Grant and Funding Programs Offered by BFM Foundation Canada (BFM)

BFM Foundation Canada is the charitable organization that operates and supports the Mission Thrift Store network of non-profit thrift shops across Canada. Through the resale of gently used clothing, furniture and household goods, the foundation generates revenue that is directed to ministry and community work rather than private profit. Net proceeds from store operations are used to fund local community initiatives and international Christian programs, making the organization both a social enterprise operator and a grantmaking charity.

At the local level, Mission Thrift Stores help channel support to more than 500 causes in Canadian communities, including food banks, women’s shelters and other community organizations. By converting donated goods into financial resources, BFM Foundation Canada enables these partners to expand services, respond to needs and reach vulnerable people. The foundation also manages capital projects to acquire, relocate and renovate store locations, ensuring a stable and sustainable revenue stream for future community funding.

BFM Foundation Canada maintains a joint ministry partnership with Bible League Canada. Funds generated by the stores support Bible-based ministry initiatives in over 50 countries, focusing on areas such as literacy, children’s ministry, leadership development and church planting. While the website does not present formal “grant programs” with open calls, it clearly indicates that hundreds of global ministry initiatives are financed annually through this partnership, making the foundation an important source of project-based funding for international work.

The organization’s funding benefits a wide range of audiences: low-income families accessing community services, women and children supported by shelters, people served by food banks and international communities reached through Bible League Canada’s programs. The foundation emphasizes a Christ-centred mission, volunteerism and environmental stewardship; in addition to its financial contributions, it diverts millions of items from landfills by reusing and recycling donated goods.

BFM Foundation Canada is governed by a board of directors and supported by national staff who provide business services to individual Mission Thrift Stores. The foundation acts as a support centre for the store network, offering operational guidance while overseeing the flow of funds to ministry partners and local causes. Annual reports, available on the website, present financial and impact information, reinforcing transparency and accountability in how sales proceeds are allocated.

Through this combination of thrift-based revenue generation, structured support for stores and systematic reinvestment into community and ministry projects, BFM Foundation Canada plays a distinctive role in Canada’s non-profit funding landscape.