Community Giving. It’s what we do.

And with our Community Giving Program…we’ve been doing just that. It provides critical funding that community-based not-for-profit organizations need to achieve significant, concrete results. Our objective is to provide funding annually for projects that:

  • Address an under-serviced or under-funded subject, geographic region or demographic
  • Outline clear, measurable outcomes with demonstrable results
  • Include a strategy to address projects’ longer term sustainability

Our Community Giving Program makes things happen. Take a look at these really cool projects we’ve funded...

From Melissa Demers at Kids Help Phone:

"Your gift will provide mental health resources and professional counselling to young people who feel they have nowhere else to turn. From abuse to neglect to the death of a family member, there are kids in your community who have overcome anxiety, despair and tears with help from the professional counsellors at Kids Help Phone. Your gift gives these kids the help and support they desperately need."

From Gerald Enchin at Camp Winston:

"For most of our campers, the Camp Winston experience is the first time in their lives they feel secure enough to participate without being laughed at or alienated by their peers. Our uniquely trained and sensitive staff helps us to offer this safe and nurturing environment. We could not accomplish these things without your help."

From Shelagh Turner at the Canadian Mental Health Association Kelowna and District Branch:

"We are so grateful for the opportunity your Community Giving Program funding provided our organization. The funds enabled us to truly pilot the Meals Matter program and leverage other funding to enhance the program's sustainability."

Community Giving Program Guidelines

In keeping with our objectives to enhance the common good, we welcome applications for funding of programs or projects which further our objective of enabling access to health and social support services for the most vulnerable in our communities. Here’s a look at the criteria that we consider when evaluating a Community Giving Program funding request:

Qualifications for charitable organizations

To be eligible and considered for a charitable contribution from GSC’s Community Giving Program, organizations must meet the following criteria:

  • Canadian funding recipient must be a reputable not-for-profit organization or a Canadian charitable organization registered with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
  • Be applying for programs and services that fall within our defined focus areas (scroll down for details)
  • Be operating in Canada
  • Have a record of achievement or potential for success in line with our overall goals
  • Address a community need and provide direct impact to an underserved or underfunded community or group
  • Include planned outcomes, supported by a measurement and evaluation process
  • Include a strategy to address long term sustainability of the project or initiative.
  • Provide audited financial statements for the organization and/or demonstrate sound financial practices and a sustainable funding model

Areas of focus

Fundamental to our uniqueness is our philosophy of striving to make health care accessible to all Canadians. As a result, our Community Giving Program supports the health and wellness of Canadian communities. We contribute funds to support work in the area of health and wellness, health education and social services. So we give priority to programs that enable access to health and social services for the most vulnerable members of our communities, such as programs that support:

  • Families, youth or the aging population
  • Socially or geographically disadvantaged populations
  • Proactive disease prevention
  • Measurable results for sustainable impact

Restrictions for applicant organizations

Although there is significant need in numerous important areas, we do not provide charitable contributions to the following types of requests or organizations:

  • Individuals
  • Athletics, including individual sports teams and all-star teams
  • Capital campaigns or endowments
  • For-profit organizations
  • Fundraising or advocacy initiatives
  • Organizations that discriminate by race, creed, gender, age or national origin
  • Political activities and organizations
  • Underwriting of films, video and television productions
  • Sectarian/religious activities, including churches, synagogues and other places of worship, unless supporting broadly-based outreach community needs for the disadvantaged
  • Conferences, trips or tours
  • Advertising
  • Membership fees or association fees, either personal or corporate

Our grant application period is closed for 2012. Please visit us again next year when we begin accepting new applications on February 1, 2013.

Please contact communitygiving@greenshield.ca for more information.