Community is EVERYTHING

COMMUNITY IS NOT ONE THING COMMUNITY IS EVERYTHING

You care about this community. We do too.

Being part of a community is so much more than living in the same area. It is a sense of shared CONNECTION to people and places—and a feeling of belonging .

It is about acknowledging and challenging inequities to improve the quality of life for all. It is about developing resilience together and protecting our precious natural surroundings. It is about understanding and CELEBRATING OUR DIFFERENCES to give rise to a greater collective strength and well-being, today and for the long term.

Connecting our community to enrich life for all

The Comox Valley Community Foundation

is a charity, built by generous donors like you, that supports our community.

CONNECT DONORS GIVE GRANTS STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY

We believe that together we must continue to learn about the needs, issues, and opportunities in our neighbourhoods so that we can build a vibrant, thriving region and make a difference for our future generations.

By connecting caring people with local causes in need, we are able to invest in the people, opportunities, and solutions that make our Valley stronger.

Ranking consistently among Canada’s best places to live and play, the Comox Valley has so much to offer, from spectacular oceanside beaches and snow-topped mountain peaks to vibrant businesses, cultural arts, and heritage charm. Whether you are a newcomer or a long-time local, the Valley is far more than a lifestyle—it’s home, one that we need to protect and preserve together.

THE STATE OF OUR COMMUNITY

We believe knowledge has the power to drive positive community change. As the Comox Valley grows and changes, we are working to engage and connect people across the region not only in understanding these evolving needs, but also in working together to make a difference.

The Valley is experiencing population growth, primarily incoming migration, at a pace well beyond the national average. This has become a vibrant economic driver, attracting wealth and investment to the region. But behind this growth, the statistics have a very different story to tell.

We are in a crisis when it comes to housing affordability and rising poverty. We are in a crisis when it relates to addiction and unsheltered community members, and we are in a crisis when it relates to climate events, private land development, and protection. And all of these combined are going to dramatically impact quality of life for everyone.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Together, we have the unmatched ability to address these needs. Comox Valley is a passionate, collaborative community with exceptional talent, resources, and expertise. Solutions are ready and swift action starts today— with your help.

[1] Comox Valley Record. CMHC. https://decafnation.net/2018/11/29/comox-valley-rental-rates-are-severely-unaffordable/

[2] Vital Signs (2018). https://cvcfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/Comox-Valley-Vital-Signs-2018-reduced-4.pdf

[3] Vital Signs (2018). https://cvcfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/Comox-Valley-Vital-Signs-2018-reduced-4.pdf

[4] BC Coroners Service. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/birth-adoption-death-marriage-and-divorce/deaths/coroners-service/statistical/illicit-drug.pdf [5]

Nations Climate Change (2021). https://unfccc.int/news/state-of-climate-in-2021-extreme-events-and-major-impacts

As a community, we are experiencing incredible pressures on many fronts that left unaddressed may become unrecoverable.

Help us grow to meet the challenge

Your gifts through the Community Foundation are

what create funding grants that support our local nonprofit community. These organizations provide essential services across our region that make the Comox Valley a better place to live every day.

190+ CHARITIES AND NONPROFITS

HELP OUR COMMUNITY

They feed families in need, clean our streams, provide cultural activities, make recreation inclusive, educate our growing population, bridge healthcare gaps, and so much more. Together, they are the backbone of our community and are leading the way toward a more equitable Comox Valley where everyone can thrive.

• 52 are faith-based organizations

• 26 support arts, culture, and heritage

• 12 address needs of children, women, and families

• 16 support education and enrichment

COMOX VALLEY

When you give, your support stays local. 100% of grant funding directly supports programs, services, and projects from Oyster River to Bowser.

• 29 focus on environment, nature, and climate

• 21 address health and well-being

• 9 address food, housing, and support

• 8 support recreation and inclusion

All of them support multiple areas of need and diverse populations throughout our region.

