VICTORIA – The Victoria Foundation has allocated $550,000 to 14 local organizations in the Capital Region, dedicated to addressing climate change through nature-based solutions, encompassing 12 local environmental groups and two local Nations. The financial support will back initiatives focused on safeguarding, restoring, and managing terrestrial, freshwater, and/or marine ecosystems in the region.
Earlier in the year, the Foundation issued a funding call accessible to registered charities, local Nations, and other qualifying entities operating within the Capital Region. This funding, stemming from a generous estate gift with a directive to support environmental causes, was open for application to eligible organizations and local Nations, offering grants of up to $50,000 each. Priority was given to activities that were Indigenous-led, equity-deserving, community-led, or grassroots in nature.
“The generosity of a donor has allowed us to provide funding to organizations with a goal to address the climate crisis through nature-based solutions. The grants will support work such as ecological restoration, land conservation, biodiversity, and species at risk, to name a few,” said Sandra Richardson, Victoria Foundation CEO.
“With the growing impacts of climate change, we must protect this natural environment for ourselves and future generations, and we are grateful for the support of donors to help with this important work,” she said.
The Foundation collaborated with environmental sector experts to identify priority areas for funding. A comprehensive list of grant recipients is available on the Nature-based Climate Action Funding webpage.
Among the 14 organizations receiving funding is the Gorge Waterway Action Society, recognized for their Gorge Creek Salt Marsh Restoration Project.
“This funding will support the restoration of the salt marsh ecosystem in Esquimalt Gorge Park. Through removal of invasive species, planting of native riparian species, and creation of interpretive signage, a functional habitat and place of learning will be created,” said Brad Procter, Gorge Waterway Action Society Executive Director.
The W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council and the Raincoast Conservation Foundation also received a grant to support the ȻENEṈITEL (kwuh-nung-ee-tuhl) Project, which aims to apply nature-based climate actions through reconciliation-driven collaboration between the WSÁNEĆ community and non-Indigenous conservation groups across WSÁNEĆ Territories.
Source: Victoria Foundation
Grant Recipients
| Organization Name | Description of Initiative/Project |
| W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council (Raincoast Conservation Foundation as charity partner) | The ȻENEṈITEL Project aims to apply nature-based climate actions through reconciliation-driven collaboration between the WSÁNEĆ community and non-Indigenous conservation groups across WSÁNEĆ Territories. |
| Georgia Strait Alliance | Centering communities in biodiversity protection and climate mitigation planning for marine protected areas. |
| Gorge Waterway Action Society | Gorge Creek Salt Marsh Restoration Project |
| Stqeeye’ Learning Society | Xwaaqw’um Carbon Sequestration Project is an Indigenous led restoration project that addresses the threat of forest, stream and estuary degradation, protects culturally important areas and supports ecosystem and community resilience to climate change. |
| Pepaken Hautw Foundation | PEPAKEN TE TENEW: New Growth for Restoration in the W̱SÁNEĆ Homelands |
| Galiano Conservancy Association | Demonstrating Climate-Resilient Forest Restoration at Quadra Hill on Galiano Island. |
| Mayne Island Conservancy Society | Mayne Island Land Stewardship for Nature-Based Solutions. |
| Metchosin Foundation | Metchosin Conservation Corridor for Biodiversity and Climate Resiliency. |
| Sc’ianew (Beecher Bay) Nation | Sc’ianew Community Capacity Development for Nature-Based Climate Resiliency |
| Raincoast Conservation Foundation | Protecting forests for the future through the development of new conservation covenant standards. |
| Habitat Acquisition Trust | Enhancing HAT: Increasing Capacity to Cultivate Stewardship in the Capital Region |
| Rocky Point Bird Observatory Society | Migration Monitoring and Research programs of Rocky Point Bird Observatory. |
| Tsawout Nation | Native Tree Restoration Project: planning and clean-up of the Tsawout and Tseycum Saturna Island Reserve lands. |
| Garry Oak Meadow Preservation Society | GOMPS Volunteer Nursery: key infrastructure and maintenance investments for sustainability. |
