Jul 28: Increased funding for environmental projects

Vancouver — Vancity Credit Union is now accepting applications for this year’s EnviroFund program with more grant money than ever available to support local environmental projects.

Non-profit groups with environmental initiatives in the Lower Mainland, the Fraser Valley and Victoria are invited to apply for grants of up to $40,000. This is a 60 per cent increase over the maximum $25,000 per grant traditionally offered by the program.

The increase is due to strong financial performance by Vancity VISA, which supports the EnviroFund by donating five per cent of its profits from its Gold, Silver and EnviroFund payment card products to the program.

Each year, the program focuses on specific areas of environmental concern. This year, Vancity is looking for projects in the areas of wildlife preservation and habitat restoration, water quality and consumption, and sustainable agriculture - food and farmland issues.

Last year, four organizations received more than $100,000 in total. Since the program was established in 1990, more than $1 million has been donated to support environmental projects. This year’s deadline for applications is September 1, 2004. For more information, or to submit an application for a 2004 EnviroFund grant, download an application form from the page or call 604-877-7620.

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.