THE NEED IS URGENT

Food insecurity, homelessness, and demand for social service support have never been higher. And yet, our vital nonprofit organizations addressing these issues locally continue to report funding instability. The risk of losing programs that serve our most vulnerable citizens, families, and children—here in the Comox Valley, is real.

YOU CAN HELP

At the Foundation, our ability to help bridge this financial gap relies on the generosity of individuals, families, and businesses who can give. Critical programs including those for seniors, families in need, individuals who are unsheltered, children with diverse abilities, the environment, and others are already among the unsupported. We are seeing both the need and urgency compounding daily with pandemic impacts and inflationary concerns.

“A Comox Valley without a strong charitable sector is one that will be very different from the one we know today. When equity, sustainability, and inclusion are lost, the health of our community suffers.

My hope is that every individual and business who are able will act now using their voice or their financial means.”

Christine Helpard President, Comox Valley Community Foundation

We’re ready

Working together with dedicated community members like you, and strong, local nonprofits, we are able to guide gifts in a strategic way to bridge gaps, reduce inequities, and connect resources to help solve our region’s most pressing challenges. With an overarching view of the community as a whole, we are well-positioned to convene resources and invest in the people, ideas, and leadership initiatives that will strengthen our community.

OUR PLAN

Together, we are embarking on an essential campaign to raise $5 million in the next five years to grow the Community Fund and fuel the change our community needs to recover and remain a strong, safe, and healthy place that will sustain generations. This goal has the capacity to increase grant funding to $1 million annually, elevating all areas of need, preparing reserves for disaster relief and climate resilience, stewarding sustainable growth, and strengthening recovery for our nonprofits and the vital services they provide for all.

Will you join us?

Help grow Comox Valley’s own permanent savings account

Think of the Foundation as our community’s own savings account. When you make a gift through us, we pool it with other gifts and invest it to amplify everyone’s impact. The earnings from this investment (called an endowment) become grants that the community can spend every single year, forever. Today, our $16-million [1] endowment fund is one of the Comox Valley’s greatest assets and a key driver for community change. The more we invest together, the greater benefit to all, today and for the long term.

Together, we have the unmatched ability to address this need

We have been helping caring people, just like you, give back to the community in meaningful ways for more than 25 years. This means we also know a lot about our community and the best ways to help. We are both a charity and a non-government funder of strong local charities with proven success. By partnering with us, you get the benefit of an experienced and trusted partner, committed to getting the most out of what you give.

100% of grants give immediate help in the Comox Valley

All Community Foundation grants are distributed each year to support and enrich the Comox Valley, from Oyster River to Bowser, activating essential programs and services that would otherwise not be available. We support a community-based approach and accountability measures to distribute funding and maximize impact. By engaging all sectors and causes in our region, we are uniquely positioned to identify opportunities and support emerging needs.

[1] Value as of the time of publishing

If community matters to you

RAPID RELIEF AND SUSTAINABILITY

BUILD flexible resources that RESPOND to crisis and natural disasters, SAFEGUARD critical programs and services during economic uncertainty.

CHILDREN, WOMEN, AND FAMILIES

GIVE children and youth their best start in life, NURTURE and PROTECT women at risk, and EMPOWER families.

FOOD, HOUSING, AND SUPPORT

IMPROVE access to basic needs, ACCELERATE solutions for food systems, poverty, housing affordability, and homelessness, GIVE HELP to those who are struggling now.

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

PROMOTE healthy lifestyles, CHAMPION access to therapy and innovations, REDUCE isolation for seniors and the vulnerable.

