The results of your Generosity A summary of projects and activities funded by Vancouver Foundation and our donors in 2011 Vancouver Foundation By the Numbers 2011 Vancouver Foundation manages more than 1,400 funds. 200 community impact funds For donors who want to address the most pressing needs of the community (and want our expert advice to do that). 450 donor-advised funds For donors who want the flexibility to make their own granting decisions. 550 agency funds For organizations who trust us to manage their endowment and produce a consistent source of income. 200 designated funds For permanent support to specific agencies. In 2011, Vancouver Foundation and its donors made more than 3,800 grants totalling more than $41 million to registered charities: Community impact funds: 257 grants approved, $6 million in grants awarded Donor-advised funds: 1,950 grants approved, $19 million in grants awarded Agency funds and designated funds: 1,650 grants/distributions approved, $15 million in grants awarded Since 1943, Vancouver Foundation has received almost $861 million in donations and given out more than $871 million in grants and distributions. Your generosity is the beginning One of the best things about my work with Vancouver Foundation is that it allows me to see, first-hand, the generosity of the many people who share our vision of strong, vibrant communities across British Columbia. Our long-term goal is to achieve more compassionate and caring communities; communities where people work together for the greater good; where there is trust, well-being and a sense of belonging. In the short-term, with the support of our fundholders, donors and community partners, we are striving to help strengthen and deepen people’s connection with their communities. The programs and projects listed in this book demonstrate those efforts. They represent the commitment of our donors, our fundholders, and our volunteers to making this province a healthier and safer place to live. I am also pleased to include highlights from other community work in 2011. We embarked on a priority-setting initiative that yielded some surprising results. We supported successful youth engagement projects (such as “Generation Green”). We created new opportunities for women in philanthropy, supported social enterprises, celebrated our Vancouver Foundation family, and much more. I hope you will find the information contained in this booklet informative and inspiring. Faye Wightman President and CEO Vancouver Foundation 1 Your generosity is the beginning Contents A Year in Review 3 VF Granting Programs 6 Youth Homelessness 8 Youth Philanthropy Council 9 Children, Youth and Families 13 Health and Social Development 21 Health and Medical Education/Research 27 Education 29 Arts and Culture 34 Environment 45 Animal Welfare 50 Special Thanks 52 Estate Gifts 68 Vancouver Foundation Board of Directors Gordon MacDougall, Chair Dr. Vera Frinton Brandt C. Louie Chief Justice Robert J. Bauman Yuri Fulmer John McLernon, Vice-Chair Kevin Bent Anna Fung, Q.C. Floyd Murphy, CLU, CH.F.C Tom Bradley Ida Goodreau Malik Talib Tung Chan Paul Lacerte Vancouver Foundation Executive Faye Wightman, Diane Fulton, Craig Hikida, President & CEO Chief Investment Officer VP, Development & Donor Services Catherine Clement, William J. Hallett, Andria Teather, VP, Public Engagement VP, Finance & Operations VP, Grants & Community Initiatives & Communications 2 A Year in Review 2011 was a year of discovery and accomplishment at Vancouver Foundation … We set out on a journey to learn which community issues people in metro Vancouver cared about most. The goal was to help us decide where, over the next few years, we could focus more of our ideas, energy and resources. It involved a wide-ranging public consultation and survey of non-profits. We were very surprised by what people told us. The issue that people said concerned them most was a growing feeling of isolation and disconnection; the notion that we live increasingly in silos, separated by ethnicity, culture, language, income, age, and even geography. The impact, people said, is isolation, a retreat into ethnic enclaves, and increasing civic malaise and indifference. The people we consulted felt the best investment Vancouver Foundation could make would be to help create bridges between our various communities — between neighbours and neighbourhoods; between residents of different ages, cultures and backgrounds; between marginalized people and the larger community — with the goal of helping residents of metro Vancouver to connect and engage for the greater good. Our work, as we move into 2012 and beyond, will be to heed this craving for connection. We already do a great deal of work in this area, as evidenced by the projects in this booklet. But we will do more. And we will continue to tackle, as a priority, youth homelessness. Too many young people are living on the streets or at risk of becoming homeless and falling prey to addiction, mental illness, and poverty. We will continue to work hard to help these vulnerable young people. 