Vantage Point bursaries: Free professional development workshops and labs

Our Social Policy Division works with Vantage Point to help strengthen Vancouver’s not-for-profit sector. This partnership provides bursaries to staff and board members of eligible organizations to attend workshops, labs, and other learning opportunities at a reduced or no cost.

Vantage Point is a local not-for-profit organization that supports other non-profits by offering professional development on board governance, leadership, performance management, and recruitment.

What the bursaries include

Each year, organizations may be eligible to receive bursaries for a maximum of two seats in workshops (full bursary) and participation of one staff person in an advanced learning lab (partial bursary of 80% - see note below).

Additional offerings may be available on a case-by-case basis dependent on demand and budget availability.

Information icon Full support for advanced learning labs may be available in cases where cost creates a barrier for participation.

Examples of Vantage Point workshops and labs

Workshops include:

• Board Fundamentals: Roles and Responsibilities
• Strategic Planning ABCs
• Scarcity to Abundance: A Road Map to Not-For-Profit Sustainability
• Leading and Managing Change
• Board Fundamentals: Fund Development
• Effective Board Meeting Facilitation
• Intro to Performance Management
• Strategic Financial Governance
• Board Fundamentals: Board Diversity and Inclusion
• Engaging Skilled Volunteers
• Conflict and Challenging Conversations
• Advocacy 101
• Government Relations 101

Advanced learning labs include:

• Capacity Lab: Building the capacity of organizations
• Executive Lab: Heighten your executive performance
• Raising the Right Revenue: A Fund Development Lab: Attracting diverse sources of revenue

View the current course listing on the Vantage Point website

Eligible organizations

You can apply for this grant if your organization is a Vancouver-based, non-profit, community services or childcare organization that meets one of the following criteria:

• Receives operating support from the City through our:
  • Childcare Enhancement Grants
  • Childcare Reserve Grants
  • Core Support Grants (formerly Direct Social Service Grants and Organizational Capacity Building Grants)
  • Hastings Legacy Fund
  • Neighbourhood Organization Grants
  • Sustainable Food System Grants
• Has received a one-time-only project grant in the current or previous calendar year for more than $15,000 from our:
  • Social Innovation Project Grants
  • Social Responsibility Funds
  • Capital Project Grants
• Is the primary not-for-profit leaseholder of a City-owned or -leased facility, and has a social service or childcare mandate 

How to apply

For all workshops and advanced lab bursaries:

• Complete the Bursary Application Form External link icon
• Select "City of Vancouver - Social Policy Bursary" when prompted