Nonprofit Organizations in Vancouver

The Vancouver International Marathon Society RUNVAN® is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization (Registration number S22985) maybe best known for organizing Canada’s largest Marathon race. RUNVAN® relies on a dedicated group of volunteer Board of Directors and nearly 4,000 volunteers to annually organize the First Half, BMO Vancouver Marathon, Granville Island Turkey Trot and Great Trek.

"Inspiring Musical Excellence" Welcome to the Vancouver Kiwanis Music Festivals - dedicated to the encouragement, instruction and celebration of young musicians in Greater Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. With an esteemed heritage dating back to the Knights of Pythias in 1923, and under the attentive stewardship of the Kiwanis Club of Vancouver since 1960, ours is now B.C.'s premier music festival, offering professional adjudication to some 7,500 students in high school bands and choirs, and in the private study of classical voice, music theatre, piano, strings, brass, woodwinds and chamber music. In recent years several solo instrument catetories have been added and include: classical guitar; harp and Chinese Ethnic instruments making ours a truly multi-cultural event. Especially gifted students can go on to compete at the Provincial and National levels. In 2009, with continued support from the Vancouver Kiwanis Club, we became a separate Society. We also greatfully "acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia" for their award of a Community Gaming Grant. We know helping to foster an appreciation for music, hard work and commitment in one child positively impacts not just their lives but the future of our community and our world. That's why even when we hear a song sung a little off-key or a few missed notes -- it's all music to our ears.

With a mission to "Inspire Musical Excellence" and a life-long love of music VKMF is a in it's 95th year. Taking place April 9-30th in  various venues across Vancouver, with over 6000 participants of all ages attending. Volunteer for  a variety of exciting roles and shifts. We can not make this festival happen with out volunteers like you. Please register: vkmfestivals.org  

Vancouver Kiwanis Music Festivals is the oldest and largest music festival in BC with a mission to help “Inspire Musical Excellence”. VKMF produces four annual festivals encompassing the Jazz Band Festival, Choral Festival, Concert Band and Orchestra Festival and the Solo and Small Ensemble Festival.

Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth! Part science fair, part county fair, and part something-entirely-new, Maker Faires are family-friendly showcases of invention, creativity, and resourcefulness that bring together tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, food artisans, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. Makers come to show their creations and share their learnings. Attendees flock to Maker Faires to glimpse the future and find the inspiration to become Makers themselves. The first Maker Faire was held by Make magazine organizers in April 2006, in San Mateo, California to "celebrate arts, crafts, engineering, science projects and the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset". Since then, the Maker Movement has gone international, and many smaller independently-organized events (Mini Maker Faires) have been established. Vancouver Mini Maker Faire is one such event, and has been a yearly Maker celebration since 2011.

Vancouver Opera is the second largest opera company in Canada. It is regarded worldwide for its fine mainstage productions; for its country-leading education programs, which have reached more than 1.6 million children and their families in more than 40 years; for its innovative and award-winning community programs; and for forging groundbreaking cross-cultural creative partnerships that have brought opera to new generations of Canadians.

At VOKRA, we rescue, heal, then place cats - first in our network of foster homes, then in carefully matched, loving, forever homes. We're a passionate, volunteer-driven charity with extensive cat care experience.

Access Services provides adapted recreation opportunities for people with disabilities.

The Vancouver Police Museum and archives is an independent museum run by the Vancouver Police Historical Society, a registered charity. The museum’s foundations began in celebration of the Vancouver Police Department’s centennial anniversary in 1986 and have since expanded beyond the blue lens of local law enforcement to include the history of the Vancouver Coroner’s Services and the historic City Analyst Laboratory that houses the museum. All admission and donations support museum programming and exhibitions.

Vancouver Pride Society strives to produce inclusive, celebratory events, and advocate for LGBTQAI2S+ communities through an intersectional lens.

We offer services to people in recovery from addiction and alcoholism. This includes many different 12 step fellowships that individuals can attend. Information and referral assistance, a homeless outreach program, individual counselling and a volunteer program. We offer these services 7 days a week.

The Settlement Workers In Schools (SWIS) Program is a school-based settlement service for immigrants, refugees and other eligible clients to meet their immediate settlement and ongoing needs after their arrival in Canada.