It all started in 2000 with a vision and a $200 donation. Since then that vision is beginning to pay huge dividends. As of 2021, Osprey Community Foundation has granted out over $3.25 million dollars to charitable programs in our community.

These grants are possible because local citizens have invested in their community. The benefits go on year after year, because donations to the Foundation are never touched, rather they become part of an endowment – a growing community orchard – generating income to support the people of this area in perpetuity.

2022

These projects were selected for funding through our annual grant application process. The money comes from interest generated by our Community Fund, Nelson & District Credit Union Fund, Nelson Home Hardware Fund and other non-designated or field-of-interest funds.
West Kootenay Environmental Centre Society-Farms to Friends $5,000
Nelson Athletic Society: Run Like a Mother 2022 $1,000
Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network: Wild Voices for Kids $1,200
Kalein Hospice Society-Nav-CARE in Nelson $5,000
Nelson And District Museum Archives Art Gallery And Historical Society: Nelson Daily News Digitization - Phase 4 $1,000
Nelson Electric Tramway Society: Air Purification System for Shop at Carbarn $1,000
Nelson Youth Action Network: Spring Craft Fair Event $500
Wildsight: Classroom with Outdoors $800
Kootenay Christian Fellowship: Our Daily Bread $5,000
Selkirk College Foundation: SOAR (Steps to Opportunities, Academics and Readiness) Gardens and Greenhouse-Phase 3 $1,500
Kootenay Brain Injury Association: Nelson STRIVE Project $3,500
Nelson Community Food Centre: Renovation Phase 3. Kitchen Reno $5,000
Nelson & District Arts Council: Nelson International Mural Festival $2,000
Nelson Hoops Association: Lakeside Park Outdoor Basketball Courts $1,300
Società Italo Canadese di Nelson - Nelson Italian Canadian Society: Lakeside Park Bocce Courts $1,300
Kootenay Animal Assistance Program Society: Kootenay Community Pets - spay/neuter and medical assistance $17,911
SPCA Nelson Community Spay-Neuter & Medical Assistance Program $17,911
Friends of Nelson Elders: Sheba Seniors Small Grant Program $30,000
Nelson CARES: Kootenay Senior's Program $31,500

2021

These projects were selected for funding through our annual grant application process. The money comes from interest generated by our Community Fund, Nelson & District Credit Union Fund, Nelson Home Hardware Fund and other non-designated or field-of-interest funds.
Ankors: Walk with Me: Women Gaining Strength Together Outdoors (Nelson) $ 4,000
Ankors: ANKORS Complementary Nutrition and Hydration Program $ 5,000
Rotary Club of Nelson Daybreak: Rosemont Multigenerational Park $ 3,500
Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network (CBEEN)- Wild voices for Kids $ 800
Kootenay Rhythm Dragons Association: Tandem Dragon Boat trailer - Capitol Purchase $ 1,500
Nelson & District Arts Council: Nelson International Mural Festival $ 1,500
Nelson Community Food Centre- NCFC Harvest Rescue $ 3,600
Nelson Community Services- Youth Transitions Pandemic Support $ 5,000
Nelson Fine Arts Center Society- Freezer Cheese $ 1,500
Taghum Community Society- Community Kitchen Blender $ 880
West Kootenay Community TEETH Clinic Society: Partnering for Good Oral Health $ 5,000
West Kootenay Women's Association: Turning 50: Ensuring a Strong Future for the Nelson & District Women's Centre $ 720
Wildsight: Classroom with Outdoors $ 800
These projects are funded from a fund designated for animal welfare
Kootenay Animal Assistance Program Society: Spay Neuter and medical assistance $18,181
Nelson BCSPCA: Community Spay Neuter Initiative $18,180
These larger projects are funded from a fund designated for seniors programming and acute care services
Nelson & District Seniors Coordinating Society: Expansion of Cycling Without Age $ 4,280
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy Nelson- Tech Time $ 3,000
Nelson CARES- Kootenay Seniors Program $31,500
Friends of Nelson Elders- To administer and provide Small Seniors Grants $30,000
Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation $36,360
Scholarships/Bursaries $25,206
Other Designated Funds: earmarked for specific charitable purposes within the community $35,310
Donor Advised Funds $ 3,362
Cottonwood Lake Preservation Society
Salmo Valley Trails
Nelson International Mural Festival
Suzy Hamilton Legacy Fund- West Kootenay Environmental Society
Kootenay Emergency Response Physicians Association
Grants distributed by our affiliate community funds in North Kootenay Lake, Slocan Valley & Salmo Valley $71,366

