Community Foundations collect funds and make grants to support local charitable organizations and address changing community needs. As experts on Surrey's non-profit infrastructure and on community needs, we can bring together key decision makers – including non-profit leaders, local and provincial government officials, the business community, and representatives of other foundations and funders – to develop a coordinated program that will have greater impact than any one could do on its own.
One example of community leadership is the Vital Signs program developed by Community Foundations of Canada.
Vital Signs is a community survey that collects data on “significant social and economic trends in areas critical to quality of life. Vital Signs aims to inspire civic engagement and provide focus for public debate in our communities.
Vital Signs reports and Vital Conversations promote awareness of community issues and are used by communities for social planning, by citizens and philanthropists to identify community needs and strengths, and by community foundations to inform their grant making and leadership activities. They help to direct resources where they are needed most.
SurreyCares Community Foundation adopted the Vital Signs program in 2014 and have since published 4 reports. The first was a look at the community as a whole followed by three more focused on particular segments of our community; Newcomers, Youth and First Peoples. Each report telling the story of how Surrey is faring in key quality-of-life areas.