Vital Signs is a national program led by community foundations and coordinated by Community Foundations of Canada that leverages local knowledge to measure the vitality of our communities and support action towards improving our collective quality of life. 

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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 grantmaking and leadership activities. They help to direct resources where they will have the greatest impact.

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First started by Toronto Foundation in 2001, Vital Signs is now a global program that has engaged more than 85 communities in Canada and around the world to mobilize the power of community knowledge for greater local impact.

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Vital Signs reports use community knowledge to measure the vitality of our communities – gathering data and sparking conversation about significant social and economic trends to tell the story of how Canadian communities are faring in key quality-of-life areas.

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Check out our reports: First Peoples, Newcomers, Youth and Community.