The Prince George Community Foundation has awarded a total of $100,256 to four social purpose organizations across northern B.C. and the Cariboo as part of the Government of Canada’s Investment Readiness Program (IRP).
These organizations are working to create meaningful jobs, strengthen the charitable and non-profit sector, and address social challenges, including the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These organizations will be better prepared to receive investment, including through the Government of Canada’s Social Finance Fund. The Prince George Community Foundation received significant requests for funding from applicants for this highly competitive program.
This funding has supported projects for:
- $ 27,000 to Wildway Farm Co located in the Bella Coola Valley, to help support food security for the residents of the valley through the creation of additional greenhouses to allow them to produce fresh produce year-round.
- $ 30,000 to Kitselas Geothermal Inc. will support the engineering portion of a viability study to provide geothermal energy that is beneath the traditional lands of the Kitselas First Nations and use its heating, cooling and electricity to help support the region.
- $ 14,570 to the Prince George & District Community Arts Council for the implementation of a new Creative Arts Hub where they will work to hire developmentally challenged adults and re-invest portions of the profits to create art programs for adults with disabilities.
- $ 28,686 to EcoTrust Canada to establish a community supported aquaculture social purpose organization using restorative ocean farming methods to improve food security, create a sustainable fishery and restore the ocean.
“The pervasive and wide-ranging effects of the global pandemic has placed Canadian communities in crisis,” said Andrew Chunilall, CEO of Community Foundations of Canada, a national partner in the Investment Readiness Program. “Recovery efforts must be transformative to meet the test of an uncertain, and at the same time, hopeful and prosperous future. Philanthropy will play a critical role in this future as we consider new ways of deploying our capital and engaging communities. Our investments should aim to alleviate the systemic factors perpetuating inequality, with an eye to a sustainable and inclusive economy for all Canadians. Consequently, social entrepreneurs and impact investors form critical infrastructure to lead our recovery efforts and meet the urgency of the moment. Our work with the IRP is about meeting this moment.”
Social purpose organizations strengthen local economies while giving back and creating more resilient and sustainable communities. The IRP also creates and advances new earned revenue possibilities for charities and non-profits during this challenging time. For these reasons, IRP has a key role to play in pandemic recovery and in moving Canada towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. They promote prosperity while protecting people and the planet.