Current and past grant recipients have included: 4R’s Educational Society, Beaufort Association, Canadian Council for the Blind – Comox Valley Chapter, Comox Valley Community Arts Council, Comox Bay Care Society (Care-a-Van), Comox Valley Child Development Association, Comox Valley Children’s Day Care Society, Comox Valley Coalition to End Homelessness, Comox Valley Early Years Collaborative, Comox Valley Family Services Association, Comox Valley Food Bank Society, Comox Valley Head Injury Society, Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation, Comox Valley Pregnancy Care Centre, Comox Valley Project Watershed Society, Comox Valley Recovery Centre Society, Comox Valley Senior Support Society, Comox Valley Special Olympics, Comox Valley Therapeutic Riding Society, Comox Valley Transition Society, Courtenay and District Historical Society, Courtenay Recreation Children’s Programs, Cumberland and District Historical Society, Cumberland Community Forest Society, Cumberland Community Schools Society, Cumberland Lake Wilderness Society,

Follow your passion, elevate a cause, or support them all through the area of greatest need—our Community Fund, dedicated to strategic investment in leadership projects or urgent response in any area. Every gift has the power to strengthen the entire community, for good and forever. Whatever matters to you most, you will find you can support it through YOUR community foundation.

RECREATION AND INCLUSION

REMOVE barriers to recreation and sports, CULTIVATE access and belonging, CREATE connection for citizens of all abilities and backgrounds.

EDUCATION AND ENRICHMENT

EMPOWER through lifelong learning, MAKE post secondary more affordable, PROMOTE change through collective wellness and self improvement.

ARTS, CULTURE, AND HERITAGE

MAKE art and culture accessible, CREATE social change through art, and CELEBRATE our diverse cultural heritage.

ENVIRONMENT, NATURE, AND CLIMATE

PROMOTE sustainable lifestyles, ADVANCE efforts toward climate resilience, PROTECT water, land, and animals.

Dawn to Dawn Action on Homelessness Society, Denman Conservancy Association, Denman Island Community Education Society, Eureka Support Society, Fanny Bay Community Association, Farm to Family Meals Service Society, Filberg Heritage Lodge and Park Association, Glacier View Lodge Society, Habitat for Humanity Vancouver Island North, Hornby Island Daycare Society, Hornby Island Housing Society, Kid Sport Comox Valley, Lake Trail Community Education Society, L’Arche Comox Valley, LUSH Valley Food Action Society, Multicultural & Immigrant Services Association of North Vancouver Island, Oyster River Enhancement Society, Sid Williams Theatre Society, Stepping Stones Recovery House for Women Society, The John Howard Society of North Island, The Old Church Theatre Society, Tsolum River Restoration Society, Upper Island Women of Native Ancestry Society, Vancouver Island Society for Adaptive Snow Sports, Wachiay Friendship Centre Society, YANA (You Are Not Alone) Comox Valley, and many more.

Why choose your community foundation?

We believe that giving locally to any charity or cause is the single greatest investment we can make today to preserve and strengthen this beautiful Valley we call home. With every gift through the Community Foundation, you are assured that your support is reaching those who need it most through local organizations that are proven champions for their cause.

Because you want to:

MAKE A GIFT THAT LASTS

Consider this: if you make a one-time donation, it will be spent on immediate needs in the same year. If you make a gift to an invested (endowment) fund at the Community Foundation, your giving continues and its impact amplifies over time. Here’s an illustration using a $10,000 gift as an example.

SUPPORT MANY CAUSES, EASILY IN ONE PLACE

Through the Community Foundation, you can choose to channel all your donations toward a single purpose or use one donation to fund many causes.

GIVE YOUR FAVOURITE CHARITY LONG-TERM SUPPORT

You can share the love with your favourite charity by supporting their named Agency Fund held in trust with us. Your gift will boost their spending grant both annually and permanently, giving them greater focus on their cause and less worry about long-term funding.

HELP BUT ARE NOT SURE WHERE TO START

Sometimes the desire to help can become overwhelmed by all the choices and uncertainty of where help is really needed most. Connecting your gift to the community’s greatest need or to your preferred causes is what we do.

GIVE WITH CONFIDENCE

Our asset management and financial policies ensure your gift will continue to help our community for good and forever.