Grant and Funding Programs Offered by BC Sport Agency

viaSport British Columbia is an independent, not-for-profit organization created as a legacy of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It operates as the provincial government’s lead agency for the promotion and development of amateur sport in British Columbia, stewarding the Province’s investment in the sector. In collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, viaSport channels public funds to provincial, disability and multi-sport organizations and to community sport initiatives so that more people across B.C. can access safe, inclusive and welcoming sport experiences.

The organization reports that, since 2010, it has distributed more than $49 million in grants and one-time funding to sport organizations and individuals, along with over $152 million in annual funding to designated sport organizations. These funds support athlete and coach development, event hosting, participation growth, and system-building projects across the amateur sport pathway.

viaSport administers a portfolio of sport-related grant programs targeting different needs in the ecosystem. Through its Grants hub, it invites applications from both organizations and individuals. Examples of programs include travel and participation supports like the BC Ferries Sport Experience Program and BC Ferries Disability Sport Experience Program, sector-wide funds such as Hosting BC and the BC Sport Participation Program funds, as well as more targeted opportunities like the Northern BC Coaching and Officiating Development Fund, the Indigenous Youth Sport Legacy Fund, the LeadForward Grant and the Coaches BC Legacy Grant.

Across these programs, funding is used to reduce barriers to entry, expand access to programming, enable coach and official training, and support the hosting of competitions and community sport events. viaSport also connects designated sport organizations to ongoing core funding from the Province, aligning investments with the BC Pathways to Sport Strategic Framework and broader goals for health, inclusion, reconciliation and economic development.

viaSport serves a wide range of stakeholders: provincial and disability sport organizations, multi-sport bodies, local clubs, schools and post-secondary institutions, as well as athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and families. Its designation program outlines standards for governance, inclusion, safety and technical leadership that organizations must meet to access certain funding streams.

Beyond direct grants, viaSport invests in system capacity through coach education, safe sport initiatives such as PlaySafe, diversity and inclusion projects, reconciliation efforts, climate change adaptation, governance resources and data and research. These initiatives complement financial support by helping organizations use funding effectively and sustainably.

viaSport is governed by a Board of Directors and publishes a strategic plan and annual Community Impact reports that track progress toward its goals. Audited financial statements are made publicly available each year, outlining how government and partner investments are allocated. The organization emphasizes collaboration, inclusion and accountability as core values, and works closely with partners and collaborators across the sport system to build public trust in the power of sport and in the fairness and impact of its funding decisions.