Central Okanagan Foundation

10/26/2026

⭐ The Central Okanagan Foundation is proud to sponsor the Volunteer Organization of the Year Award as part of the City of Kelowna’s Civic & Community Awards.

Behind every thriving community are organizations and volunteers who give their time, energy and compassion to make a difference. Whether they support families, improve neighbourhoods, protect our environment or create opportunities for others, their impact deserves to be celebrated.

Do you know a volunteer organization making a difference in Kelowna?

We encourage you to nominate an organization and share its story of impact. Your nomination helps recognize the incredible work happening throughout our community and shines a light on those who make Kelowna a better place to live.

Nominations close January 25, 2027.

Learn more about the award criteria and how to nominate:
https://www.kelowna.ca/our-community/news-events/civic-community-awards/organization-awards

10/12/2026

🍂 Happy Thanksgiving from the Central Okanagan Foundation! 🧡

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude to the donors, community partners, volunteers and charitable organizations who make such a meaningful difference across the Central Okanagan.

Your generosity, compassion and commitment to our community help create opportunities, strengthen connections and make a lasting impact.

We’re incredibly thankful to be part of such a caring and generous community.

From our team to you and your family, we wish you a happy Thanksgiving filled with love, laughter and time with the people who matter most.

10/06/2026

It’s election time in Kelowna!

The 2026 Kelowna municipal election takes place October 7–17.

There are several ways to vote, including advance voting, general voting day and mail ballots.

📅 Advance voting: October 7–16
📅 General voting day: October 17
⏰ October 17 voting hours: 8 a.m.–8 p.m.

You can cast your ballot at any voting location in Kelowna.

Make a plan, bring your ID and choose the voting option and location that works best for you.

🗳️ Show up. Bring ID. Make your mark on the next four years.

For voting locations, dates, eligibility and other election information, visit:
kelowna.ca/votinglocations.

09/30/2026

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | September 30

Today, we pause to remember the children who never returned home from residential schools and to honour Survivors, their families and communities.

September 30 is a day to reflect on the history and ongoing impacts of the residential school system and to recognize that truth and reconciliation are an ongoing journey.

Learning is an important part of that journey. So is listening to Survivors, to Indigenous Peoples and to the stories and experiences that help us better understand the past and its lasting impacts.

As a community foundation, we believe in the importance of learning, listening and building stronger, more connected communities.

Today, we remember the children who never came home, honour Survivors and their families, and reflect on the work that lies ahead.

🧡 Every Child Matters - https://trw-svr.nctr.ca/parliament-hill/

09/28/2026

⏰ Only a few more days to get your Fall Project Grant application in!

A friendly reminder that applications for the Central Okanagan Foundation Fall Project Grants close soon.

If your charity has a project that will make a positive impact in our community, there’s still time to apply!

📅 Deadline: October 1, 2026 at 3:30 p.m.

If you’ve been working on your application, now is the time to put the finishing touches on it and hit submit!

⭐ Eligible projects can apply for up to $15,000 in funding.

Learn more, review the eligibility requirements and apply here:
https://www.centralokanaganfoundation.org/grants/central-okanagan-foundation-grants/

We can’t wait to see the ideas, projects and community impact that come forward!

Next Application Opening: September 1, 2026 - Project Grant Next Application Deadline: October 1, 2026, at 3:30pm The funds for the Central Okanagan

09/24/2026

⭐ Helping organizations tell their impact stories with clarity and purpose.

The Central Okanagan Foundation is proud to be part of the Impact Leadership Development Program (ILDP) partner group again this year!

Applications are now open for the 2026–27 Impact Storytelling cohort, designed to help nonprofit organizations develop a practical system for telling their stories well, consistently and across the audiences that matter most.

Over the course of the program, participants will work through:

→ Anchoring their story in a theory of change
→ Developing audience profiles
→ Crafting key messages
→ Selecting qualitative, quantitative and third-party evidence
→ Building ethical, consent-based data collection practices
→ Bringing together storytelling, evidence and calls to action
→ Using branding and information design to share stories across channels

By the end of the program, participants will have practical tools they can continue using, including audience profiles, impact headlines and indicators, data collection protocols, storytelling templates, a presentation ready impact report and an internal guide for keeping the work alive.

