Cultural Spaces Grant Program - Critical Capital Assistance Capital Grants

• Grants of up to $25,000 available for urgent building life-safety upgrades and other critical time-sensitive support for cultural spaces.

• The applicant must be a Vancouver-based non-profit society or cooperative, or a federally registered charitable organization with a culture-focused vision and mission, and an independent volunteer governing body.
• Applications are encouraged from xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish Nation), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation), and urban Indigenous non-profit organizations.
• The project must relate to urgent building life-safety upgrades or critical, time-sensitive support for cultural spaces.
• The space must be within Vancouver city limits and must have landlord approval if leased.

Who is eligible?

• Vancouver-based non-profit cultural societies
• Vancouver-based cooperatives operating in arts and culture
• Federally-registered charitable organizations with a cultural mandate
• Urban Indigenous non-profit organizations in Vancouver
• Organizations operated by xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish Nation), or səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation)

Who is not eligible

• Organizations not based within the city limits of Vancouver.
• Organizations whose primary purpose is child care, education, employment, health care, recreation, religion, social services, or sports.
• Organizations without an arts and cultural mandate.
• Residential housing providers or home-based businesses.
• Organizations with three or more open, incomplete capital grants.

Eligible expenses

• Urgent building life-safety upgrades, such as fire or flood damage remediation, and post-disaster emergency cleaning.
• Unforeseen and urgent replacement or repairs of critical building systems or infrastructure.
• Assistance with permit fee costs for renovation, construction, or change of use permits (excluding those already supported in other approved projects).
• Building code consultation for time-sensitive projects.
• Upgrades to compromised security perimeters.

Eligible geographic areas

• Organizations based within the city limits of Vancouver.

• The application period remains open throughout 2025 until the available funds are fully allocated.
• Support is available for time-sensitive situations such as fire or flood damage, compromised security, and emergency cleaning following a disaster.
• Applicants are encouraged to consult the 2025 Capital Grants Information Guide and relevant appendices for detailed requirements and definitions.
• Previous grant recipient lists are published, detailing the projects funded and amounts awarded in past years.