2020

These projects were selected for funding through our annual grant application process. The money comes from interest generated by our Community Fund, Nelson & District Credit Union Fund, Nelson Home Hardware Fund and other non-designated or field-of-interest funds.
Capitol Theatre Restoration Society: Complimentary Tickets $ 1,250
Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network: Wild Voices $ 1,000
Corazon: Corazon Retreat $ 1,000
Friends of Kootenay Lake: Webinar Series $ 1,750
Junior Achievement of BC: Bright Futures for all Nelson Youth $ 5,000
Nelson & District Hospice Society: Nelson Day Hospice Program $ 5,000
Touchstones: Nelson Daily News Digitization Project - Phase 2 $ 4,000
Oxygen Art Centre: The Big Draw $ 1,000
Procter Community Society: Procter Village Bakery Project $ 5,000
Selkirk College Foundation: Adult Spec-Ed Agriculture/Sustainable Gardens - Phase 2 $ 4,000
Selkirk Concert Society: Selkirk Concert Society Youth Engagement Project $ 1,250
West Kootenay Brain Injury Association: Nelson STRIVE Program $ 4,100
These projects received grants from our Arts Legacy Fund (for Media Art projects this year)
Nelson & District Arts Council: Nelson International Mural Festival $ 1,500
Friends of the Nelson Municipal Library: Digital Mural Installation $ 2,500
These projects are funded from a fund designated for animal welfare
Kootenay Animal Assistance Program Society: Spay Neuter Expenses 2020 $16,417
Nelson BCSPCA: Spay Neuter Expenses 2020 $16,417
These projects are funded from a fund designated for seniors programming and acute care services
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy: Tech Time $ 3,000
Friends of Nelson Elders: To administer and provide Small Seniors Grants $30,000
Kalein Hospice Centre Society: Nav-Care: Navigating life and aging with chronic illness $ 5,000
Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation: Ophthalmology and Maternity equipment purchase $31,835
Nelson CARES: Kootenay Seniors Program $30,000
Scholarships/Bursaries $20,461
Other Designated Funds: earmarked for specific charitable purposes within the community $22,166
Donor Advised Funds $ 4,000
Suzy Hamilton Legacy Fund- West Kootenay Environmental Society
Kootenay Shambhala Centre
Cottonwood Lake Preservation Society
Better Together Fund
Selkirk College Student Covid Relief Fund
Special grants for Covid related programming $183,268
Neighbourhood Small Grants- Small grants of up to $500 for individuals $ 5,167
Grants distributed by our affiliate community funds in North Kootenay Lake, Slocan Valley & Salmo Valley $59,908

2019

These projects were selected for funding through our annual grant application process. The money comes from interest generated by our Community Fund, Nelson & District Credit Union Fund, Nelson Home Hardware Fund and other non-designated or field-of-interest funds.
Capitol Theatre Restoration Society: Fireworks Community Choir $ 1,000
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy: Tech Time $ 2,000
Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network: Wild Voices $ 1,500
Corazon: Corazon Fall 2019 Retreat $ 1,000
Friends of Kootenay Lake: Duck Bay Restoration Project $ 2,400
Friends of the Nelson Municipal Library: Turning the Page: The Nelson Public Library at 100 Years $ 2,500
Kalein Hospice Centre Society: Nav-Care: Navigating life and aging with chronic illness $ 4,000
Kootenay Kids Society: LGBTQ Community Support Circles $ 4,240
Kootenay Society for Lifelong Learning: Teen Boys Rites of Passage and Mentorship Program $ 2,844
Nelson & District Hospice Society: Nelson Day Hospice Program $ 5,000
Nelson and District Museum, Archives, Art Gallery and Historical Society: Nelson Daily News Digitization Project - Phase 1 $ 2,800
Nelson at It's Best Society: Nelson Volunteer Hub Development $ 4,305
Nelson Musical Festival Association: 2020 Kootenay Festival of the arts $ 1,000
Oxygen Art Centre: Oxygen Art Centre Community Arts Studio $ 1,200
Procter Community Society: Community Hall Certified Kitchen $ 2,500
Sail Nelson: Nelson Safe Boating Event $ 500
Selkirk Concert Society: Selkirk Concert Society Youth Engagement Project $ 1,500
Trail Family & Individual Resource Centre Society: Kootenay Boundary Dental Access Fund $ 3,000
West Kootenay Brain Injury Association: Nelson STRIVE Program $ 1,500
Wildsight: Wildsight Classroom with Outdoors $ 800
These project received grants from our Arts Legacy Fund (for Visual Arts projects this year)
Nelson & District Arts Council: Nelson International Mural Festival $ 2,000
Oxygen Art Centre: Oxygen Off-Site $ 1,000
These projects are funded from a fund designated for animal welfare
Kootenay Animal Assistance Program Society: Kootenay Community Pets: Keep 'Em at Home $17,817
Nelson BCSPCA: Spay Neuter Expenses 2019 $17,817
These larger projects are funded from a fund designated for seniors programming and acute care services
Nelson CARES: Kootenay Seniors Program $30,000
Friends of Nelson Elders: To administer and provide Small Seniors Grants $30,000
Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation: Acute Care $35,633
Scholarships/Bursaries $24,777
Other Designated Funds: earmarked for specific charitable purposes within the community $37,908
Projects Supported by Donor Advised Funds $ 6,655
Cottonwood Preservation Society
West Kootenay Environmental Centre Society
Corazon
Nelson Electric Tramway Society
Kootenay Shambhala Centre
Kalein Centre
Kootenay Emergency Response Physicians Association
Rails to Trails
Grants distributed by our affiliate community funds in North Kootenay Lake, Slocan Valley & Salmo Valley $61,446

