We are pleased to announce the latest round of community-led projects funded through the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation’s Neighbourhood Matching Fund (NMF).
For 30 years, the NMF has provided funding and staff support for creative projects in city parks and public spaces. The program awards up to $10,000 to match contributions, including in-kind donations and volunteer labour, to each successful group.
The projects announced today are intended to enhance creativity and community in Vancouver’s public spaces through the arts, environmental stewardship and garden-work.
2023 funded projects
These six projects have received funding support totaling $53,525, to develop new creative projects and enhance ongoing work in local communities:
- Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House (CCNH) will co-create a vision for the expansion of the Medicine Wheel Garden at Trout Lake (John Hendry Park), through outreach and consultation with Indigenous-led organizations, Indigenous knowledge keepers/plant specialists/educators as well as community partners and community members. The vision will be shared through a public, community-created art piece, onsite signage and the CCNH website.
- After efforts to remove invasive species from Red Alder Trail, Free the Fern Stewardship Society will establish a Healing Forest for Reconciliation, story-sharing, and growth in healing together.
- Joy Kogawa Neighbourhood House will be co-designing and creating a collaborative collection of stories and recipes to be made available and accessible in the Marpole neighbourhood at no cost.
- Using eco-friendly analog filmmaking, Echo Park Film Center North invites community members of all ages to work together in creating a cinematic “alphabet” in SoVa [South Vancouver] A-Z, a film-based exploration and celebration of a dynamic and often-overlooked neighbourhood.
- Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice will lead an intergenerational gardening project that focuses on empowering low-income seniors to build and strengthen relationships in the Downtown Eastside and Chinatown communities.
- Hives for Humanity will continue their work restoring native species to the Berry Patch at Beaconsfield Park. This project structures practices of tending, harvesting and gifting to replenish collaborative relations by sharing skills, stories, and communities through shared care for the land.
Participation to all projects is free and everyone is invited to get involved.
About the Neighbourhood Matching Fund
Neighbourhood Matching Funds projects involve the creation of innovative and lasting work for community enjoyment and use. These projects express something unique about the neighbourhood. The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation can provide funds up to $10,000 to match volunteer time and donated contributions from the community. Projects must actively involve the local community and build neighborhood connections.
For more information on projects funded through the NMF, and upcoming deadlines for applications, please visit vancouver.ca/nmf or email nmf@vancouver.ca