Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/987827
1 9 4 3 - 2 0 1 8 | V A N C O U V E R F O U N D A T I O N . C A | 1 5 The future … As we approach a new era, now aged 75, we have redoubled our energies towards providing our donors with advanced support and options for their giving, and towards listening and responding to the needs of our charitable sector and advisors. There is a lot to be done right here, and we carry this intention as we work towards a brighter future. 1980s Expo 86 brought worldwide attention to B.C. celebrating innovation and global awareness. Our donors were inspired too. This hopeful technological age invigorated donor interest in supporting advancements in health and medical research, investments in education, the welfare of youth, and the development of public spaces for communities to connect. The 80s brought many newcomers to B.C., and Vancouver Foundation responded by funding programs designed to welcome those who stayed. 2000s Hard lessons about unsustainable wealth creation and a global economic crash severely impacted B.C.'s philanthropic sector. Combined with signiƒcant government cuts for the arts and youth programs, funding sources for charities dwindled, placing fragile communities and province-wide programs at risk. Vancouver Foundation responded responsibly – and with heart. Following on the heels of our own research projects, we spearheaded small grants programs and conducted research across the charitable sector designed to learn from and survive the e‡ects of economic impacts like the crash of 2008. 1990s B.C. faced many uncertainties in the 1990s. Emerging crises such as growing addiction rates, an AIDS epidemic, de-institutionalization of mental health facilities, and emerging (and urgent) needs of displaced and vulnerable citizens in the Downtown Eastside seemed overwhelming. Vancouver's "world-class city" status seemed to pair with social issues that also grew in scale. Donors and charities marshalled their resources and advocated more aggressively for underserved communities among us, as our advisory committees rolled up their sleeves and invested heavily in education as a mechanism to support problem-solving. 2010s Even though the beneƒts of living in an information-based society o‡er us new ways to connect, engage, and learn from each other, Vancouver Foundation continues to recognize the value of stepping in to support communities. We do this by directing resources to help youth in foster care as well as immigrant and refugee youth. We also turned our focus to addressing the root causes of issues. Learning to e‡ectively scale and harness community expertise, ideas, and innovation remain at the core of our work – even as we cross a threshold of over $1 billion in grantmaking over our entire history.