Green grants

The Greenest City Grant program offers grants for place-based, community-driven initiatives that help advance sustainability, including the City of Vancouver’s Climate Emergency Action Plan, while advancing equity in Vancouver.

Applications are now closed for the 2023 Greenest City Grant. The next intake will be in fall 2023

Greenest City Grant
- Applications are now closed for the 2023 Greenest City Grant. The next intake will be in the fall of 2023
Eligible projects
- Projects by registered non-profit societies, registered charities in good standing with the Canadian Revenue Agency, and First Nations Bands
- Located in and benefit Vancouver
- One to two years duration
- Projects must address both climate action and equity
Funding

A maximum of $50,000 per project. Matching funds, which may include in-kind contributions, are strongly encouraged.

Key dates
- Applications will next open in the fall of 2023, check back here for more information
Watch the recording of the 2023 Greenest City Grant applicant workshop

Contact us

greenest.citygrant@vancouver.ca
Greenest City – Neighbourhood Small Grants
- Grants: small grants of up to $500 for Vancouver residents to support and build grassroots action on Greenest City targets
- Funding: $90,000 per year
- Application deadlines vary based on community. Check your community's application deadline
- Administered by the Vancouver Foundation
Eligible applicants

People living in Vancouver (registered organizations and businesses aren't eligible)

Eligible projects
- Visit the Neighbourhood Small Grants website for details of what types of project are supported (infrastructure, building upgrades, or maintenance projects aren’t eligible, except for community gardens)
- Free, accessible, and welcoming to all
Funding

$50 to $500

Key dates
- February to April: Apply
- April to May: Neighbourhood Grants Committee reviews the applications
- May to November: Implement your project
- October to December: Report back on your project
How to apply

Apply with the Vancouver Foundation

Accomplishments

From 2012-2018, we've funded about $2.75 million to over 1,000 projects in partnership with the Vancouver Foundation:

885 Greenest City – Neighbourhood Small Grants
119 Greenest City Grants

Learn about past grant recipients

2018

Through six Greenest City Grants totalling $250,000, 1,235 people and counting are being engaged. Read about four of the six completed projects below. The remaining projects will be updated once complete.

Kickstand Community Bikes Society ($46,000)

Kickstand  and the Vancouver Bike Network repaired broken or wanted bikes giving them a new life and opportunity to be ridden again by individuals who needed them.

Working with three partner bike shops from the Vancouver Community Bike Shop Network, Kickstand has increased the number of pick-ups from the City of Vancouver waste transfer station as well as coordinated various recycling activities including workshops where staff and volunteers process recyclable and reusable bikes. Kickstand has recovered over 173 bikes from the transfer station and has received over 575 bikes from private donations. For bikes which couldn’t be repaired, Kickstand dismantled and recycled all the parts diverting 23,749 lbs of metal and 4,838 lbs of rubber from the landfill.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Zero Waste, Green Economy, Green Transportation, Access to Nature, Lighter Footprint, Clean Air
Other City strategies: Transportation 2040, Healthy City Strategy, Renewable City Strategy

Beekeeping Mentorship Program ($70,000 over 2 years)

Hives for Humanity’s inclusive mentorship program focuses on at risk and marginalized populations and those living with barriers to stability in the Downtown East Side.

The Therapeutic Apiary Program built on previous successes and developed 33 apiaries through 14 partnership locations and 147 workshops with 179 participants. This program fed into the Mentorship Beekeeping Program and in which continues to offer mentorship, beekeeping and workshops for the community.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Access to Nature, Local Food, Green Economy

The Thingery ($30,540)

The Thingery piloted three innovative sharing economy spaces where individuals can sign-up and borrow items instead of having to purchase them.

The community-owned lending libraries are situated in modified shipping containers which are self-service so that members can check things in and out at their convenience. Each Thingery's inventory is community-sourced and during the course of the project 104 items were donated. The inventory includes: recreation equipment, kids' toys, woodworking tools, event and entertainment equipment, household appliances, and musical instruments. The project signed up 164 members and is continuing to grow.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Zero Waste, Local Food, Green Economy, and Lighter Footprint
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy, Zero Waste 2040

WalkSide ($30,000)

Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST) undertook a project to address street accessibility for all mobility types within the City of Vancouver.

Using an innovative algorithm and cartography, Walkside is creating a map of pedestrian infrastructure (sidewalks, footpaths) which shows accessibility for different users, including people using walkers, wheelchairs and strollers, in order to provide optimum routing. Once completed, the information will be turned into an app where users can find routes most convenient for their needs.

Check out their progress

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Access to Nature, Climate and Renewables, Green Transportation, Lighter Footprint, Clean Air
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy, Renewable City Strategy, Transportation 2040
2017

Through six Greenest City Grants totalling $210,041, over 1,650 people and counting are being engaged. Read about the four completed projects below. The remaining projects are still in progress and will be reported on once complete.

BiodiverCity ($76,000 over 2 years)

The Environmental Youth Alliance (EYA) project delivered 10 multi-week hands-on youth programs that helped to improve access to nature in the City of Vancouver.

