Mar 10: $1M Available Through Vancity Award

Vancouver, March 10, 2003 - Vancity Credit Union is accepting applications for the third annual $1-million Vancity Award to support bold and innovative projects in the communities Vancity serves.

Launched two years ago, the Vancity Award is handed out annually to a non-profit organization for a major project that supports the social, environmental or economic well-being of the community. Funding may go towards development, capital, operational, or endowment needs. The winner is selected by Vancity members through a voting process.

Deadline for applications is Monday, April 14, 5:00 p.m. (PST). Non-profit organizations in Vancouver, the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and Victoria are invited to submit a two-page letter of intent. Details, including award criteria, answers to commonly asked questions about the program, and a sample letter of intent, are available at: www.vancity.com/award

Letters of intent will be reviewed by a committee made up of Vancity staff, members and board members. Following this, a select group of organizations will be invited to submit a project proposal later in the spring. Vancity members will vote on a short list of finalists in the fall.

The Vancity Award builds on Vancity's extensive community awards and funding programs, including the Community Partnership Program, the Vancity Community Foundation, and the EnviroFund™, which recognize and support organizations that are making a difference in the community. This year, Vancity will give back 30 per cent of its net profits to its communities and members. The $4.7 million to be shared with communities is the highest amount in Vancity's history and is 50 per cent more than last year.

Previous winners of the Vancity Award include the Vancouver East Cultural Centre for its plans to restore, renovate and revitalize its facilities, and B.E.S.T. (Better Environmentally Sound Transportation) for its greenway project that will connect Lower Mainland communities.

For enquiries regarding the Vancity Award, contact:

Elisabeth Geller
Manager, Community Programs
Vancity Credit Union
(604) 877-7402

Vancity is Canada’s largest credit union, with $9.3 billion in assets, 305,000 members, and 41 branches throughout Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Victoria. Vancity was chosen as the best place to work in Canada for 2005 by Maclean’s Magazine as part of its annual Canada’s Top 100 Employers issue. Vancity owns Citizens Bank of Canada, serving members across the country by telephone, ATM, and the Internet. Both Vancity and Citizens Bank are guided by a commitment to corporate social responsibility, and to improve the quality of life in the communities where we live and work.