2023 Community Grants
The BCF Community Grants program enables contributions from a diverse group of donors to flow to local organizations that are building a sustainable community where everyone belongs.
Each year, Banff Canmore Foundation makes grants to organizations and initiatives across the Bow Valley, from Lake Louise to Stoney Nakoda First Nation, to support projects and people stepping up to help make this outstanding place better.
The farthest-reaching grant program in the Bow Valley, these grants channel local residents’ support to projects with the greatest potential to address our most pressing challenges and to drive positive change.
Dozens of applications are adjudicated by volunteers from the community with a wide range of relevant experience and expertise.
For 2023, BCF’s strategic priorities were supporting the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the Bow Valley, fostering a sustainable and diverse local economy, supporting the protection, restoration and management of our natural environment and nurturing community wellness. In 2023, 29 local organizations received a total of more than $145,000 this year. BCF works with these grant recipients to build impact, drive system-level change and to enhance the lives of all who live in this spectacular place.
At this time, it’s clear that much work still needs to be done, and that every member of our community has a role to play. People can get involved by subscribing to BCF’s monthly newsletter and by contributing to the BCF Community Fund.
Special thanks for leadership support to Wim & Nancy Pauw Foundation:
How Do These Grants Work?
BCF grants match contributions from our community with local organizations who can put those funds to work. Much of the funding for the Community Grants program comes from investment earnings of the BCF Community Fund, which continues to grow through donor contributions. Together with our partners, donors and grant recipients, BCF is catalyzing change in our community. Learn more and be a part of this change by contributing!
2023 Community Grant Recipients
$147,272
Alpine Club of Canada — $1,200
Indigenous Right Relations
artsPlace — $4,500
The Shoe Project
artsPlace and Nakoda AV Club — $6,000
Îethka Voices
Banff Child Care Centre — $4,000
Food Security and Nutrition Program
Banff Child Care Centre — $4,000
Puzzles Daycare Nutritious Meals
Banff Elementary School — $4,998
Sensory Room
Banff Pride Society with Town of Banff — $5,000
Pride Speakers Series
Banff Public Library — $2,500
Fentanyl Test Strips Supply
Banff Public Library — $1,500
Little Free Pantry Refresher
Bighorn Library — $4,999
Nakoda Radio Sharing Stories
Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley — $10,000
Accelerating Climate Action - Year Two
Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley — $6,000
Building for Sustainability - A Symposium
Bow Valley Connections Centre — $2,800
Vocational Coaching for Adults with Developmental Disabilities
Bowstrings Heritage Foundation — $1,200
Native Plants Workshop
Canmore and Area Health Care Foundation — $3,000
Mindful Meditation Training
Canadian Rockies Public Schools — $5,500
Summer English Language & Physical Literacy Program
Canmore Museum — $9,500
Îyârhe Nakoda Stories Tipi Program
Canmore Young Adult Network (CYAN) with Ralph Connor Memorial Church — $5,000
Affordable Events & Learning Activities
Exshaw Community Association with MD of Bighorn — $3,375
Ball Diamond Upgrades
Friends of Kananaskis — $5,000
Shared Learnings and Good Relations in the Bow Valley
Îyârhe Nakoda Food Bank Society — $5,000
Easter and Christmas Food Hampers
Mountain Fire Foods with Town of Canmore — $7,500
Food for the Many
Peter and Catherine Whyte Foundation — $6,000
Buffalo Treaty Youth Dialogues
Peter and Catherine Whyte Foundation — $5,000
Hosting Indigenous Community Relations
Pinetree Players — $6,000
Summer Theatre Festival
Rocky Mountain Adaptive — $10,000
No Limits Adaptive Sports and Recreation
SPEF Canmore — $700
Reconciliation Experiences
St. George in the Pines Anglican Church — $10,000
Banff Food & Friends Program
Stoney Health Services — $5,000
Adult Cooking and Community Walking Programs
YWCA Banff — $2,000
Senior / Adult Disabled Residential Community Housing Project