Edmonton Community Foundation’s (ECF) Vital Signs® Grants Program is an annual initiative that supports projects and programs that address the needs identified in ECF’s Vital Signs® Report. The Vital Signs® Report is a yearly check-up conducted by ECF that measures how our community is doing on specific topics compared to national averages.
The Vital Signs report on Social Inclusion indicates that only 29% of Albertans feel a sense of belonging to their community, the lowest rate in Canada. As indicated in the report, a sense of belonging brings many benefits, including improved health, safety, employment, volunteerism, etc. The Foundation welcomes requests for initiatives that increase the sense of belonging to community.
Priority will be given to projects serving people with a high risk of social isolation as identified in the report (those living in poverty, new Canadians, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, seniors, and LGBTQ people), especially initiatives that address intersectionality.
