Twenty-eight Indigenous and local governments in B.C. will now be able to embark on projects to improve community connection and create more equitable policies, thanks to $250,000 in new grants plus additional customized supports recently awarded by PlanH, a partnership of BC Healthy Communities Society (BCHC) and the Ministry of Health.
Healthy communities incorporate health and equity into policy and planning. To support this work, this year BCHC is once again offering its Community Connectedness Grant Stream, which helps communities foster a sense of belonging and social connection. This year also sees the launch of a new Healthy Public Policy Grant Stream—the first of its kind to be offered by PlanH—for projects that develop or amend public policy in order to improve health and well-being in communities. Through these two grant streams, communities around B.C. will take upstream action on the social determinants of health through projects in topic areas ranging from equity in governance and decision-making to language and culture revitalization.
Participating Indigenous and Local Governments
The grant recipients and their projects are:
Community Connectedness
- Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation – Recreation Plan Development Project
- Village of Queen Charlotte – Holistic Health for Queen Charlotte Youth
- Comox Valley Regional District – Building Connections for Rural Early Years’ Families PLEC (Play, Learn, Experience & Connect)
- T’it’q’et Administration – Takemlhkaltha wa7 ts’esil7a- we are all equal
- Village of Sayward – Kindling Community Kindness
- Nisga’a Village of Gitwinksihlkw – The Elders’ Table: Isolation Reduction and Food Security
- Takla Nation – Takla Lake Community Recreation Engagement
- Williams Lake First Nation – Williams Lake First Nation Cultural Recreation Gathering Camps
- City of Fort St. John – Seniors CONNECT Micro-Events
- The District of Hope – Building Community Connections
- City of Maple Ridge – Creating Connections – Visual Arts programming for People with Dementia
- The Corporation of the City of Penticton – Youth Mobilizing Neighbourhoods for COVID Recovery
- Okanagan Indian Band – Sharing Our Sqilxw Ways
- City of White Rock – Community Scan and Needs Assessment for Older Adults
- Tk’emlups te Secwepemc – TteS Healthy Living
- Skeetchestn Indian Band – Skeetchestn Stables
Healthy Public Policy
- City of Kelowna – City of Kelowna Equity Framework
- City of Surrey – Social Equity in Surrey: Fostering a Social Equity Perspective for Policy-Making in Surrey
- City of Richmond – Community Services Equity Lens
- Malahat Nation – Equity in Accessibility of Information
- Spuzzum First Nation – Spuzzum First Nation Community Wellness Planning
- Village of Masset – Haida Gwaii Food Strategy Coordinator
- City of Revelstoke – The City of Revelstoke Official Community Plan (OCP) Update (Equitable Engagement)
- shíshálh Nation (Sechelt Indian Band) – Our swiya, Our People, Our Future: shíshálh Nation Comprehensive Community Plan
- Shuswap Indian Band – Supplementary Education Written Strategy
- Snuneymuxw First Nation – Name It – Claim It – Reframe It — Addressing the issues of race and racism in creating more equitable healthy public policy
- City of Victoria – Creating a Roadmap to Equitable, Healthy and Culturally Supportive Housing in the City of Victoria
- City of Williams Lake – Cariboo Strong – Post COVID-19 Impacts Assessment
PlanH grants offer not only financial awards, but also customized supports from BC Healthy Communities staff on a range of topics, including planning, research, engagement and evaluation.
About the PlanH program
The PlanH Program supports the advancement of healthier communities by providing tools, resources and funding for capacity-building. Since 2012, the PlanH healthy communities fund has distributed over $1.4M in funding plus customized supports for local and Indigenous governments and regional health authorities to advance programs, policies and strategies aimed at improving health equity, and well-being for all. For more information on resources and upcoming funding opportunities to support your community in planning for health, sign up for our PlanH newsletter or explore more of PlanH.ca.