2018

These projects were selected for funding through our annual grant application process. The money comes from interest generated by our Community Fund, Nelson & District Credit Union Fund, Nelson Home Hardware Fund and other non-designated or field-of-interest funds.
Amy Ferguson Institute- Corazon Fall 2018 Retreat $ 500
Capitol Theater- Selkirk Concert Society Youth Engagement Program $ 1,500
Capitol Theater- Footlight Academy $ 1,000
Nelson Civic Theater- Rural Artist Support Weekend $ 2,000
Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy- Tech Time for Adults & Seniors $ 2,500
Glacier Gymnastics Club- Upper Floor Revitalization and Multi-Purpose Room $ 1,700
Kootenay Boundary Dental Access- Dental Access Fund $ 3,000
Kootenay Christian Fellowship (Our Daily Bread)- Chairs for Hot Lunch Program and Fundraising Capacity $ 1,000
Kootenay Society for Community Living- Bigby Place Arts Initiative $ 1,000
Kootenay Society for Lifelong Learning- Teen Boys Rites of Passage and Mentorship Program $ 4,388
Nelson and District Arts Council- Nelson International Mural Festival $ 1,500
Nelson Fine Arts Centre (Oxygen Art Centre)- 5th Annual Youth Arts Festival $ 600
Nelson Food Cupboard Society- Office Expansion $ 5,552
Nelson Friends of the Family- Friends of the Family: Helping Families $ 5,474
West Kootenay Brain Injury Association- Nelson STRIVE Program $ 1,500
West Kootenay Women's Society- Rooted in Community - Growing Strong $ 1,500
Wildsight- Classroom with Outdoors $ 800
This project received grants from our Arts Legacy Fund (for Literary projects this year)
Kootenay Cooperative Radio- Fred Wah Literary Partnership Project $ 2,400
These projects are funded from a fund designated for animal welfare
BC SPCA- BC SPCA Nelson Spay/Neuter Initiative $16,665
Kootenay Animal Assistance Program- Spay/Neuter for Community Cats & Dogs At Risk $16,665
These larger projects are funded from a fund designated for seniors programs and acute care services
Nelson CARES- Age-Friendly Community Project $15,000
Nelson CARES- Kootenay Seniors Program $15,000
Friends of Nelson Elders: To administer and provide Small Seniors Grants $30,000
Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation- Acute Care Services $33,331
Scholarships/Bursaries $22,908
Other Designated Funds: earmarked for specific charitable purposes within the community $32,179
Donor Advised Funds $4,124
Suzy Hamilton Legacy Fund- West Kootenay Environmental Centre Society
Kootenay Shambhala Centre
Nelson Overture Concert Society
Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation
Kootenay Kids Society
Grants distributed by our affiliate community funds in North Kootenay Lake, Slocan Valley & Salmo Valley $53,521
"I wanted to do something local, such as helping seniors in our hospital here, and the fund I chose was a good fit with what I wanted to do. The donation is also a memorial to my wife; it fulfilled her wishes too."
Peter Haliday, donor Friends of Nelson Elders in Care Fund