In total, 46 biodiversity workshops were delivered to 1126 youth, with 11 peer mentor volunteers trained as environmental leaders. Over 50% of participants were Indigenous, living on low incomes, or new immigrant youth. Participants and volunteers grew 5930 perennial native shrubs and trees, including pollinator and bird-friendly species that were distributed to local schools, community organizations, and residential property owners to support habitat gardens.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Access to Nature
Other City strategies: Biodiversity Strategy, Healthy City Strategy, Climate Adaptation Plan

Downtown Eastside Women’s Street Market ($41,000)

The Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre Association held a Women’s Street Market every Saturday throughout the summer of 2017, providing women of the DTES with safe, inclusive vending space and vocational and income-generating opportunities.

The market directly supported 133 women, including 40 trained and employed as peer workers, and 43 vendors who sold locally-produced arts and crafts as well as donated materials that were repurposed or diverted from the landfill. A total of 4,998 training hours were offered to women and over 4,000kg of donations were diverted from the landfill. The market had over 1,345 visitors over its 17 week course.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Zero Waste, Lighter Footprint
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy

Luv the Grub Youth ($11,500)

Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House partnered with Luv the Grub to bring their programming to the City of Vancouver.

Free food skills and production training was provided to youth while diverting produce donated by local suppliers from the landfill and teaching about food waste. 22 youth were engaged in the program in 2017, with 90% of them reporting that they learned new skills in food production and 75% saying they have been inspired to make environmental changes.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Zero Waste, Local Food, Green Economy, Lighter Footprint
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy

Pedals for the People ($18,541)

Pedal Energy Development Alternatives Power Association ran ‘Pedals for the People’ – a program that offers inclusion in the cycling community for everyone by training volunteers to refurbish bikes for individuals with low income.

24 volunteers received the free 12-week mechanics training, and 38 people received refurbished bikes. They aim to create a greater representation of vulnerable and low income people using cycling infrastructure in the city, while diverting bikes from the landfill in a meaningful way.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Climate and Renewables, Green Transportation, Zero Waste, Clean Air, Lighter Footprint
Other City strategies: Renewable City Strategy, Healthy City Strategy
2016

Through six community grants totalling $250,040, over 1,300 people were engaged. Learn about the complete projects below.

Food Recovery Feasibility Study ($20,040)

Potluck Café Society conducted a study to explore potential models for procuring and processing healthy food from farms while providing low barrier training and employment opportunities.

The outcome was a public report outlining the steps required to pilot a sustainable food recovery initiative. Potluck is using the report to trial the diversion of second and B-grade produce, with the employment and training of residents to sort, process, and sell final products to kitchens in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Zero Waste, Local Food, Green economy, and Lighter Footprint
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy and Vancouver Food Strategy

Greenest City Lighter Footprint Goal: Addressing the measurement gap in food consumption ($45,000)

BCIT and non-profit One Earth addressed the lack of ecological footprint data on Vancouver’s food consumption.

By connecting with a large number of food consumption, food security, and food waste experts, they were able to produce a local food consumption survey and identify a number of strategic impact areas for reducing Vancouver’s collective ecological footprint. The next steps include using the survey to collect local food data.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Green Buildings, Green Transportation, Zero Waste, Local Food, Lighter Footprint

Gordon Greens Mobile Produce Market ($45,000)

Gordon Neighbourhood House developed a mobile produce market that brought fresh low-cost fruits and vegetables to the West End community by bike-power.

The program ran during the summer of 2017 and 2018, forming new connections with community members while providing nutrient dense food to individuals with mobility and health challenges. Through a partnership with Golden Choice Markets, the program was able to provide over 1700 pounds of produce and engage over 190 residents at the Neighbourhood House and two mobile locations in the community.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Access to Nature, Local Food, Green Economy, Green Transportation, Lighter Footprint
Other City strategies: Renewable City Strategy, Healthy City Strategy, Vancouver Food Strategy

Green Bloc Neighbourhoods Vancouver ($50,000)

Evergreen engaged 171 households in four neighbourhoods in ecological footprint measurement, dialogue, workshops, and collective action projects such as community gardens, murals, and a communal piano.

Three of the four neighbourhoods achieved a reduction of their overall ecological footprint of 25% or more. The success of this project allowed Evergreen to secure a partnership with Vancity in 2018 to develop a long-term neighbourhood scale model for change.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Green Buildings, Green Transportation, Zero Waste, Local Food, Access to Nature, and Lighter Footprint
Other City Strategies: Healthy City Strategy

Therapeutic Mentorship Beekeeping ($45,000)

Hives for Humanity partnered with PHS Community Services to increase the locations of, and participation in, their therapeutic mentorship beekeeping programs.

Six feature workshops were facilitated by experts in the community, a community beekeeper team was built up, and a number of new products were tested and built, such as upcycled garden planters and beekeeping equipment. The program saw a total of 1,458 hours of participation across their 18 sites.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Access to Nature, Local Food, Green Economy
Other City Strategies: Healthy City Strategy

Newcomer Bike Host Program ($45,000 over 2 years)

A partnership between HUB Cycling and the Immigrant Services Society of BC’s Welcome House brought the physical and mental health benefits and social and economic access of cycling to newly arriving refugees and immigrant newcomers.

59 newcomers to Canada were engaged by 39 host volunteers. Participants developed cycling skills and knowledge, improved language skills, gained increased self-confidence, and made new friendships.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Green Transportation, Access to Nature, Lighter Footprint
Other City Strategies: Healthy City Strategy