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 

As part of the Province’s goal to improve accessibility for people with disabilities in BC, Disability Alliance BC (DABC) was selected by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (MSDPR) to distribute funding to community-based “Accessibility Projects” beginning in 2018. Since then, over 100 projects have been funded throughout BC.

The Province has now announced that the grants will be available again in 2026/27, providing a total of $450,000 to be dispersed to BC-based not-for-profit organizations. Successful applicants will receive up to $40,000 to implement a year-long project in 2027. 

Applications will open August 5th. 

May 31st-June 6th is National AccessAbility Week in Canada and the #NAAW2026 theme is “Building a Strong, Accessible Canada.” DABC is pleased to be able to once again distribute funds that will improve access and inclusion for people with disabilities in BC. 

These grants are for 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. 

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, based in BC or with a base of operations in and sufficient capacity to deliver services in BC. They 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 2020 for a grant and did their project in 2021, they can reapply in 2025 to do a project in 2026).

Applications will be due on September 11th at noon Pacific Time.

Granting decisions are made by a Committee of representatives from DABC and other disability and community organizations from around BC. Successful applicants will receive funding in December and begin to implement their Accessibility Project in January 2027.

To learn more about the grants please see: Accessibility Projects Grants.

At the bottom of the page you can also sign up for DABC’s e-newsletter, in order to be notified of when the Call for Proposals and applications are posted, when online information sessions will be held, and other announcements related to the grants and DABC’s work in general.

If you have any questions, please contact the Accessibility Projects Grants Coordinator at ap@dabc.ca.