Our Services

Real Estate Vision, Strategy, & Concept Development 
Your real estate decisions and initiatives should be grounded in your organizational vision, strategic priorities, and values. Through grant funding, we can help you explore your organizational priorities and space needs, project concepts, assess your real estate assets and opportunities, and develop your real estate strategy.   

Feasibility and Business Planning Grants.
When you have a  project concept that you are ready to explore further, we can support you with grants to help you engage the expertise you require to carry out feasibility and business planning for your affordable community housing real estate project.

Pre-construction.
As your project moves forward with acquisition, due diligence, completion of site and building plans, detailed financials, and zoning approval, we can bring the capital you require at this stage though access to an Affordable Community Housing Accelerator Fund loan.

Construction and Occupancy.
We can connect you with construction and/or mortgage financing options from Vancity credit union, and in some instances may be able to help address capital gaps through impact investments or equity-like financing options directly from Vancity Community Foundation.

Capacity-Building Grants.

We also offer organization capacity-building grants to help strengthen your ability to grow and manage affordable community housing real estate development projects. 

Pre-Development Loan.

To help with soft costs associated with rezoning and development permit processes. These loans provide essential risk capital as the project advances into securing municipal approvals and more detailed design and planning.

• Offered at a rate of 2% simple interest
• Repayable upon the first draw of construction financing.
• The loan proceeds must be spent on real project costs outlined in the submitted project budget.
• Terms and conditions apply

Pre-Construction Equity Loan.
The longer-term patient nature of this loan provides greater financial stability for a project by allowing organizations to carry capital into the construction and occupancy phases, and can remain in a project up to 5-years post occupancy.

• Offered at a rate of 2% simple interest
• Repayable upon the first refinancing of a take-out mortgage, after five years of operations.
• The loan proceeds must be spent on real project costs outlined in the submitted project budget.
• Terms and conditions apply

Acquisition Loan.

Allows organizations to compete with investors and market developers on real estate acquisition opportunities by providing capital for down payments and short-term holding costs required to secure land and close on acquisition deals for buildings.

• The interest rate and repayment terms are determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the project needs and timelines.
• Terms and conditions apply.

Eligibility Requirements. 

• You are a not for profit, co-operative, First Nation government, or Indigenous organization
• You have site control of land, either through ownership or a long-term lease
• You have a viable project proforma that includes a cash-flow for how the project and future operations will be sustained
• You have a viable project and business plan.
• Check out our Borrower FAQ here.

*The Vancity Affordable Housing Accelerator Fund is administered through the Greater Vancouver Community Assistance Foundation and the Fund may change from time to time.

Alignment with Vancity Community Foundation’s values and areas of impact.
Including climate, the co-operative economy, and the economic and social inclusion of Indigenous communities and equity deserving groups.

Innovative models and collaborations.
We want to support and learn from projects that are applying or testing new approaches to social purpose real estate development, including enterprising mixed-purpose or mixed revenue models, interesting development and investment partnerships, or innovative land-use or building practices.

Potential viability.
Does your initiative (even at an early stage), demonstrate some potential for financial and technical viability, including the capacity of the organization to raise the required capital and resources to move the project forward?

Organizational commitment and readiness.
Does your organization demonstrate entrepreneurial capacity and spirit, readiness, commitment, and capacity to use investment from Vancity & Vancity Community Foundation to move forward with a social purpose development or redevelopment project?

Climate ready.
Is your organization committed to providing sustainable housing? We seek to support Affordable Community Housing Development Projects that prioritize being climate-ready and will ideally pursue step 3 of the BC Energy Code or greater.

We’re prioritizing initiatives created by and for:

• Indigenous, Black, and other racialized groups
• Newcomers
• Womxn
• People living with disabilities
• 2SLGBTQIA+
• Other equity deserving groups

Eligibility.

We work with not-for-profit organizations, cooperatives, and Indigenous organizations or governments, whether working independently or in partnership with for-profit or non-profit real estate developers or other stakeholders.

Priority is given to initiatives that are Vancity Credit Union member organizations and/or located in the following geographic areas: Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Southern- Vancouver Island (up to Nanaimo area), Squamish, and Alert Bay.

Vancity Community Foundation sources of support

Vancity Credit Union Partnership Funding Programs

Vancity’s Non-Profit Housing Retrofit Grant Program

BCNPHA’s guide on how to Hire + Work with Development Consultants

CMHC’s Development Checklist for Affordable Housing

CMHC’s Housing Development Resources

FCM’s Green Municipal Fund Sustainable Affordable Housing