Funding Information 

• The DABC will distribute a total of $450,000 to successful BC-based not-for-profit organizations. Organizations may apply for up to $40,000 per project.

Eligible Projects

• Take place within the next calendar year.
• Have significant project activities in both reporting periods (January-June and July-December).
• Are focused on community engagement (rather than large capital costs – see ineligible projects and costs sections for more information).
• Are self-contained projects, or, if part of an ongoing project or program, demonstrate a clear and specific expansion or innovation that the grant will be used for.
• Promote accessibility for people with disabilities in BC (for more information on accessibility outcomes please see below). Please note that although they welcome projects that engage intersectional communities/groups, applications should specify how the project primarily promotes accessibility for people with disabilities. For example, if your project is for a seniors’ community, please focus your application on the benefit specifically for seniors with disabilities.

Ineligible Projects 

• The following types of projects are ineligible:
  • Projects focused on large capital costs rather than on community engagement. Large capital costs are defined as fixed one-time expenses to purchase or upgrade land, buildings, technology and other equipment, and include accessibility improvements to buildings or outdoor spaces.
  • Research studies or projects aimed at producing policy briefs that do not directly result in improved accessibility outcomes for people with disabilities.
  • Projects that provide or donate funds directly to people with disabilities other than for wages, honoraria, contract fees, or expenses directly related to project participation. This includes bursaries to participate in an already existing program or project.
  • A project from an organization that received an Accessibility Projects Grant as the main applicant less than 5 years ago.
  • A project that has previously received funding from the Accessibility Projects Grants.

Outcomes 

• Projects must have clear, tangible, measurable outputs and outcomes that promote accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities. The Accessibility Projects must advance at least one of the following specific objectives for British Columbians with disabilities:
  • Accessible employment;
  • Accessible emergency planning and response;
  • Accessible arts, culture and tourism;
  • Accessible sports and recreation;
  • Accessible education and learning;
  • Accessible community participation.

Eligibility Criteria 

• Eligible organizations must be not-for-profit organizations based in BC, Canada, that operate primarily for community benefit and whose services are open to the public and not restricted to the organization’s membership.
• Organizations do not need to be a registered charity but must have a democratically elected volunteer Board chosen by its membership.
• National or international organizations may be eligible, but only if they have a base of operations in BC and sufficient capacity to deliver services in BC.
• Governmental bodies, including municipalities, First Nations bands, and public-sector organizations are not eligible as they are targeted by other funding streams.
• Once an organization has received a grant they can reapply 5 years after their application was submitted for a new project (for example, if an organization applied in 2020 for a grant and did their project in 2021, they can reapply in 2025 to do a new project in 2026).
• Organizations that have a real or perceived conflict of interest with DABC must declare this on their application. This could include, for example, current or past partnerships, or staff or board members in common. Potential conflicts of interest may not disqualify the application, but must be declared so that they can be discussed by the Review Committee and Executive Director.

For more information, visit Disability Alliance BC.

https://disabilityalliancebc.org/program/accessibility-projects/