$114 000 funded to five local organizations!

The Clayoquot Biosphere Trust is proud to have worked with community foundations across Canada as part of the Community Services Recovery Fund.

This fund is a collaboration between the Canadian Red Cross, Community Foundations of Canada, and United Way Centraide Canada to provide funding to Community Service Organizations, including non-profit organizations, Indigenous Governing Bodies or Registered Charities located in Canada. The Community Services Recovery Fund responds to what Community Service Organizations need right now and supports organizations as they adapt to the long-term impacts of the pandemic.

The Community Services Recovery Fund is a one-time investment from the Government of Canada of $400 million to help community service organizations (charities, non-profits, Indigenous governing bodies) adapt, modernize and be better equipped to improve the efficacy, accessibility and sustainability of the community services that they provide through the pandemic recovery and beyond.

The following projects were supported by the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Region:

  • $10,000 was invested to fund the Cedar Coast Field Station to fund contract positions to oversee the development of a fundraising strategy, report, and grant writing and administration of the organization. 
  • $35,000 was invested to fund Strawberry Isle Marine Research Society to determine the processes and lay the foundation for ways to secure the longevity of the programs and services that they provide to the region.
  • $17,141 was invested to fund Tofino Ucluelet Culinary Guild to create a new platform to integrate online community store, inventory, fulfillment, customer, supplier, and partner relationships, order management, and expand to encompass community food hub activities. Improve efficiencies among systems, reduce staff and volunteer capacity needs, open use to other local organizations as a hub, and reduce overall operations costs to help keep prices low on food.
  • $14,040 was invested to fund The Tofino Community Food Initiative to strengthen their community partnerships to support local food security (e.g., innovative community garden spaces; seed saving; gardening, harvesting, and preservation skills, etc.) and includes preparing a business plan for a social enterprise.
  • $38,000 was invested to fund Clayoquot Action to implement a redesigned strategy to improve the systems and processes of the Youth Warrior Leadership Development program across 9 Nuu-chah-nulth Nations. An amalgamation of Warrior fundraising and administration into a dedicated Nuu-chah-nulth Warrior Family (NWF) not-for-profit organization will reduce the workload of participating communities while increasing the overall resilience and resources available for multi-Nation Warrior projects, courses, and gatherings.

Announcing the 2024 Community Development Grants

July 23, 2024
We are excited to announce the recipients of the 2024 Community Development grants. This year, five outstanding projects in our region have been awarded a total of $24,000 in funding. These grants are dedicated to fostering accessible, inclusive, healthy, supportive, equitable, and sustainable communities, helping to build a stronger and more united region.

Announcing the 2024 Research & Environment Grants

July 17, 2024
We're excited to announce the recipients of the 2024 Research and Environment grants. This year, the CBT awarded over $36,000 in funding to six inspiring projects in the region. These projects address threats to key species and ecosystems and uplift nuučaan̓uł (Nuu-chah-nulth) ways of knowing. Efforts also focus on habitat conservation, restoration, and protection for ecologically and culturally important species and ecosystems.

Welcoming our 2024 Summer Intern

July 15, 2024
We're excited to welcome Zahur Ashrafuzzaman (she/he/they), our new summer intern who is already making valuable contributions to a variety of projects across the organization!

Our Team's Experience at EuroMAB 2024

June 11, 2024
In early June 2024, two members of the CBT team, Colin Robinson and Janessa Dornstauder had the opportunity to attend EuroMAB 2024 in the Elbe River Landscape, Germany – a UNESCO Biosphere. Because there are so few countries in North America, Canada, and the USA participate in the European network, while Mexico participates in the Latin network. Read more about their experience! 

Marcie Callewaert Reflects on her Leadership Journey

May 6, 2024
“Participating in LVI gave me back my leadership confidence that I had lost somewhere along the way. It was a great reminder of what I am capable of and provided me with tools to strengthen my skills as I move forward in new roles. Because of LVI, I took chances that I never would have taken just a few years ago and they paid off! I am so thankful for the community of support that LVI creates during the program and in the months and years afterwards."

Share the Fare: Elevating Sustainability for the Biosphere Centre

May 2, 2024
Harbour Air, renowned as the Pacific's premier seaplane airline, has recently forged a partnership that aims to redefine the skies. Collaborating with the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust (CBT), Harbour Air's mission goes beyond flight; it's about flying with purpose, with its new support for the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Centre.

Harbour Air Expands Share the Fare Program to Include the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust

April 10, 2024
arbour Air, North America’s largest seaplane airline, announced today its partnership with the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust (CBT) as part of its Share the Fare program. This collaboration underscores Harbour Air’s commitment to supporting coastal communities in British Columbia and advancing sustainable initiatives.

Join us for our Annual Biosphere Region BioBlitz!

April 2, 2024
On Saturday, April 20th, participate from anywhere within the biosphere region to celebrate the upcoming Earth Day! It’s an excellent opportunity to step outdoors and learn about the amazing biodiversity in the area.

Pani's Journey : From receiving CBT's Education Award to Pursuing Medicine at UBC

March 8, 2024
Pani Ayoubizadeh from Ucluelet received the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Education award in 2022 and is currently studying science at the University of British Columbia to become a cardiac surgeon. She has recently gotten in touch to share an update on her academic journey as well as her personal growth since receiving the award.

Grant Writing Workshop

January 26, 2024
Join this half-day workshop hosted in partnership with the West Coast N.E.S.T. (CBT's regional education tourism initiative) to learn effective grant writing and fundraising strategies.

Good News for the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Centre Project!

January 17, 2024
In a remarkable display of commitment to community and environmental stewardship, the Wickaninnish Inn has pledged an astounding $150,000 over the course of five years to support the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Centre. In a generous gesture, they have already contributed $40,000 as their inaugural installment.

Announcing the fall 2023 Culture Neighbourhood Small Grants!

December 6, 2023
We are excited to share this list of grass-roots community projects that received Culture Neighbourhood Small Grants (NSG) this past fall cycle. This has been our most successful cycle to date, with a total of 33 projects in the region, 15 projects for Clayoquot Sound NGS and 18 for Ahousaht NSG!