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Funding and Fundraising Options
External Funding
Self Fundraising
General Tips
External Funding
Service Clubs
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Lions Clubs A longtime pillar of communities throughout BC, Lions Clubs have been supporting children, youth, and young adults with disabilities for decades, as can be seen through their involvement in the BC Lions Association for Children with Disabilities. Several regional chapters of Lions Clubs have sponsored children, youth, and young adults with disabilities to attend Easter Seals camps. Try using the Lions Club directory to find a chapter near you, approach them with your situation and how they could make a difference.
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Rotary Clubs Rotary Clubs serve communities locally and abroad, and successful application have been made to cover programs fees for persons with disabilities. Inquire with a club in your area about funding opportunities.
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Kinsmens Clubs Kinsmen service clubs serve their community’s greatest need through hosting and sponsoring events and community service projects. Sponsorship from Kinsmen's clubs have funded numerous community projects, both on an individual and group basis. The Kinsmen’s club directory can be found here.
Funding Initiatives
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CKNW Kids’ Fund CKNW Kids' Fund provides funding and support to vulnerable kids with physical, mental and social challenges living in BC communities.
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Goodlife Kids Goodlife provides funding to support ongoing physical activity opportunities for children with special needs. Grants improve community access and help to remove some of the barriers preventing children from living active lives. Goodlife is currently accepting applications from organizations providing physical activity programs for children with intellectual disabilities and/or autism
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Jumpstart Jumpstart helps kids overcome financial and accessibility barriers to sport and recreation in an effort to provide inclusive play for kids of all abilities. Jumpstart provides individual child grants for ages 4-18, para-sports grants, community development grants, and access grants. If you’re struggling
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KidSport KidSport is a national not-for-profit organization that provides financial assistance for registration fees and equipment to kids aged 18 and under. Through a confidential application process, KidSport provides grants so they can play a season of sport. Since its creation in 1993, over 750,000 kids across the country have been given the chance to play sport through KidSport grants and sport introduction programming.
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Variety--The Children's Charity Variety provides funding to individuals and organizations, with a focus on medical care and services, mobility equipment such as their Sunshine Vans, specialized therapies, and education.
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Tetra Society
Although Tetra doesn't provide direct funding, they do fund the creation of mobility devices for
persons with physical impairments.
Government
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City Hall
Municipal governments often offer grants which cover a wide range of issues and include those
related to disability. Cities with grant programs include, among many others, Burnaby, Kelowna, Nanaimo, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Prince George, Surrey, Vancouver, and
Victoria. Individual families have successfully approached their city hall for funding, so have a look at
your city's website to see if
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Provincial Funding
Home Adaptations for Independence (HAFI) Program
The Home Adaptations for Independence (HAFI) Program provides financial assistance in the form of a grant to eligible low-income households to complete home adaptations for independent living.The adaptations should directly address the disability or diminished ability of the homeowner, tenant or household member.
autism services,
material funding,
respite, . Such as
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Federal Funding
The federal government also offers a range of grants and contributions, including several specifically for persons with disabilities. You can view
Federal Grants and Contributions
Provincial or federal funding 2. Self-Funding Crowdfunding (platforms, tips) Peer-to-peer fundraising Hold an event (event ideas)
Self-Funding
Crowdfunding
While you may have been looking at external funding options, self-funding approaches have been very successful and are worth exploring if you've got some time to put into fundraising. One of the options for this is crowdfunding, whereby you set up a donation page from your cause, and people can send donations through the page. This is also a great way to tap into a broad donation base, as your supporters can readily share your cause and your page through their own networks.
Some of the most notable crowdfunding platforms include:
Each platform varies in certain details, so it's important to look into them and see which best works for you. To learn more about the specifics of the platforms above and others, check out articles here and here, and click below for a guide on how to craft strong funding appeals.
Hold An Event
Events are a great way to harness your creativity, have some fun, and help your cause at the same time.
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Bake sale
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Garage sale
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Car wash
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Community bingo
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Games night
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Movie Night
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Raffle for a cause
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Auction
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Pool Party
Make sure to take photos of your event, so you have more resources to help share what you are doing. Also ask around--to friends, local businesses, and --tp see if they can lend their support, talents, or resources. You'll be surprised at how much people want to help!
For more fundraising ideas, check out event idea lists here.
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