Vancouver Foundation is pleased to announce the availability of Fostering Change Grants for 2015.Our commitment to this work stems from a long-standing investment to end youth homelessness by focusing our efforts on a group of people at high risk of homelessness − young people previously in foster care.

Fostering Change, our Youth Homelessness Initiative, offers grants that provide funding for community-based strategies across the Lower Mainland that build capacity to support youth in-and-from foster care to find the resources and relationships they need in their transition to adulthood and connection to community.

For 2015 our specific call for proposals focuses on meaningful youth engagement; community engagement; building on existing community assets; and using, enhancing or expanding the skills, capacities and assets of local people and their communities.

“Based on what we heard in our series of Community Conversations earlier this year, we know there is an abundance of great ideas and great people working in this sector”, says Mark Gifford, a Director of Grants and Community Initiatives at Vancouver Foundation.

We invite grant applications from organizations that can help improve policy, practice and community connections, leading to better outcomes for young people leaving foster care.

3 types of grant

This year eligible organizations can apply for three types of grants.

Youth Partnership Grants (up to $25,000)

These grants will amplify the voices and engagement of young people. They could support creating knowledge, awareness and dialogue about experiences of youth transitioning from care to adulthood; connections between young people in-and-from care and their local community members; youth-led research; and/or creative arts-based projects.

Community Planning and Engagement Grants (up to $50,000)

These grants support strategies that build capacity and common ground for shared action and learning by community stakeholders. Grants may support work such as: convening and scoping early-phase engagement of stakeholders in development of practice and/or policy innovation; coordination of initial collective impact strategies; local advocacy and awareness work connected to the Fostering Change initiative.

Multi Year Strategies (up to $225,000 total over a period of 3 years)

These grants will be focused on supporting the implementation of multi-year community impact strategies that align with the priorities and principles of this call, and help us achieve outcomes identified in our Fostering Change strategic plan.

More information

Please visit our Fostering Change Grants section for more information including details of how to apply.

To find out more about our public engagement work on this issue, please visit fosteringchange.ca