Did you know?

More than 100 young leaders have graduated from the Youth Now program.

Each year, over 100 non-profit professionals attend our training opportunities.

Over two dozen non-profit organizations have participated in the Youth Now program.

The CCRR provides nearly 400 child care referrals per year.

On average, the CCRR hosts 30 workshops and training courses each year.

Every year, over 500 child care providers and parents attend CCRR training opportunities.

Every year, RCRG completes over 3,000 grocery orders for local seniors.

Nearly 300 seniors make use of our Better at Home services.

Our volunteer drivers complete more than 1,200 trips annually.

At least 350 people per year find a volunteer position using our Volunteer Match program.

Close to 500 volunteers support RCRG’s programs and services.

Volunteers contribute nearly 23,000 hours to our organization each year.

Each holiday season, the Richmond Christmas Fund helps more than 2,200 low-income residents.

Every year, the Christmas Fund provides over 600 children with toys, books, and sports equipment.

The Richmond Christmas Fund was first started by Ethel Tibbits, in the 1930s.

The number of Neighbourhood Small Grants we’ve awarded has increased every year since 2014.

Block parties are the most popular type of Neighbourhood Small Grant project.

Every year, the Richmond Women’s Resource Centre serves over 7,300 local women.

The Richmond Women’s Resource Centre currently offers 16 programs and services.

Nearly 60 volunteers support the Richmond Women’s Resource Centre, contributing nearly 2,500 hours per year.

Richmond is home to over 350 registered charities, all of which rely on volunteer support.

There are nearly 13 million volunteers across Canada.

International Volunteer Day is celebrated throughout the world on December 5.

There are 35 volunteer centres in British Columbia.

In 2016, the Foundation awarded 10 grants to non-profit organizations, worth a combined $59,000.

The Foundation manages $4.5 million in nearly 50 Forever Funds, returning CPI plus 4%.

In 2017, the Foundation distributed $198,000 as community and Canada 150 grants, scholarships, and charitable disbursements.

Foundation activities result in the enhancement of our community and residents’ sense of belonging.

ROCA has raised over $21,000 for local charities.

ROCA has performed its Elementary School Concert Series to over 8,000 students.

ROCA provides mentoring and life changing opportunities for aspiring musicians.

The Richmond Arts Coalition was founded in November of 2005.

RAC co-produces the ArtRich exhibition every two years!

RAC highlights Richmond's arts events in a monthly email.

The Richmond Music School is the oldest not-for-profit music school in Richmond.

The Richmond Music School offers affordable music lessons through its diverse programming.

Our students performed 40 hours of music to welcome the Olympic athletes to the 2010 Olympic Games.

Neighbourhood Small Grants

Small Projects, Big Impact

A neighbourhood isn't just a place. It's a group of people who call that place home. And because they share a home, they also share a connection to one another. The Neighbourhood Small Grants program was created to make those connections stronger.

Funded by the Vancouver Foundation, the program operates in communities throughout the Lower Mainland. In Richmond, it's proudly administered by RCRG.

Here's how it works. Every year, we distribute grants of up to $500 so individuals can complete small community projects, from block parties to urban gardens. And while the projects we fund are diverse, they all have the same goal: to strengthen connections between neighbours. At the end of the year, we invite all grant recipients to a special celebration, where they can each talk about their project and how it helped bring their neighbourhood together.

Introducing Responsive Neighbourhood Small Grants

The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted so many aspects of community life, including the way we interact with one another. Physical distancing guidelines are in place to keep us safe, but they also mean that social gatherings, from cultural celebrations to block parties, can no longer happen in person.

We're living through a unique time, and we have to find new ways to forge connections and mitigate social isolation. That's where Responsive Neighbourhood Small Grants come in.

This new funding stream is available to all Richmond residents, who can apply for up to $500 to carry out out a community project. Whereas, in the past, projects could take on any form, so long as they were inclusive and brought neighbours together, our new reality requires new limitations, but also presents new opportunities to showcase your creativity.

Responsive NSG projects must adhere to physical distancing guidelines. This means they can only be carried out by individuals or family members from the same household, and must take place as close as possible to your own home.

Those are the restrictions, but from there, your creativity comes into play.

The program has two goals: to ease the social isolation of vulnerable people, and to facilitate the online exchange and sharing of local assets, skills, and resources.

So what types of projects might this entail? Well, you could distribute care packages to seniors in your neighbourhood, or organize an online workshop, focusing on storytelling, or cooking, or meditation, or yoga. Like we said, you can be creative!

A detailed list of eligibility criteria and frequently asked questions is available online. So too is an application form, when you're ready to submit your project idea.

The application period is ongoing. Funding will be available until COVID-19 is behind us, and we're once again ready to build community together, face to face.