Valley First Community Endowment
Projects that enhance the resourcefulness and resiliency of individuals in the Okanagan, Thompson and Similkameen regions. This focus can support programming that improves people’s capacity and ability to care for themselves and their families; learn new skills and become resilient in the face of change and challenge and to become resourceful and self-sufficient.
Who Should Apply
- Registered charities in the communities in which Valley First operates. (Currently: Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops, Armstrong, Keremeos, Lumby, Oliver, Princeton, Vernon and West Kelowna)
Maximum Amount: $10,000
Deadline: January 15, 2022
Apply Now: firstwestfoundation.ca
Shuswap Spring Community Grant
Supporting initiatives in a broad range of fields: education, sports and fitness, arts and culture, healthcare, the environment – just to name a few.
Who Should Apply
Organizations that have a program/project that will positively impact persons and/or communities within the Shuswap.
Maximum Amount: not provided
Deadline: January 31, 2022
Apply Now: shuswapfoundation.ca
Community Social Development
The purpose of the Community Social Development grants program is to make available funding to registered non-profit organizations and community organizations offering socially beneficial services or programs in the City of Kelowna.
Who Should Apply
Registered charities offering social programs in Kelowna.
Maximum Amount: $5,000.
Deadline: February 25, 2022
Apply Now: centralokanaganfoundation.org
Okanagan Water Basin Annual Grant Program
The Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) is now accepting applications to its Water Conservation and Quality Improvement (WCQI) grant program. Grants support projects that enhance water quality and conserve water quantity in the Okanagan.
Who Should Apply
Local governments, Irrigation or improvement districts, Community and non-profit groups.
Maximum Amount: $3,000 to $30,000
Deadline: February 28, 2022
Apply Now: obwb.ca
Co-operative Development Program (CDP)
CDP grants are made to cover costs associated with co-operative business development, including feasibility studies and market research, business planning, marketing and promotion, member engagement, and legal and financial supports.
Who Should Apply
Co-operatives that operate in the following sectors to consider applying for CDP funding: Social Wellness, Inclusive Economy, Environmental Prosperity.
Maximum Amount: $20,000
Deadline: March 31, 2022
Apply Now: cooperators.ca
Canada Summer Jobs
Employer wage subsidies to create quality summer work experiences for young people aged 15 to 30 years.
Who Should Apply
Not-for-profit organizations, the public sector, and private sector organizations with 50 or fewer full-time employee.
Maximum Amount: Not-for-profit employers are eligible to receive funding for up to 100% of the minimum hourly wage. Public and private sector employers are eligible to receive funding for up to 50%.
Deadline: January 25, 2022
Apply Now: canada.ca
BC Interior Project Grants
Supports community-based projects/programs in the areas of Arts & Culture, Health & Welfare, Sports & Recreation, and other charitable activities.
Who Should Apply
Registered charities or organizations with a registered charity sponsor within the region of the Thompson, Nicola, and South Cariboo and within the communities of Lillooet, Lytton, Clinton, 70 Mile House, Ashcroft, Cache Creek, Kamloops, Clearwater, Barriere, Chase, Logan Lake and Merritt.
Maximum Amount: $1,500
Deadline: April 1, 2022
Apply Now: bcicf.ca
COVID-19 Closure Relief Grant
Grants are fully funded and do not have to be paid back unless the business is not following health orders or the funds are misused. You can use the grant for expenses like: Rent and utilities, Insurance
Maintenance, Employee wages.
Who Should Apply
Eligible for-profit businesses that have fully closed as a result of the December 22, 2021 Provincial Health Officer orders.
Maximum Amount: $10,000
Deadline: not provided
Apply Now: gov.bc.ca
Osoyoos Community Giving Fund
Supports local non-profit organizations and community groups with projects and initiatives that contribute to economic revitalization and improved quality of life, while breaking down barriers in order to help families achieve economic success and enhanced quality of life.
