Over $700,000 in New Funding Approved for Non Profits & Charities In Abbotsford, Agassiz, Chilliwack and Hope

On November 23rd, 2022, the former Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould, announced that Community Foundations of Canada alongside Canadian Red Cross, and United Way Centraide Canada had been selected to distribute the Community Services Recovery Fund. This investment of one-time $400 million was focused on helping charities, non-profits and Indigenous Governing Bodies acquire the tools they needed to adapt and modernize so they can better support pandemic recovery in communities across Canada.

The Abbotsford Community Foundation was proud to have been one of the many community foundations across Canada, helping to distribute these Funds. Applications closed February 21^st with the Foundation receiving 28 applications with an ask of over $1.7 million. With just over $701,000 in funding, the adjudication decisions were the responsibility of the Foundations’ Community Grants Committee. Denise Thandi, Committee Chair, noted, “The [Community] Grants Committee worked diligently through the tremendously difficult task of reviewing each and every application and determining which projects would receive funding and what funding amounts would be allocated to those projects.”

While the funds were distributed in June to successful fund applicants, it is only recently that The Abbotsford Community Foundation (ACF) is able to formally announce the recipients of the Community Services Recovery Fund for Abbotsford, Agassiz, Chilliwack, and Hope:

• Abbotsford Arts Council – $34,001
• Abbotsford Judo Club – $29,300
• Agassiz-Harrison Historical Society – $13,692
• Archway Community Services – $52,100
• BeMorr Society for Mental Heath and Suicide Awareness – $15,000
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Fraser Valley – $97,313
• Chilliwack ElderCollege – $12,303
• Chilliwack Film Society – $32,500
• Chilliwack Metropolitan Orchestra – $12,000
• Chilliwack Park Society – $22,200
• Communitas Supportive Care Society – $82,819
• Hope and Area Transition Society – $45,600
• Hope Community Services – $30,000
• Optimist Club of Chilliwack Imagination Library Fraser Valley – $16,541
• Skwah First Nation – $73,975
• The Centre for Epilepsy and Seizure Education in British Columbia – $72,300
• The Salvation Army Chilliwack – $39,356
• West Abbotsford Community School Society – $20,000

As a result of the investments provided by the Community Services Recovery Fund, charities, non-profits, and Indigenous Governing Bodies will be better equipped to improve the efficacy, accessibility, and sustainability of the community services that they provide.

“Community service organizations are at the heart of communities like Abbotsford, creating a sense of belonging from coast to coast to coast. The Community Services Recovery Fund will enable the organizations that serve our diverse communities to adapt and modernize their programs and services and to invest in the future of their organizations, staff, and volunteers. Together, we can rebuild from the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic and build a more just and equitable future for those in Abbotsford.”

– Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development