Nonprofit Organizations in Vancouver

Vancouver Second Mile Society’s (VSMS) mandate is to improve the quality of life for seniors and people with disabilities living in SRO (single room occupancy) hotels, rooming houses and low-income housing. We work with seniors living in the downtown south and the downtown eastside to build and strengthen their community by establishing social support systems. We focus on providing program participants with a quiet welcoming space to be and to connect with others.  

The Juno and Grammy-award winning Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is the largest arts organization in Western Canada and third largest orchestra in Canada. We present passionate, high-quality performances of classical, popular and culturally diverse music, creating meaningful engagement with audiences of all ages and backgrounds wherever we perform and developing and delivering inspirational education and community programs.

We envision spaces in which the cultural values of growth, care, cooperation, excellence, and grace, are experienced, engendered, and expressed with joy through the physical practice of tap dance and related cultural arts. This is achieved through the activities of training for all levels, ages, and body types; sharing the arts and celebrating unique voices in performance; and producing events designed to gather communities together.

On September 15th, 2024, hundreds of thousands of people across Canada will lace up to participate in the annual Terry Fox Run to raise funds for cancer research. Now in its 44nd year, the event continues to stay true to its roots with a non-competitive, grassroots and family-oriented spirit, with communities all over Canada joining together to realize Terry Fox’s vision of a world without cancer.

The Vancouver Urban Farming Society (VUFS) works to strengthen urban farming through education, networking, advocacy and business support towards our mission of growing urban farming in Vancouver and beyond. We do so through programming and events, maintaining a strong network, working with policymakers, as well as public education and engagement. We are a six-year-old non-profit society that was largely founded and continues to be governed by urban farmers. Vancouver’s local food movement is dynamic and exciting as various urban farming organizations develop different approaches to growing food in the city. Learn more about the different urban farm organizations and VUFS at www.urbanfarmers.ca

On the pitch, Whitecaps FC is steeped in North American history, dating back to 1974. After finally making the jump to MLS in 2011, our club has found success year over year. Breaking club point records, continuing the tradition of lifting the Cascadia Cup, winning our first-ever Canadian Championship, and finally bringing the MLS Cup playoffs to BC Place. The Whitecaps FC mission is To Unite and Inspire Our Communities.

Vancouver Young Artist Society empowers future generations to pursue fine art education, serve their community through arts and music. Connect the community through music performance, workshops, lectures. Forster Youth leadership and entrepreneurship through music and art programs.​

VanDusen Botanical Garden is a 55-acre oasis in the heart of Vancouver with over 7,500 plant species and varieties from around the world! By engaging the community and educating people in the importance of biodiversity we aim to foster a lifelong love of plants and gardens. 

The Victoria Community Resources Society (VCRS) is a community living organization supporting individuals with diverse-abilities at home and in the community. The society provides care and strives to remove barriers and overcome obstacles faced by those we serve to ensure the high quality of life we believe all people deserve. VCRS believes that quality of life comes from choice, self-determination and inclusion.We supports individuals to enjoy life to the fullest by honoring their choices, preferences and lifestyles.

Visionary 21 is a non-profit organization founded by Harrison Lee and Alex Lee in April, 2014 because of their realization that Down syndrome is a pressing issue in society that isn't dealt with adequately. Comprised of teenagers stationed in Vancouver, BC, we are growing everyday. Everything we have raised has been and will be processed and distributed quickly through partner organizations who currently have more influence than us. Nevertheless, it will not be long until we get to the point where we want to be: having our own influence over whom we strive to help and support. Visionary 21 chose to help those with Down syndrome in particular because it not only affects an individual's intelligence, but also presents a grim hazard on health. As human beings, we wanted to become contributors of the world and act early in our adolescence to truly experience reality. Most importantly, our team empathizes for those with Down syndrome. By helping us reach our goal, you are indirectly assisting individuals with Down syndrome acquire privileges. As mentioned, all of our proceedings will go to research and assistant, thus opening many paths in helping and understanding those with Down syndrome. Help them reach for the stars! Our current objective is to spread the word and also to increase in size. We need as many contributors and volunteers as possible to strengthen our objective. Furthermore, we have toiled in the community with fundraisers and we have also physically helped those with Down syndrome. One of our ultimate goals would be to raise enough money to rent out an office space and, in the future, to start a company that employs individuals with and without Down syndrome. We would love to provide work opportunities. Therefore, we ask for your utmost support, to motivate us to continue on our project!

VocalEye makes arts and cultural events more accessible for people who are blind and partially sighted. We offer live audio description of theatre performances, curated online Zoom events, Touch Tours, Sighted Guide Training and professional development workshops.

We are a non-profit hub for dance, psychology, and philosophy. Our priority is creation of meaning-oriented, contemporary dance that helps people connect on a genuine level. We value interdisciplinary collaboration and work with artists in other fields. We are inspired by humanistic psychology and philosophy in all that we do.