Upcoming deadline

The 2012 Vancity/Real Estate Foundation Green Building Grant application deadline is Monday, January 23rd. The application form contains all the information a non-profit needs to apply.

The Green Building Grant Program considers projects which focus on:

• Building renovations/retrofits that demonstrate leadership and can inspire similar projects

• Regulatory changes that advance green building development and practice

• Education to increase the understanding and use of practical green building strategies

If you have questions after reading the form, contact Leanne Sexsmith at the Foundation office.

Happy New Year!
All of us at the Real Estate Foundation hope your 2012 is off to a good start! Now that our staff is back at work after a well-deserved rest during the holidays, we are ready to connect with you. If you have questions about our grants program--projects we have funded or may fund under our current focus areas--please drop us a line.

We are interested in what's going on to support sustainable real estate and land use practices across the province and look forward to learning more about what's happening in your community or sphere of interest.

2011 Grant round-up
Last year our Board of Governors approved 59 grants totalling $2.7 million, almost $1 million more than the value of the 67 grants approved in 2010. This chart shows the yearly variation in grants approved since the Foundation started its grants program in 1988.

Because the Real Estate Foundation has a revenue stream (interest on real estate brokerage trust accounts) and investments, our income varies with both the real estate market and the financial markets. Historically, the Foundation's grant making has reflected those peaks and valleys.

Grants program notes

• The FAQ page on our website was updated November 30th.
• 2012 application deadlines are posted here. The next Stage 1 deadline is March 2nd.
• More details on the focus areas--Built Environment, Fresh Water Sustainability, Sustainable Food Systems--will be published on our website, at latest, by early March 2012.
• Please feel free to contact either a Grants Manager (we have three) or our Grants Administrator if you have any questions about funding criteria or process.

Building SustainAble Communities
The Fresh Outlook Foundation's Building SustainAble Communities conference will happen February 27th to March 1st in Kelowna. A few of our staff will be there, and we hope you'll visit our booth, or find us at a conference session, to talk about what your organization is up to. We're looking forward to connecting with you!

How to find...

• Events - check our online calendar for upcoming application deadlines, conferences, and other events
• Land Awards videos - visit our YouTube channel
• Social media - find us on Facebook and Twitter, and join our "Real Estate Foundation of BC" group on LinkedIn
• Website - be sure to visit our website for current funding information and Foundation news

If there is something you're looking for, and you can't find it, contact us and we'll assist you as best we can.

The Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia was created in 1985 through the initiative of the BC real estate industry. By law, the Foundation receives interest income from deposits made by real estate buyers into brokerage trust accounts and uses the proceeds to support real estate related research, education, law reform, and other projects intended for the public and professional good. It has approved over $60 million in grants for non-profit projects throughout British Columbia.