformation Grant Recipient
Family Services of the North Shore
the Proud2Be program is aimed at creating a more inclusive and healthy environment for youth in our community through engagement with youth, parents, services providers and the broader community through 3 primary types of activities:
1. Be Yourself Youth Support Group for LGBTQ2S+ youth / Social Activities with West Vancouver Youth Staff
2. Proud2BE Parent Support Group for parents of gender diverse youth – weekly (virtual)
3. Proud2BE Education Event Series: Four events annually for LGBTQ2S+ children and youth, parents of gender diverse children and youth, and professionals across BC.
Funded by the Howard Martin Memorial Fund and an anonymous donor.
2021 Transformation Grant Recipients
North Shore Community Resources
The InterGen North Shore program focus is increasing the awareness of, opportunities for and participation in intergenerational programming. The COVID pandemic has isolated us all for over year. But even before the pandemic, people of different age cohorts were often siloed. Emerging research demonstrates the incredible benefits of greater intergenerational interaction, for all ages. This project will cultivate greater community engagement in intergenerational programming and activities with the goal of creating a truly intergenerational community on the North Shore.
Funded from the Ian & Rosemary Mottershead Fund and the Howard Martin Memorial Fund.
Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre of BC
The (re)Imagining Suicide Intervention program will engage stakeholders to identify how legislation, policies, procedures and assumptions keep the system stuck in a pattern of traumatizing individuals in crisis. Stakeholders: callers and individuals with historic mistrust of police and mental health, ECOMM, police, BC Ambulance, ER services and hospitals, and mental health service providers, including West Vancouver and North Shore stakeholders and Indigenous communities. It’s a systems change approach by disrupting the ways that systems work in the mental health care model and suicide response.
Funded from the Howard Martin Memorial Fund.