Who Should Apply
Non-profit organizations and community groups with projects benefitting Osoyoos, Rock Creek, and Oliver
Maximum Amount: Not provided
Deadline: March 31, 2022
Apply Now: ocubc.com
Community Investment Fund
We are seeking community partners who we can help in a meaningful way and who, in return, will be advocates for Interior Savings, committed to helping our credit union achieve success and further our community impact objectives.
Who Should Apply
Community-based non-profit, volunteer, or charitable organizations.
Serving Okanagan, Thompson and Nicola Valley communities (Osoyoos, Oliver, Okanagan Falls, West Kelowna, Kelowna, Lake Country, Vernon, Chase, Kamloops, Barriere, Clearwater, Ashcroft, Lillooet, or Merritt).
Submitted at least eight (8) weeks in advance of the event or project.
Maximum Amount: $15,000
Deadline: not provided
Apply Now: interiorsavings.com
Youth Entrepreneurship Program
14-week program for aspiring entrepreneurs to help them research and develop their business idea, write their business plan, and launch and implement their business.
Who Should Apply
Between the ages of 15 and 29, resident of British Columbia
living in the Central Okanagan, currently unemployed or precariously employed.
Maximum Amount: Participants may also be eligible for living supports and/or business seed money of up to $5,200.
Deadline: not provided
Apply Now: cfdcco.com
Innovator Skills Initiative
Designed to increase diversity in the tech sector and help B.C.-based businesses fill talent shortages and grow.
Who Should Apply
Employers that are hiring for tech or tech-related roles.
Maximum Amount: $10,000 per candidate
Deadline: March 11, 2022
Apply Now: innovatebc.ca
Social Enterprise & Scaling Impact Streams
Innoweave provides funded coaching access for organizations looking to expand a program or implement a new approach or deepen their social impact. Yes, Purppl can help provide the coaching.
Who Should Apply
Any organization with a clear and shared definition of the impact they seek to achieve.
Maximum Amount: $10,000
Deadlines: December 15, April 15, August 15
Apply Now: innoweave.ca
Tourism Relief Fund (TRF)
Supports tourism businesses and organizations adapt their operations to meet public health requirements while investing in products and services to facilitate their future growth.
Who Should Apply
Non-profit and for profit tourism operators.
Maximum Amount: $100,000 in grants or $500,000 in financing.
Deadlines: Not specified.
Apply Now: wd-deo.gc.ca/
Jobs and Growth Fund
Provides funding to businesses and organizations to help create jobs, and position Canada’s economy for an inclusive recovery and long-term growth.
Who Should Apply
businesses (primarily small and medium sized enterprises, fewer than 500 FTEs); not-for-profit organizations; and
Indigenous organizations.
Maximum Amount: not provided
Deadline: When funding runs out
Apply Now: wd-deo.gc.ca
Thrive Impact Fund
Thrive Impact Fund is a place-based fund that sees untapped potential in local communities and a desire for investors to see their money make both financial and impact returns.
Who Should Apply
Non-profits, charities, and enterprises operated by people who traditionally are overlooked by conventional lenders.
Maximum Amount: not provided (loan)
Apply Now: thriveimpactfund.ca
Impact Investment Fund
If your organization needs a loan for a credible business opportunity, but isn’t able to secure conventional financing, this fund may be able to help.
Who Should Apply
The Impact Investment Fund provides loans to First Nations organizations, social enterprises, non-profits and businesses that are not able to secure conventional financing to support credible investment opportunities which have significant positive and measurable community benefits.
Maximum Amount: Not provided.
Deadline: Not applicable.
Apply Now: ourtrust.org
First Peoples’ Cultural Council (FPCC)
All the programs they fund support the vitality of Indigenous languages, arts and cultural heritage, with an aim to rebuild cultural systems impacted by colonization and support Indigenous self-determination.
Who Should Apply
Many grants available with varying application criteria.
