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Community Fund Grants

The Parksville-Qualicum Community Foundation’s Community Fund Grants uplift charitable and community-led organizations that help our community thrive. This annual program is designed to strengthen the long-term wellbeing, resilience, and connection of our community by supporting work that responds to locally identified needs across the Oceanside region.

2026 COMMUNITY FUND GRANT CALL – OPEN FEBRUARY 15 – MARCH 31, 2026

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About Community Fund Grants

The Community Fund is PQCF’s primary granting program and reflects our role as a broad-based community funder.

The fund supports charitable and community-led work that responds to locally identified needs and strengthens the wellbeing, resilience, and connection of communities across the Oceanside region.

PQCF takes a trust-based approach to granting, meaning we aim to reduce unnecessary administrative burden and trust organizations to identify what support will make the greatest difference in their community.

Community Fund Grants can support a wide range of requests, including:

  • Ongoing programs or services central to your work
  • New or emerging initiatives responding to community need
  • Capacity-building or organizational needs, such as coordination, planning, systems, or staff time
  • Community-led or collaborative efforts
  • Time-limited activities or focused areas of work
  • Operating, program, or limited capital-related needs, where appropriate

You do not need to frame your request as a formal “project” or fit into predefined categories. We encourage applicants to clearly explain what support is needed, why it matters now, and how it will benefit the community, in a way that reflects how your organization actually works.

Who Can Apply

Eligible applicants include:

A qualified donee is an organization recognized by the CRA as eligible to receive charitable donations. This includes registered charities, First Nations, municipalities, and certain public bodies. First Nations may be eligible even if they are not registered charities.

Organizations that are not qualified donees may apply with a qualified donee sponsor. Sponsorship does not affect the sponsor’s own eligibility for PQCF grants.

If you’re unsure about eligibility or sponsorship, we encourage you to connect with us before applying.

Hear from Recipients

"Thank you so much for the grant for our sign at Nanoose Place Community Centre. This project prompted us to go through a branding process, and was a major step forward for us as an organization. We feel much more confident and focused on our brand and identity in the community because of this new signage—and we are extremely proud of it! Without your generosity we would no"t be where we are today. Thank you!

Nanoose Bay Activities & Recreation Society (NBARS) 2025

"We at the Arrowsmith Health Care Society are thrilled to share the transformative effects of your generous funding on the lives of our residents at Arrowsmith Lodge and Cokley Manor. Your contribution has not only reinvigorated our music program but has also brought immense joy and connection to our community."

Arrowsmith Health Care Society 2023

"On behalf of the Save Estuary Land Society, I would like to express our gratitude to PQCF for awarding our society a $4,000 Annual Grant to help fund habitat restoration at the French Creek Estuary Nature Preserve. The 23 acre Nature Preserve was created thanks to a remarkable community collaboration which raised over $5,180,000 in funds and in kind and the land is now jointly owned by the BC Parks Foundation and the Regional District of Nanaimo."

Save Estuary Land Society 2022

Recipient Stories

Grant Amounts & Timing

  • Grant Applications are accepted from February 15, 2026 – March 31, 2026
  • Grants are typically awarded up to $4,000
  • Grants are awarded annually and disbursed in May
  • Funds are expected to be used within 6–18 months, depending on the nature of the work

How to Apply

Applications are submitted through a single-stage online form  during the grant call period that should take under 90 minutes to complete.

Application Form
Application Guide
Intermediary Partner Sponsorship Form (Fillable)
Intermediary Partner Sponsorship Form (Print)

How Applications Are Considered

All Community Fund applications are reviewed using a shared assessment rubric outlined in PQCF’s Community Fund Granting Framework. Applications are considered holistically, with attention to the following areas:

  • Community Need & Relevance
  • Community Voice & Inclusion
  • Systemic or Broader Impact
  • Clarity and Strength of Plan or Approach
  • Organizational Readiness & Trust
  • Use of Funds & Financial Fit

Applications are reviewed by a community-led Grant Sub-Committee, made up of a diverse group of local volunteers who bring knowledge, lived experience, and perspective to the process. The committee’s recommendations are brought forward to the PQCF Board of Directors for approval. In some cases, partial funding may be offered. When this occurs, we aim to support a meaningful portion of the work and will communicate clearly with applicants.

Learn More About Granting

Interested in learning more about how granting works in practice? PQCF is partnering with The Old SchoolHouse Arts Centre to offer a public workshop:

Grants in Practice: How Funding Really Works
Date: February 19, 2026
Time: 5:00pm

This session is designed for nonprofits, community groups, and anyone interested in understanding how funders assess applications and make decisions.

Register

Communities We Serve

Community Fund Grants support work taking place within PQCF’s catchment area, including:

  • Parksville
  • Qualicum Beach
  • Qualicum First Nation
  • Nanoose Bay (RDN Area E)
  • Coombs, Hilliers, Errington, Whiskey Creek, Meadowood (RDN Area F)
  • Englishman River, San Pareil, French Creek, Little Qualicum, Dashwood (RDN Area G)
  • Bowser, Qualicum Bay, Deep Bay (RDN Area H)
  • Lasqueti Island

What We Don’t Fund

Community Fund Grants do not support:

  • Activities that promote harmful rhetoric, discrimination, hate, or divisiveness
  • Deficit reduction (e.g., repayment of debts or loans)
  • Fundraising campaign costs or contributions
  • Sponsorships
  • Grants primarily benefiting individuals (outside the charitable activities of eligible organizations)
  • Political activities prohibited by the Canada Revenue Agency
    Religious activities or services, including faith-based programming or proselytizing
  • Retroactive expenses incurred before the grant period
  • Activities without a clear and primary benefit to communities within PQCF’s catchment area

If you’re unsure whether your request is eligible, please reach out — we’re happy to help clarify.

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