Community investment program

Every year, FortisBC provides funding for community initiatives that help improve the communities where we live and work. We also support our employees giving back through community giving days and give where you live programs. 

Four pillars of community investment

• safety – projects that promote natural gas and electrical safety, personal safety and accident avoidance
• education – projects that promote natural gas and electrical trades, literacy and leadership
• environment – projects that directly benefit the environment
• Indigenous initiatives – projects that meet the unique needs of Indigenous groups, organizations or communities

Organizations and initiatives we have recently supported

		City of Burnaby Stoney Creek Trail We planted approximately 350 native trees, ferns and shrubs as part of a restoration project along a decommissioned pathway in Burnaby’s Stoney Creek Trail system. These efforts helped restore a slope near a trail that had been eroding due to human impact. Along with closing the trail, the native plants are bringing the area near the creek closer to its natural state. The City of Burnaby suggested the project to FortisBC as one that would have a meaningful and positive impact to the municipality, and our people were eager to dig in to help.
		Grand Forks Search & Rescue We provided funding to Grand Forks Search & Rescue (SAR) for two full sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) for swiftwater and flat ice rescue. This equipment was essential during the spring 2018 flooding in Grand Forks, when fully outfitted SAR volunteers were ready to respond to the emergency.
		North Kootenay Lake Water Monitoring Program A new snow tube purchased with community investment funding will help North Kootenay Lake Water Monitoring Program volunteers c onduct research on high-elevation snowpacks. They collect core samples from snowpacks in the North Kootenay watershed to be analyzed by hydrologists. In addition to basic climate data such as temperature and precipitation, researchers can analyze the snowpack samples to help predict stream flow volume, freshet timing, low-flow duration and flood potential in the Kootenay region.
		Okanagan College & Vernon Trades Training Centre We contributed to the new Vernon campus Trades Training Centre. This support will provide students with some state-of-the-art equipment and help the college deliver training on the latest techniques in energy-efficient construction.

Apply for community investment funding

FortisBC receives hundreds of requests for donations or sponsorship support each year. We try to allocate community investment funds equitably across our service area and take into account any relevant existing sponsorship activities. We also consider providing employee volunteers where appropriate.

We focus on supporting community projects that emphasize our four pillars of safety, education, the environment and Indigenous initiatives.

Community investments do not generally fund:  

• organizations or initiatives normally funded through any level of government
• advocacy groups (such as social, political, religious, economic, fraternal or labour organizations)
• sports teams, events or individual sports/athletic pursuits
• conventions/conferences not related to FortisBC
• projects located outside the FortisBC service areas
• parent advisory councils (PAC)
• third-party fundraising events (such as golf tournaments raising money for a local charity)
• operating costs (salaries, rent, service fees, advertising costs, travel costs for individuals or groups, etc.)
• reducing or donating the cost of gas/electricity services

How to apply

To help us evaluate your request, complete the community investment application and email it to fortisbccommunityinvestment@fortisbc.com. 

Please submit requests at least four weeks before your event or project. We’ll review your application and respond within 30 days.