Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Architecture Foundation of British Columbia (AFBC)

The Architecture Foundation of British Columbia (AFBC) is a non-profit charitable foundation established in 2001 to champion architecture and design throughout British Columbia. Beyond advocacy and public awareness, the AFBC plays a concrete funding role by supporting education programs, scholarships and other philanthropic initiatives that strengthen the architectural profession and its connection to communities.

The foundation focuses on three strategic objectives: advocacy, awareness and education. Within this framework it delivers a portfolio of scholarship and award programs that benefit students, emerging practitioners and established architects across the province.

The AFBC provides recurring scholarship funding to students in architecture and related design disciplines. Dedicated awards are offered in partnership with institutions such as the University of British Columbia School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (UBC SALA) and the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). These include the Bing Thom Undergraduate Award in Architecture, AFBC Design Discovery and SALA scholarships, and the Architecture Foundation of BC Award for Excellence at BCIT, which recognize creativity, academic excellence, leadership, financial need and inclusion and diversity priorities, with a particular attention to Indigenous participants.

In addition to direct financial awards, the foundation invests in educational experiences such as workshops, study trips and learning units that expose students and professionals to international practice and critical issues like housing, reconciliation and sustainability. As a Registered Education Provider, AFBC also supports architects in earning learning units through curated programming.

The AFBC administers the bi-annual Architectural Awards of Excellence, including the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Awards in Architecture, which celebrate outstanding built and unbuilt projects by BC architects. It also hosts the Architectural Achievement Awards, recognizing lifetime achievement and community service. While primarily honorific, these programs form part of the foundation’s broader mandate to reward exemplary contributions and to channel sponsorship and philanthropic support into the architectural community.

AFBC’s funding and programs target a wide range of beneficiaries: high-school and post-secondary students exploring design careers, undergraduate and graduate architecture students, practising architects seeking continuing education, and the broader public engaging with the built environment. By combining scholarships, awards, public events, walking and sketching tours, and school outreach, the foundation helps make architecture more accessible and inclusive while reinforcing British Columbia’s design culture.