2011 was a year of achievement at Vancouver Foundation. There are too many successful initiatives to list, but here are a few of the highlights: Engaging Youth in Greening Neighbourhoods In January, a new program was launched to support the City of Vancouver’s 125th birthday and its goal of becoming the Greenest City in the world by 2020. The Generation Green Awards program provided cash awards for environmental projects created by young people aged six to 24. It also included a weekly “Green Quiz,” testing the green IQ of respondents, a photo contest and the “Generation Green Vote,” in which the public voted on the green idea they wanted to see more of in their neighbourhoods. Over 100 project submissions were received from individuals and groups; 19 projects received cash awards totalling $137,000. Eleven of these projects took place in Vancouver schools. The Generation Green Awards will continue in 2012, featuring the theme of “sustainable food” – the winning theme of the Generation Green Vote. www.vancouverfoundationawards.ca Connecting Neighbours in Community Conversations The 2011 Vital Signs Community Conversations were a series of six free community dialogues throughout metro Vancouver (Richmond, North Vancouver, New Westminster, White Rock, Maple Ridge and Vancouver) that took place in June. The goal was to build on the knowledge from the 2010 Vital Signs report by focusing on the theme of “Belonging”, drawn from the results of the public opinion survey. More than 330 people participated in the dialogues on how to build more welcoming communities and neighbourhoods. www.vancouverfoundationvitalsigns.ca 3 New Provincial Partnership on Youth In October, Vancouver Foundation partnered with the BC Representative for Children and Youth on the Champions for Children and Youth 2011 – BC Summit. Staff and members of the Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy Council worked with the Representative’s office to plan the summit, which brought together community, business and political leaders to hear from the growing and dynamic youth immigrant and refugee population in metro Vancouver. The forum resulted in extensive media exposure, and created the environment for a continuing relationship, as follow-up meetings were scheduled between youth and government representatives to further the work on the conference outcomes. Giving Well – Celebrating Women in Philanthropy In the spring of 2011, Vancouver Foundation established Giving Well, its first giving circle. Eight women participated and supported two projects ― BC Society of Transition Houses, and RAIN (a magazine) ― with grants of $5,000 and $3,000 respectively. In the fall of 2011, the group gave $7,000 each to Beauty Night Society’s “Life Makeover Program” and the Immigrant Services Society’s “Afghan Women’s Support Project,” and membership grew to 18 participants who collectively support women’s issues. www.vancouverfoundation.ca/givingwell Building Resilient Communities In November, Vancouver Foundation and Vancity introduced the Resilient Capital Program -- an innovative, high-impact investment program that will make up to $15 million available for qualifying social enterprises. It also includes a new product for depositors who want to make a guaranteed fixed return on their money, while backing social enterprises that are making a positive impact in the community. Over $10.35 million of capital has been made available through the program, which is administered by Vancity. The goal is to make individual loans and investments to qualifying social enterprises in the range of $100,000 to $1.5 million. To date, the Resilient Capital Program has made three loans and investments totaling $1.17 million in innovative social enterprises. www.resilientcapital.ca Community Foundations of Canada 2011 Conference: A World of Opportunity In May, Vancouver Foundation welcomed the world as host of the Community Foundations of Canada Conference in Vancouver. Highlights included speeches by Governor General David Johnston, former US President Bill Clinton and human rights activist Naomi Tutu. Vancouver Foundation staff also arranged tours of various agencies for many representatives of the 600 community foundations who attended, to see first-hand the results of our granting in Vancouver. Celebrating Our Community In October, Vancouver Foundation’s Community Celebration took place at VanDusen Botanical Garden’s newly- built Visitor Centre – a building partly funded by Foundation donors. Close