Maximum Amount: n/a
Deadlines: many deadlines
Apply Now: fpcf.ca
Indigenous Growth Fund
The Indigenous Growth Fund (IGF) is a new $150M investment fund that will provide access to the capital that Indigenous small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have long sought and lacked. Indigenous entrepreneurs across all industries, including emergent exporters and food and agriculture related businesses, will be able to access the Fund via business loans from a network of Aboriginal Financial Institutions (AFIs) throughout the country.
Who Should Apply
Indigenous small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the country.
Maximum Amount: Not provided (loan)
Deadlines: Not provided.
Apply Now: nacca.ca
Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund
With an investment of up to $350.8 million over four years, it will help Black Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs grow their businesses and succeed now and into the future.
Who Should Apply
Black business owners and entrepreneurs across the country.
Maximum Amount: $250,000 (loan)
Deadlines: Not provided.
Apply Now: ic.gc.ca
Women Entrepreneurship Strategy
The government is advancing women’s economic empowerment with the first ever Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES), a more than $6-billion investment that aims to increase women-owned businesses’ access to the financing, talent, networks and expertise they need to start up, scale up and access new markets.
Who Should Apply
Women business owners and entrepreneurs.
Maximum Amount: Loans of up to $50,000 + mentorship and knowledge expansion opportunities.
Deadline: Not provided.
Apply Now: ic.gc.ca/
Vancity Unity Women Entrepreneurs Program
Vancity and Women’s Enterprise Centre give women, and anyone who identifies as women or non-binary, more access to the funds they need, more networking opportunities with like-minded people, and more advice from experienced mentors.
Who Should Apply
Start-up and growth stage businesses that are majority woman-owned and controlled, and struggling to meet working capital needs due to COVID-19.
Maximum Amount: Not provided.
Deadline: Not provided.
Apply Now: join.vancity.com
Training & Wage Subsidies for Environmental Jobs
These programs help employers attract new talent, while saving initial wage and training costs. Best of all, young practitioners and students will be able to kickstart their career journey and gain meaningful work experience.
Who Should Apply
Youth (30 and under) and Host Employers in Canada.
Maximum Amount: Up to 80% of wages.
Deadlines: Not specified.
Apply Now: eco.ca
Community Gaming Grants
Community Gaming Grants funding enhances community life through supporting programs that: provide opportunities for enrichment through participation in sport and the arts, enhance and protect our local environment, improve quality of life for community members; and, enhance and support the safety of our communities.
Who Should Apply
Not-for-profit organizations providing programs or services of direct benefit to the broader community.
Maximum Amount: $250,000
Deadlines:
- Arts & Culture: Apply between February 1 and April 30
- Sport: Apply between March 1 and May 31
- Public Safety: Apply between July 1 and August 31
- Environment: Apply between July 1 and August 31
- Human and Social Services: Apply between June 1 and November 30
Apply Now: gov.bc.ca
Telus Friendly Future Foundation
The TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is dedicated to funding health, education and technology focused charitable programs for at-risk youth in communities across Canada.
Who Should Apply
Registered Canadian charities with a focus on education, health and technology initiatives for at-risk youth.
Maximum Amount: $20,000 (or up to $200,000 for national, territorial or provincial charities).
Deadlines:
- Thompson Okanagan – January 28, April 6, September 9
- Vancouver – March 18, July 29, September 9
- Vancouver Island – April 5, August 9, September 27
Apply Now: friendlyfuture.com
Venture Internship Program
Internships for post-secondary students across Canada. Dynamic, aspirational young people find their way to the Venture for Canada community. We select the ones with the character traits Canadian startups and SMEs say they need and we train them to stick a landing.
- 75% subsidy
- Each funding round can cover up to 20 weeks of employment
- Employers can participate in multiple semesters, and even hire the same eligible student for up to two consecutive semesters
Who Should Apply
- < 500 employees
- Any industry, offering an entrepreneurial role
- Located in BC, AB, MB, SK, NB, NS, PEI or NL
Maximum Amount: Up to $2,800
Deadline: Not provided.
Apply Now: ventureforcanada.ca
