In 2019, Community Foundations of Canada, alongside the Government of Canada and several partner organizations, announced the Investment Readiness Program (IRP), a program that helps social purpose organizations scale up their social enterprises to prepare to accept investments. The goal of the IRP is to support these organizations in the social finance market, generating a return for investors while having a positive impact on their communities. CFC launched its second round of funding through the IRP in September 2020, the results of which are now publicly available here.
Across Canada, 270 organizations have received IRP funding in CFC's second round of applications. In Northern BC & the Cariboo, the Prince George Community Foundation has awarded $100,256 in funding for (4) projects. These organizations include:
· $ 27,000 to Wildway Farm Co located in the Bella Coola Valley, to help support food security for the residents of the valley through the creation of additional greenhouses to allow them to produce fresh produce year-round.
· $ 30,000 to Kitselas Geothermal Inc. will support the engineering portion of a viability study to provide geothermal energy that is beneath the traditional lands of the Kitselas First Nations and use its heating, cooling and electricity to help support the region.
· $ 14,570 to the Prince George & District Community Arts Council for the implementation of a new Creative Arts Hub where they will work to hire developmentally challenged adults and re-invest portions of the profits to create art programs for adults with disabilities.
· $ 28,686 to EcoTrust Canada to establish a community supported aquaculture social purpose organization using restorative ocean farming methods to improve food security, create a sustainable fishery and restore the ocean.
Visit IRP-PPI.ca for more details about CFC’s funded projects, as well as projects funded through the various project organizations.
