Grant Recipients 2021

The Bowen Island Community Foundation awarded $41,000 in grants to support important community initiatives. These grants are made possible by generous community donations. The funded projects are all responsive to the community’s needs identified in the 2017 Vital Conversations report and were awarded from the Foundation’s Community Impact Grants.

Organization: Bowen Island Resilient Community Housing
Project: Snug Cove Community Rental Housing
Grant Amount: $15,000
Vital Conversations Priority: Housing for all

BIRCH has been tremendously successful in securing support from the Bowen community and all levels of government in their efforts to provide safe, secure, and affordable housing on Bowen. This grant will provide funding to bridge the gap between today and the successful funding of the building’s construction. The funds will be used for (1) site clearing and preparation, and (2) continued work with the development consultant. This will allow BIRCH to maintain momentum and to ensure that this vital community project is built as immediately as possible.

Organization: Bowen Island Horse Owners & Riders Association
Project: Riding ring upgrade
Grant Amount: $15,000
Vital Conversations Priority: Environment & Parks

BIHORA has 71 members plus holds many public events to engage the public, including events with the BI Dog Ranch, the BI Trail Society, and the Bowen Trail Riders Association. The current footing in the ring in Crippen Park was installed in 2000. The footing has been in need of work for some time and needs to be replaced to ensure the safety of riders and horses during events, shows and pleasure riding, and for all the islanders and visitors who come to the shows and events and use the facility to play Frisbee, have outdoor gym class activities, etc. The ring is also an important aspect of a heritage agricultural site as it is the last agricultural use of the old dairy farm site in Crippen Park. The funds will be used for drainage and ditch work; removal of hog fuel; gravel and sand haul-in and compaction; wood siding; and top up material mix. Additional funds for the project are anticipated to come from the Horse Council BC Core Funding grant, community fundraising, Pacific Parklands Foundation, BIM Community Grant, and Canada Healthy Comunity Initiative grant. Many BIHORA members provide hundreds of volunteer hours for the maintenance and upkeep of the ring.

Organization: Bowen Island Heritage Preservation Association
Project: Pollinator chestnut tree & Applefest online event
Grant Amount: $3,000
Vital Conversations Priority: Environment & Parks

Bowen Island has an untapped capacity for nut growing as a food source. The 150 year-old chestnut tree in Davies Orchard is a testament to this potential. Though exremely fruitful, the tree lacks a pollinator mate and the nuts are never fully formed. BIPA will use this grant for the acquisition, planting, and community celebration of a chestnut pollinator tree. Initial, positive conversations have been held with Metro Vancouver regarding this project and aligning it within the scope of the Davies Orchard revitalization project. Due to COVID restrictions, it is expected that the annual Applefest in-person event will not be held again this year. BIHPA will, however, continue to promote awareness of local heritage, and heritage agriculture and how it can benefit the future of food security on Bowen Island. The project will create an online event for the new chestnut tree, as well as celebrating the old apple trees and acknowledging the history of food uses on Bowen Island from the First Peoples through to contemporary uses.

Organization: Bowen Island Rotary Club
Project: Drinking fountain/bottle filling station at Snug Cove ferry waiting area
Grant Amount: $2,500
Vital Conversations Priority: Environmental Stewardship

The Rotary focuses on service projects for the community. This simple project will give access to water to many thousands of people waiting for the ferry in Snug Cove while not adding to the ever-increasing concern over water sold in disposable plastic bottles. The funds will go towards the purchase of the water fountain. Electricians and plumbers will donate their time. The Rotary will be responsible for on-going maintenance and the Muni will cover liability and the cost of the water. This is similar to the arrangement made with the Muni for the AEDs across the island.

Organization: Bowen Children’s Centre Society
Project: Diversity, inclusion, equity & belonging training
Grant Amount: $3,000
Vital Conversations Priority: Diversity & Inclusion

The grant will be used for a pilot program with the BCC’s After School Club (ASC). The ASC is an essential service which, in addition to providing licensed childcare for families of school aged children, offers a social environment where children have an opportunity to share and appreciate people outside of their normal social circle. The DIEB program will foster a genuine sense of belonging and promote deep learning on the issues that impact “belonging.” The funds will go towards (1) an experienced DIEB consultant (offering a 50% discount) providing the instructional playbook and one year of monitoring and advice, and (2) a train-the-trainer program for one staff member for certification who will then be able to train other staff. BCC has set aside an additional $3500 in professional development/program implementation for follow-on training and is committed to providing and monitoring the program for five years to assure the greatest impact. The intention is to expand the program over time from ASC to all BCC students to other educational organizations on island. Scaling this program up for the entire island is critical.

Organization: Bowen Island Football Club
Project: Bursary for financial assistance for soccer programs
Grant Amount: $2,500
Vital Conversations Priority: Sport & Recreation

There is a genuine need in our community for financial assistance, as COVID-19 has had an unequitable effect on financial situations for families. The Board of BIFC recognizes this and has made the decision to begin to revitalize our bursary program so it is possible to provide programming to all players, regardless of economic background or impacts of COVID-19. BIFC would like to offer financial assistance to 20 soccer students in 2021 who need financial help to cover the cost of soccer training and league play. This is approximately 7% of the total students. The Soccer Club has been providing league, academy and soccer skills training since 2009 reaching over 350 Bowen Island youth and adult participants each year. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic shut down all programming in the Spring of 2020. This reduced the overall revenue of the club significantly, and also reduced the cash reserves. Once the BIFC recovers from the COVID impacts on the organization, the intention is to self fund the bursary program going forward.