If your organization wants to strengthen how it communicates its impact, this could be a valuable opportunity to explore.

Applications close October 18th, 2026, at midnight.

Learn more and apply:
https://abundancecollective.ca/impact-leadership-development-program/

09/22/2026

🧡 Truth and Reconciliation Week | Taking Truth to Action

Truth and Reconciliation Week is a time to listen, learn and reflect on the history and ongoing impacts of residential schools, while considering how we can each contribute to reconciliation.

This year’s theme, “Taking Truth to Action,” encourages us to move beyond learning and consider how that knowledge can shape our actions, relationships and communities.

Throughout the week, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation is offering educational resources and opportunities to learn from Indigenous voices and perspectives.

We invite our community to take time to learn, listen, honour Survivors and their families, and reflect on what reconciliation means to each of us.

Learn more and explore the resources available through Truth and Reconciliation Week - https://trw-svr.nctr.ca/

09/11/2026

❤️ Supporting recovery in the Okanagan Indian Band community

The Central Okanagan Foundation is grateful to stand alongside the Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) as the community moves from emergency response into recovery and rebuilding following the Bradley Creek Wildfire.

Together with the Community Foundation North OkanaganCommunity Foundation of the North Okanagan, we were honoured to each contribute $10,000 to help support households impacted by the wildfire.

We’re also grateful to Habitat for Humanity Okanagan, Residents of Predator Ridge, Dustyn Baulkham and the kiʔláwnaʔ Stamiya Two Spirit Powwow Kelowna Pride for their generous contributions, as well as the many individuals and organizations who have stepped forward to help.

As Chief Dan Wilson shared, “It is good to know we have such good neighbours.”

That spirit of neighbours supporting neighbours is what makes our communities so strong. We are honoured to be part of the collective effort to support OKIB through recovery and in the months ahead.

Thank you to everyone who continues to show up with generosity and care.

09/09/2026

📣 Join Our Team!

The Central Okanagan Foundation is growing, and we’re looking for two passionate people to join our team:

✨ Community Impact & Communications Strategist
✨ Board & Governance Coordinator

These are exciting opportunities to contribute to the work of a community foundation that connects generosity with meaningful community impact.

If you’re collaborative, organized, passionate about the nonprofit sector, and looking for an opportunity to make a difference in the Central Okanagan, we’d love to hear from you!

Learn more about the positions and apply here:
👉 https://www.centralokanaganfoundation.org/careers-volunteer-opportunities/

Please help us spread the word by sharing these opportunities with your network!

09/04/2026

📣 Applications are open for the 2026–27 Impact & Leadership Development Program (ILDP) – Impact Storytelling cohort!

Across the sector, organizations are facing rising demand, rising costs, and shrinking government and philanthropic funding. Diversifying revenue is essential, but sustainable growth starts with a strong foundation, clear direction, strong systems, and a focus on impact and financial resilience. Like rings on a tree, growth happens layer by layer.

This year’s program helps nonprofits, charities, and social enterprises across the South, Central, and North Okanagan turn their impact data into clear, evidence-based stories that strengthen funder relationships, build community trust, and align their teams.

✨ What to expect:

• 12-month cohort, with active programming January–September 2027
• Workshops, bi-weekly 1:1 coaching, and peer roundtables
• Approximately 8 hours/month commitment
• $15,000/organization program value, with participants contributing 25–50% on a sliding scale
• Applications close September 27, 2026

You’ll leave with practical skills, templates, presentation materials, and an organization specific impact story playbook that can be implemented on repeat.

Know an organization ready to strengthen how they measure and tell their story? Encourage them to apply. Is that you?

👉 Learn more and apply: https://abundancecollective.ca/impact-leadership-development-program/

ILDP is a collaborative, capacity-strengthening initiative brought together by Community Foundation North Okanagan Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen Central Okanagan Foundation, Valley First (a division of Tru Cooperative Bank)and Abundance Collective (which emerged from Purppl), delivering the coaching, program design, and administration.