Outdoor Recreation Fund of BC

Registered charities, incorporated non-profit organizations, local governments in BC, and Indigenous governments in BC are eligible to apply.

Eligible Expenses: Expenses must be tied to the project outcomes as outlined in the application.

Ineligible Expenses. The grant program will not fund:

• Activities that primarily provide financial benefits for individuals

• Retroactive expenses (costs incurred prior to funding being approved)

• Payment to volunteers

• Endowments, debt retirement, reserves, mortgage paydowns

One application per group will be accepted. Organizations with chapters or other regional divisions, may submit one application per chapter or division.

The recommended grant range is between $2,000 to $10,000.

The purpose of the Outdoor Recreation Fund of BC is to support grants for community-based initiatives that create and shape meaningful outdoor recreational and nature-based experiences for British Columbians.

For the purpose of this grant program, ORCBC considers outdoor recreation to be activities that take place in natural settings—most commonly parks, trails, and natural aquatic areas—and does not include activities that take place in highly cultivated recreation areas such as playgrounds, skateparks, tennis courts or sports fields.

The matching contribution is calculated as 50% of the total project budget which can be provided through cash or in-kind contributions. In other words, if your organization is requesting a $5,000 grant, you are asked to provide $5,000 or more in matching contributions (in cash and/or in-kind support such as volunteer hours).

Example:

• Grant Request: $5,000

• Matching Contribution: $5,000 (cash and/or in-kind)

• TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET: $10,000

Overhead costs are the general operating costs required to run an organization but are not directly tied to the specific project. Examples include insurance, essential software, office supplies, administrative salaries, and other operational expenses. 

Applicants can claim up to 20% of their total grant request for overhead expenses. This supports the overall infrastructure and capacity of the organization.

If your project does not align with the grant cycle timeline, you may be eligible to apply for the following grant cycle which may open as early as Fall 2025. You can expect the priorities to remain unchanged.

ORCBC requires projects to be ready-to-go before applying and prefers projects that can be completed by March 2026. This will help ORCBC showcase grant projects success which can in turn help attract donors, grow the fund and ultimately provide more grants.

After three years of research, proposal writing and advocacy, ORCBC received $10 million from the Province of BC in May 2023 to create an endowment and an annual granting program.

The endowment has been invested and generates interest income, which is a perpetual funding source for the granting program.

An endowment fund is a fund that generates revenue from investment interest to fund charitable activities.

For the Outdoor Recreation Fund of BC, this means that funds will be available every year. To ensure the fund’s longevity, only a small percentage of the fund’s total value will be used each year. For applicants, this means they can expect a grant intake every year starting in 2024.

To maximize the impact of the Outdoor Recreation Fund and this granting program, we will seek to grow the fund through additional contributions from all levels of government and the corporate and philanthropic sectors.

If you have questions about the Outdoor Recreation Fund of BC, please contact:

Tomke Augustin, ORCBC Grant Program Manager

Email: grants@orcbc.ca

Phone: 604-873-5546