Further to DABC’s announcement last week that funding for the Accessibility Projects Grants has been renewed by the Province, we have issued a press release. Read it below or download it here.

-For Immediate Release- 

 Vancouver, BC – June 1st, 2026 

As part of this year’s AccessAbility Week, taking place May 31st to June 6th, Disability Alliance BC (DABC) announced that the funding for the Accessibility Projects Grants has been renewed by the Province.  

The Accessibility Projects Grants were first launched in 2018 to commemorate BC’s first AccessAbility Week, and since that time, over 100 projects have been funded throughout British Columbia. Each year, the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction has provided $450,000 to DABC to distribute as community grants to improve and promote accessibility and inclusion in the province.  

“People with disabilities have so much to offer their communities when those communities are accessible to and inclusive of them,” said Helaine Boyd, Executive Director of Disability Alliance BC. “As such, we are thrilled that the Province continues to support the Accessibility Projects Grants, providing funding for us to distribute to not-for-profit organizations around BC.”   

Organizations may apply for up to $40,000 for year-long community engagement projects that will support lasting change for the more than 900,000 people (24.7% of population over age 15)1 in BC living with disability. Projects will focus on one of the following objectives: 

• Accessible employment; 
• Accessible emergency planning and response;
• Accessible arts, culture and tourism;
• Accessible sports and recreation;
• Accessible education and learning;
• Accessible community participation.

Applications will open on August 5th and close on September 11th at 12pm Pacific Time. Granting decisions are made by a Review Committee of representatives from DABC and other disability and community organizations from around BC. Successful applicants will receive funding in December and implement their Accessibility Project in 2027.

Eligibility criteria includes: 

• Projects must be focused on community engagement rather than large capital costs such as accessibility improvements to buildings.
• Eligible organizations must be not-for-profit organizations with a volunteer Board chosen by its membership. They must be based in BC (or have a base of operations in and sufficient capacity to deliver services in BC) and must operate primarily for community benefit and have services open to the public rather than restricted to their membership.
• If an organization has received a grant in the past, they can reapply 5 years after their application was submitted (for example, if an organization applied in 2021 for a grant and did their project in 2021, they can reapply in 2026 to do a project in 2027). 

To learn more about the grants and organizations that have received funding in the past, please visit: Accessibility Projects Grants | DABC (disabilityalliancebc.org).

Media Contact: 

Helaine Boyd
Executive Director
helaine@dabc.ca 

Untapped Accessibility and Easy Surf are pleased to present a webinar that will help BC organizations take action on accessibility in 2026 by connecting attendees to funders with accessibility-focused funding streams.

• Webinar date: Thursday January 29, 2026
• Time: 11:00am – 12:30 pm PT
• Registration link: https://FundAccessibility2026.eventbrite.ca

Panelists include representatives from funders including SPARC BC, Disability Alliance BC, Trans Canada Trail, Rick Hansen Foundation, and Vancouver Foundation.

Join moderators Trish Kelly, Managing Director of Untapped Accessibility and Noah Senecal-Junkeer, co-founder of Easy Surf as they explore with the panel:

• Why funding accessibility is important
• How to access each funding stream
• Stories of successful projects
• Supports available to help your organization develop a project concept and execute the project

Accessibility information

Live captions and ASL interpreters will be provided. An accessible slide deck is available in advance by request. Did we miss anything? You can request additional accessibility features when you register or email info@untappedaccessibility.ca.

As part of the Province’s goal to improve accessibility for people with disabilities in BC, Disability Alliance BC was selected by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (MSDPR) to distribute funding to community based “Accessibility Projects” beginning in 2018. A total of $450,000 is available to BC-based not-for-profit organizations to receive up to a $40,000 grant. Applications will open on Friday, August 4th, 2023.

Previously, Accessibility Projects Grants were available as one-time only grants. Starting this year, DABC will open the grants to organizations who received a grant at least 5 years prior. For instance, grantees who applied in 2018 and received an Accessibility Projects Grant will become eligible to apply in 2023.

These grants are for community-based projects focusing on one of the following objectives to increase accessibility for people with disabilities:

• Accessible employment;
• Accessible emergency planning and response;
• Accessible arts, culture and tourism;
• Accessible sports and recreation;
• Accessible education and learning;
• Accessible community participation.

To learn more about the grants please see: https://disabilityalliancebc.org/program/accessibility-projects/. The Call for Proposals (CFP) and application forms will be released closer to the application period.

At the bottom of the page you can also click on “sign up for updates” and enter your email to be notified of when the CFP and applications are posted, when online information sessions will be held, and other announcements related to the grants and DABC’s work in general.

Applications will be due on Friday September 15th with decisions announced in late November/early December. If you have any questions, please contact the Accessibility Projects Grants Coordinator, Danielle Gauld, at ap@disabilityalliance.org.