In 2024, the Bowen Island Community Foundation awarded $75,000 in grants to support important community initiatives. These grants are made possible by the generosity of our donors. The funded projects all respond to community needs identified in the 2023 Vital Conversations report and are awarded from the Foundation’s Community Impact Fund.
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Organization: Snug Cove House
Project: Accessibility upgrades at the new facility
Grant Amount: $25,000
Vital Conversations Priorities: Housing; Youth and Seniors
The mission of Snug Cove House Society is to support Bowen Island senior citizens to age in place and to continue to enjoy their community by facilitating services such as supportive housing. This grant helps to meet future residents’ accessibility needs at the new 24-unit facility by funding upgrades such as audio-visual emergency alert systems, handrails, grab bars, and automatic door openers.
Organization: The Hearth—Arts on Bowen
Project: Authentically Indigenous Festival
Grant Amount: $6,000
Vital Conversations Priorities: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity; Community Building
The Authentically Indigenous Festival on Nex̱wlélex̱wm / Bowen Island presents a multi-day array of events and activities celebrating Indigenous arts, culture, arts, and other expressions of creativity. The festival is a collaboration between The Hearth—Arts on Bowen and Winadzi (Simon Daniel James), a Bowen resident and an internationally renowned Kwakwaka’wakw artist, performer, filmmaker, and teacher.
Organization: Archer Florendo with The Hearth—Arts on Bowen
Project: Queen versus Green Festival
Grant Amount: $3,000
Vital Conversations Priorities: Youth and Seniors; Community Building
Local teen Archer Florendo teams up with charitable partner The Hearth—Arts on Bowen to present the Queen versus Green Festival celebrating the traditional folk battle between the forces of Winter and Spring. This youth-led initiative reimagines the long-standing Green Man Festival, which has been a community staple on Bowen—originally brought to the island by Reverend Shelagh MacKinnon.
Organization: Bowen Golf
Project: Artificial turf project to expand inclusive youth programming
Grant Amount: $17,000
Vital Conversations Priorities: Youth and Seniors; Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity
This project by Bowen Golf aims to expand youth and inclusive community programming by developing 4,000-square-feet of outdoor artificial turf to maximize accessibility for all, including individuals with muscular or other mobility issues. This turf has been designed to accommodate wheelchairs and other supports to help promote and encourage participation. Charitable partner for grant: Golf Canada.
Organization: Seniors Keeping Young Society
Project: Rental of accessible vehicle for off-island excursions
Grant Amount: $15,000
Vital Conversations Priorities: Youth and Seniors; Transportation
This project by Seniors Keeping Young (SKY) provides accessible transportation for seniors to partake in excursions both on- and off-island to museums and other venues of educational and cultural significance. Such excursions support the physical, mental, and social well-being of our island’s seniors.
Organization: BIRCH
Project: Development plan
Grant Amount: $5,000
Vital Conversations Priority: Housing
The phased development plan for Lot 1 of the Community Lands (on Mount Gardner Road) will build on previous work by BIRCH (Bowen Island Resilient Community Housing) and develop the next steps towards building non-market community housing within the next five years. Charitable partner for grant: Bowen Island Municipality.
Organization: Bowen Island Community School (BICS)
Project: Grounds upgrades
Grant Amount: $4,000
Vital Conversations Priority: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity
Bowen Island Community School‘s project to upgrade the grounds includes installing a communications board for the playground to support non-verbal, neurodiverse, and blind community members. Charitable partner for grant: Community School Association (CSA).