Community Conservation Fund

Empowering communities to take action: our Community Conservation Fund supports locally driven conservation initiatives across British Columbia. Community conservation efforts make an important impact in protecting and enhancing our wildlife and ecosystems.

An immature Western Screech Owl tagged by Megan Buers as part of her MSc research, partially funded by the BC Conservation Foundation's Community Conservation Fund.

Objectives

The Community Conservation Fund is a BC Conservation Foundation program that supports community-based conservation initiatives around the province.

Program objectives aim to provide community-based approaches, collaboration, applied knowledge and/or education to positively impact fish and wildlife populations at the local level.

Grant intakes occur annually, depending on funding availability.

Applications open: November 1

Applications close: November 30

Decisions on Community Conservation Fund grant applications are made over the winter each year and are announced on our website in March.

  1. Indigenous Peoples and First Nations, non-profits, stewardship groups and/or community-based organizations located within British Columbia are eligible.
  2. The project should demonstrate community-based approaches, collaboration, applied knowledge, and/or education to positively impact fish and wildlife populations.
  3. Projects must take place in British Columbia within the calendar year.
  4. Post-secondary theses, dissertations or special projects are not eligible for funding.
  5. The applicant cannot be the primary beneficiary of the intended project outcomes.
  6. Other funding sources and/or in-kind contributions should be identified.
  7. A group or organization can apply for funding once per year.
  8. Applications are only received via our website. Emailed applications will not be accepted.
  1. Successful applicants are required to sign a Project Agreement.
  2. Project reporting must be completed 30 days after project completion, or one year plus 30 days after funding commenced, whichever comes first.
  3. Applicants must sign a multi-media release.

Applications are submitted through our website.

We recommend that interested applicants review the criteria, gather or create all electronic files and then return to the website to fill out and submit the application. Make sure you have acquired copies of all mandatory items listed below before beginning your submission. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Before applying, please:

  1. Review your eligibility
  2. Download this Excel spreadsheet, fill out and upload in section 5 of the application. Note that there are two sheets, Revenues and Expenses.

Congratulations to our latest recipients!

View Winners

In 2022, the Community Conservation Fund provided the resources necessary to update educational displays at the Kokanee Creek Nature Centre in the Central Kootenays.

Support from the Community Conservation Fund allowed the Simpcw First Nation to share ecological and cultural knowledge, and investigate site selection for future field work using Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs).