Child care grant program

We provide grants to registered non-profit child care providers who are located in the District, or who provide a unique service on the North Shore that benefits District families.

Grant applicants should be innovative, enhance childcare, and address our child care priorities.

2023 grants recipients

Council approved the recipients of the 2023 Child Care Grants program on July 10, 2023. The following report outlines the successful non-profit child care operators and provides detailed summarizes of their work.

The 2023 application period was closed on Friday, March 24, 2023.

On this page:

Who can apply

You can apply for a grant if your organization:

  • is not-for-profit
  • is located in the District of North Vancouver or provides services to District residents
  • can provide your latest financial statement as proof of financial responsibility

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How to apply

You will submit your application online using our grant application system. To apply:

  1. Review our Child Care Policy, and the information on this page to ensure you understand the purpose of the grant, and confirm that your organization qualifies
  2. Gather electronic versions of the documents that you need to attach to your online application
  3. Select the 'Apply now' button to launch the online application system
  4. If this is your first time applying using our system, you will be asked to create an account
  5. Once you have created an account, you can complete the online application form and upload your documents (note that you will be able to save your application in progress at any time, and return to complete it later)

Apply now

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    Activities that do and don't qualify for funding

    Example activities that qualify for funding (up to $8,000)

    • Facility upgrade 
    • New equipment 
    • Programming 
    • Child minding 
    • Educational events for parents

    Example activities that do not qualify for funding

    • Fundraising projects, endowment grants, agencies which are primarily funding bodies to other organizations
    • Groups that disparage others
    • Activities of religious, ethnic or cultural organizations that primarily serve their membership and/or their direct religious purposes
    • Retroactive funding, debt retirement or reserves, mortgage pay downs

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    Information we ask for in your application

    We ask for a considerable amount of information about your organization in the online application form, to ensure we're able to fully evaluate your request. 

    The application form includes questions within each of these categories:

    • General information about your organization
    • Contact details
    • Charitable status
    • Impact and reach
    • Staff and volunteers
    • Alignment with District child care priorities
    • Recognition of support
    • Grant information
    • Budgeting and finances

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    Documents to include with your application

    When you complete your online application form, you will be asked to upload these documents:

    • Most recent year-end financial statement
    • Most recent annual report
    • A detailed budget for the project(s) the grant will be funding

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    After you apply

    When you successfully submit your application, you will receive an email confirming receipt. Staff will review your application and contact you if they require any additional information.

    The Child Care Grants Committee will review all applications and make recommendations to Council.

    If you are selected to receive a grant, we'll contact you in July 2023.

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    How we evaluate applications

    We'll give priority to new or innovative proposals that address our child care goals and priorities.

    Our goals are:

    • Increase access to child care
    • Improve affordability
    • Focus on quality
    • Strengthen partnerships

    Our priorities include:

    • Infant/toddler care
    • School age child care (before and after school care)
    • Flexible and/or non-traditional hours of care
    • Support child care/Special Needs Care
    • Support to vulnerable families 
    • Caregiver/parent education (priority will be given to organizations that are working collaboratively to serve multiple groups of parents and caregivers within a community)

    For more information on our goals and priorities, review our Child Care Action Plan and Child Care Policy.

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    Who to contact for help

    If you have questions about the grant or application process, or you need help with your application, contact:

    Jayden Koop, Community Planning
    604.990.2297
    koopj@dnv.org

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