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Sitka Activator Fund

Apply Here FOR THE 2025 GRANT BY OCTOBER 1ST, 2025

The Sitka Foundation has launched a new grants fund offering $1,000-$25,000 grants to support community-based organizations around the Salish Sea that rely on volunteerism for their nature conservation goals.  This fund will enable small organizations and communities to engage citizens, members and neighbours in local stewardship actions through volunteering and presence on the land and water. The Foundation hopes that this will inspire community connections and also help to protect and restore nature

Please apply for this flexible funding through our short and accessible online application by October 1st, 2025.  If successful, you will receive the funding by November, 2025 and will have up to 12 months to spend the funding.  At this time, multi-year grants are not available.

Your application will be reviewed by a small but diverse Advisory Circle (see below for more details). We will require a brief final report by November, 2026. There will be a small launch event and a closing gathering later in 2026.

At this time, this funding is only for Canadian Salish Sea-based organizations or communities that have a means of accepting charitable funding (i.e. being connected to a qualified donee or charity).

Qualifying specifications/eligibility

  • Focussed on the Salish Sea (e.g. Metro Vancouver, Southern Vancouver Island to Campbell River, through Desolation Sound and south via the Sunshine Coast and Howe Sound)
  • Request for funding between $1,000-$25,000 to be spent in 12 months
  • Applicant must be a qualified donee or connected to a qualified donee
  • Inclusions: funding can be used for:
    • Human resource costs (time/salary for coordination, management, operations, etc.)
    • Materials
    • Event costs
    • Digital infrastructure or communications
    • Restoration or knowledge gathering activities
    • Community-based monitoring
    • Other place-based community stewardship expenses
  • Exclusions: funding cannot be used for:
    • General fundraising campaigns
    • Organizations currently receiving a Sitka Foundation grant
    • Operational, staffing, project, program, or other costs of the organization not related to volunteerism
    • Endowment funding
    • Funding of scholarships or fellowships
    • Partisan activities
    • Emergency needs or for a deficit
    • Capital building infrastructure costs

Advisory Circle Members

We thank the following advisors for their integral role in guiding the creation, launch, and decision making for the first Sitka Activator Fund.

  • Trisha Beaty

    Trisha Beaty is the co-founder and Vice-President of the Sitka Foundation.  Trisha also sits on the board of Ecojustice, the Nature Trust of BC, and Birds Canada. Trisha has a particular love of hiking in the Coastal and Rocky Mountains, kayaking British Columbia’s coastline, and biking through the interior and on Vancouver Island. Trisha lives in Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound.

    Trisha Website

  • Shauna Johnson

    Shauna is the marine use planner for the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council. She is a registered professional planner and holds degrees in environmental science and Indigenous community planning. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the UBC in the School of Community of Regional Planning’s Indigenous Community Planning (ICP) program. Shauna sits on the boards of Native Land and the Real Estate Foundation of BC. Shauna lives in Vancouver, BC.

    Shauna Johnson

  • Nikki Wright

    Nikki is the founder and former executive director of SeaChange and initiated the seagrass conservation working group.  Nikki now works as the Eelgrass habitat coordinator for the Pacific Salmon Foundation on eelgrass conservation efforts in the Salish Sea. Nikki lives in Brentwood Bay, BC.

    Nikki Wright

Questions? Contact info@sitkafoundation.org with “Activator Fund” in the subject heading.