The Quesnel Foundation is a non-governmental organization founded in 2001 to collect and manage funds in the North Cariboo for charitable purposes. Grants are made to qualifying projects throughout the region.

A twelve member Board of Directors is responsible for the overall policies and practices of the Foundation. Each year, Board members join with community members on our Grants Committee to consider applications for funding made available from income generated by the Foundation's Endowment Fund.

The fund started in 2001 with a $50,000 contribution from the 2000 BC Winter games, which was matched by the City of Quesnel. The fund continues to grow thanks to donations, financial gifts, and bequests from area residents, local businesses and other charitable organizations, along with the support of the City of Quesnel and organizations like the Vancouver Foundation and Northern Development Initiative Trust.

In addition, the Foundation hosts special events and other fundraising activities to help keep operating costs to a minimum and thus direct more income to the community. The Foundation welcomes any financial contribution, big or small. 

Many people have given their money to the Quesnel Community Foundation in order to build a legacy for our community. Specific funds have been set up to offer a wide selection of donation opportunities, such as:

• Community Endowment Fund - the income from this fund is provided to local organizations to address current and future needs.  This fund is the ideal way for individuals, groups and businesses to make a difference.
• Named Fund - this fund gives donors the opportunity to help our community and at the same time be acknowledged and recognized.  Individuals and businesses making a donation of $5,000 or more - or whose accumulated donations total $5,000 or more - automatically get a fund set up in their own name, business name, or in the name of someone they wish to honor. Family funds can be added to at any time by the original donor or by others, such as family members, friends or employees.  These investment funds also grow as a subset of the total endowment and the Family Funds are usually recognized on our Annual Report.  
• Agency Fund - this is a type of designated fund established by charitable organizations to ensure a continual source of annual income for their programs and operations. 
• Designated Fund - this allows a donor to set specific criteria for recipients of grants, scholarships and bursaries. The donor is not actively involved beyond setting criteria at the outset. 
• Donor Advised Fund - this funds allow donors to be actively involved with the Foundation in selecting recipient charitable organizations.
• Scholarship or Bursary Fund - a fund can be established to honor a loved one, in the name of a family, an individual, business or organization in order to help deserving individuals obtain education or training. 

Donors are recognized based on their cumulative contributions based on the following:

Supporters  $1000-$4,999

Builders  $5000 - $24,999

Partners $25,000 - $99,999

Benefactors $100,000 or more

Eligible applicants include registered area charities and qualified donees as identified under the Income Tax Act. Under special circumstances, sponsoring relationships may be arranged for groups that normally would not qualify for funding.

Grants are not made to individuals or to businesses. Some specific types of projects are considered ineligible. For more details, please contact a Foundation representative or see our "How to Receive Grants" page.

Registered charity are regulated by Revenue Canada and may issue charitable donation tax receipts - Quesnel Community Foundation is a registered charity.  A non-profit organization is not regulated by CRA in the same way and activities are not exclusively serving charitable purposes; a non-profit may not issue tax receipts.

Information on how to become a registered charity can be found at  www.canada.ca/en/services/taxes/charities.

The Quesnel Community Foundation supports a wide range of projects that are of demonstrated benefit to area residents. Funded activities provide a direct service to the community, or take an innovative approach to addressing changing needs and concerns within the North Cariboo region. Projects approved for funding could involve any number of concerns including (but not limited to): Health, Education, Arts & Culture, Sports & Recreation, Environment, Social Programs.

See "Funding Guidelines" under "How to Receive Grants" for a detailed list of what can be funded and what is not eligible.

Click here to see a list of the projects that the Foundation has funded since its first grants cycle in 2002.

The Quesnel Community Foundation has a three stage application process. The first stage is the submission of the Registration & Grant Application forms for the Foundation to determine basic eligibility. The second stage is the grant award and contract signing ceremony.  The third and final stage is the submission of the Final report, receipts and photos, upon project completion.

The Registration & Grant Application forms can be found under "How to Receive Grants" and can be submitted electronically to quesnelcommunityfoundation@gmail.com or, by mail to PO Box 4158, Quesnel, BC, V2J 3J2. 

The Grant Committee consists of Board members and volunteer community members who evaluate each project for its impact on the community.  The amount granted will depend on how many applications are received and how much money is available for the given grant cycle.

The deadline for completing and submitting the Registration and Grant application forms are in February of each year.

Deadlines change each year; click on the Receive tab for more information.

2024 Deadlines are: 

Deadline for Registration and Grant application forms: Thursday, February 29, 2024, 5 pm

• Board Approval: Tuesday, April 9, 2024
• Notification to Applicants: Friday, April 12, 2024
• Awards Ceremony Wednesday, April 24, 2024

After a grant is awarded, donees are expected to follow a specific list of performance & management procedures. Monitoring of projects will be performed by the Foundation to ensure that funds are used appropriately. 

Projects must be completed by September 15th of the calendar year.  Projects that cannot be completed must apply for an extension.  If for any reason the project cannot be completed, all grant monies must be returned to QCF.

QCF does require photos of the project after it has been completed.

Groups may apply for funding as often as they need to but only one application per grant cycle will be considered.  If you have received a grant in the past and have not completed all the requirements of that grant, future applications will not be considered until those requirements have been met.

If you have a large project you are encouraged to source out other funding and provide these details in your application.  The amount awarded from QCF will depend on how many applications are received and how much grant money is available for distribution.  Sometimes smaller amounts are awarded in order to help more community groups.

For more details, please refer to our website at www.quesnelfoundation.ca, email us at quesnelcommunityfoundation@gmail.com or, call 250-985-1612.