When the wildfire swept through Jasper in July 2024, it didn’t just destroy homes—it tore through the invisible architecture that communities spend lifetimes building.
Neighbourhoods, where children learned to ride bikes, and where friends became chosen families. Trails carry the weight of daily routines and generational memory.
When the fire moved on—leaving behind scorched hillsides, twisted power lines, and the acrid taste of smoke—we reached out to the neighbours, local leaders, and families we had come to know. Our strong relationships—built through past Jasper grants and programs delivered on behalf of donors—meant we knew who to call.
What they shared was that they needed more than headlines. They needed help.
That’s when the work of a community foundation began.
We immediately stepped forward not only to establish new funds but also to create a place of trust, build relationships, and offer a steady presence in the chaos.
And so, we moved.
A Fund Born of Urgency, Built for Impact
The Rocky Mountain Community Relief Fund didn’t exist before the wildfire.
We created it in real time—before Jasper residents had even returned home. Not because we had a perfect plan, but because the community needed a vehicle. Fast. And within four days, we built one.
We started with a simple premise: people want to help. Our job was to make that help easy, accountable, and community-led.
Since then, more than $500,000 in wildfire relief has been distributed through the fund to the community, thanks to the generosity of donors and the trust they have placed in us to steward those funds effectively.
But the real story isn’t the total. It’s how the funds moved, and who they empowered.
We partnered with the Jasper Community Team Society (JCTS)—a long-standing, deeply trusted local registered charity dedicated to supporting programs and events that foster community connection and well-being.
What JCTS needed in the wake of the wildfire was resources, as well as administrative and system support that could scale, enabling the stewardship or relief funds while continuing to operate through the pressures of a disaster.
That’s where we came in. We didn’t lead the response—we stood behind it, helping to erect the scaffolding that could hold the weight—a stabilizing structure: flow-through funding, grant management, and reporting systems. Allowing JCTS to stay focused on what mattered most: community.
Our scaffolding included:
- Grant management and flow-through funding
- Donation processing and governance support
- Reporting infrastructure and administrative relief
Enabling JCTS to stay focused on:
- Emergency housing and temporary shelter for displaced families
- Food and essentials for residents living in hotels, RVs, or with friends
- Outreach and wellness services to help people process trauma
- Operational capacity so JCTS could scale up for the long haul
Before launching a formal grant program, the Jasper Recovery Granting Fund provided $35,000 in support to three Jasper organizations, helping address urgent community needs. Building on this early work and agile approach, JCTS introduced its first-ever JCTS Jasper Recovery Grant Program in early 2025, distributing over $88,000 to rebuild schoolyards, revive cultural programming, and restore spaces where community connection thrives.
“BCF’s partnership brought depth to our organization,” says Tristan Tomkins, Executive Director of JCTS. “They provided the tools, expertise, and flexibility we needed to lead from within our community. That kind of support doesn’t just help in a crisis— it helps us build a stronger future for Jasper’s community.”
Our Lessons from Jasper
Jasper illuminated something powerful for us: community foundations have a critical role to play—not just in their home regions, but in supporting other communities when the need arises.
Our efforts have evolved into a working model for how community foundations can demonstrate integrity, agility, and accountability.
What we learned through this crisis is that our core strengths—trust-based relationships, administrative infrastructure, agility and letting place-based knowledge lead—are transferable.
With the right partners and a commitment to shared leadership, community foundations can serve as stable platforms in times of instability, extending their reach beyond their traditional boundaries. We acted quickly, but more importantly, we stayed long enough to be truly useful, offering systems, expertise, scaffolding, and back-end support that allowed local leaders to take the lead.
Now, we're working to share that learning, building a replicable framework that other community foundations can adapt when disaster strikes or when local partners need help scaling up during times of strain.
The model isn't a one-size-fits-all solution, but a blueprint grounded in flexibility, trust, and care.
“Jasper challenged us to think beyond geography and step into what it truly means to be a community foundation. Sometimes that means responding in your backyard—and sometimes it means lending your strength to help a neighbour. What mattered most was being steady, useful, and staying adaptable to make a difference.”
–Laurie Edward, Executive Director, Banff Canmore Foundation
Tourism Partners Who Made a Difference
The road to Jasper’s long-term resilience didn’t rely solely on residents or local organizations—it also depended on the tourism community stepping up.
Tourism partners, including Pursuit, Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, and Rocky Mountaineer, came together with a bold commitment: a $5.5 million, three-year investment in the community’s future. Stewardship is provided by Banff Canmore Foundation and Jasper Community Team Society, ensuring that recovery is transparent, community-led, and built to last.
Their leadership sent a powerful message: resilience in Jasper means working together, sharing responsibility, and investing in the future.
“This fund was created not just to support Jasper’s recovery after the forest fires, but to help build a stronger future for the whole community,” says Stuart Back, Chief Operating Officer, Pursuit Banff Jasper Collection. “It came from a place of shared care and commitment and a desire to stand alongside our neighbours and invest in what makes Jasper so special. We’re proud to have partnered with JCTS, BCF and local tourism partners, whose leadership has made it possible for this support to reach the people and programs who need it most.”
Garrett Turta, General Manager, Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, reflects, “What truly sets Jasper apart is the strength we find in each other. Through every challenge, it has been our neighbours, local organizations, colleagues, and partners who have fueled our recovery and resilience. Over the last year, we have experienced not only hardship but also incredible generosity, teamwork, and collaboration. As our community continues to heal and look forward, we are united by a shared commitment to support, rebuild, and uphold the spirit of Jasper for everyone who calls this place home.”
The partners' pledges reinforced the trust and hope that Jasper needs to keep moving forward.
Looking Ahead
As we mark one year since the Jasper wildfire, we’re not only reflecting on what was lost—we’re carrying forward the leadership, learning, and collaboration that emerged, shaping how we respond to what comes next.
Jasper reminded us that trust and infrastructure must travel together, and that in times of disruption, foundations like ours can help build the bridge between urgency and stability.
We’re taking those lessons forward—not just in how we prepare for future crises, but in how we support our community and local partners to scale up during times of strain.
“Our role as a community foundation is evolving,” says Laurie Edward, Executive Director of Banff Canmore Foundation. “We’re learning how to lead by supporting others—by offering systems, tools, and trust that help local leadership thrive”
Inspired by the power of a community foundation to respond with agility in moments of need—and to grow our reach and capacity for the future—we invite you to consider a gift to the BCF Community Fund your support helps us stay ready to meet the moment, whatever it brings. And if your heart is still with Jasper, know that donations to the Rocky Mountain Community Relief Fund are still welcome and appreciated—there's still work to be done.
