Activate Grants 2026
Funding Notice

Racial Justice Call Opens September 8

Activate Grants Funding Notice

Purpose

Indigenous peoples, Black people, and racialized people experience systemic and institutional racism in many facets of their lives. These systemic inequities and biases exist within the legal/justice system, and in the laws, policies, and programs that impact people living across BC. The law and the legal/justice system play significant roles in shaping the way people experience the world and each individual’s place and status within it – as governments and courts have acknowledged. Inequities within these systems have a determining influence on people’s lives, and racialized individuals and communities experience this first-hand every day. 

As part of the legal profession in British Columbia, the Law Foundation shares in the collective obligation to work toward eradicating racial injustices in and through the legal system. We need to do more to meet this obligation. 

We are also committed to supporting the implementation of the spirit, intent, and content of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, and the Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. 

We also support the vision and commitment of the International Decade for People of African Descent, which has been officially extended through 2028 by Canada to address issues of racism, discrimination, inequality, and social injustices faced by People of African Descent.

Our very first Racial Justice Grants Call was created and launched in 2021. The primary purpose of the Racial Justice grants program is to support community-led ideas, solutions and infrastructure that strengthen structural inclusion and systemic access to justice and ensure equal rights and opportunities for Indigenous, Black and racialized people.

What are Activate Grants?

Activate grants are one of the three types of grants that are offered by the Racial Justice grants program. The grants aim to provide flexible funding for early-stage ideas and plans that may lead to new and innovative programming, projects, or infrastructure that advance racial justice through law and policy reform.

The total amount available for grants this year is $3.5 million. Activate grants are intended to support activities for up to two years, but the grant period may be extended as needed. Grant seekers can choose to apply for $25,000 or $50,000 per year for a total of $50,000 or $100,000 in two years.  

Eligibility Criteria: Expansive View of Law and Policy

There are multiple legal orders operating in the lands known as British Columbia, including Indigenous laws. Eligible applications may target a wide range of issues within this legal context and the context of racial justice, and do not need to be aimed at the Crown’s justice system or the courts. 

The Racial Justice grants program supports law reform projects that seek to address or change existing laws, policies and create more equitable and inclusive systems for Indigenous, Black, and racialized communities. This can include efforts to improve and/or reform the criminal justice system, human rights protections, access to courts, and other parts of the legal system. Proposed projects may also seek to reform the exercise of legal authority through public policy and decision-making in areas of social benefits, immigration, healthcare, education, family and child development, land use planning, affordable housing, employment, law enforcement, and other areas, in an effort to transform existing systems and create new systems and policies that address barriers, protect the rights of and expand opportunities for Indigenous, Black, and racialized people.

To qualify for funding, proposed projects must meet the following criteria:

• Meet one or more of the Law Foundation’s five legal mandate areas: legal aid, law reform, legal education, legal research, and law libraries; 
• Indicate what specific legal or public policy area the project focuses on and how that law/policy affects the daily lives of Indigenous, Black, and racialized people;
• Meet the racial justice granting framework and guiding principles, specifically community accountability, anti-racism frame, intersectionality and meaningful engagement fully;
• Demonstrate how the proposed work centers Indigenous, Black, and racialized people’s leadership, lived/living experiences, vision, and priorities;
• Present clear and feasible project vision, plan, activities, timeline, and budget; and
• Projects must take place after April 2027 which is when grant seekers will be notified about the status of their grant applications.

Activate Grant Project Types

Types of activities that could be funded include, but are not limited to:  

• Issue identification projects;
• Community consultations and engagements;   
• Strategic planning to start a new project or program;  
• Pilot projects, experimentation and new approaches to building collective power and action to advance racial justice; and
• Feasibility studies to introduce new ideas and projects tested and worked elsewhere.

Funding for existing projects and programs may be considered in a case-by-case basis where there is a clear connection to the grant seeker’s vision of advancing racial justice. 

Applications will need to present a distinct project proposal but may also propose the creation or sustaining of an organization to do the work. In the case of new and start-up groups and organizations, a clear purpose, forward-looking vision, and a project proposal must be submitted.

Example: An application from a grassroots group or collective is to be for a specific project and could also develop organizational infrastructure and capacity to become an organization. Some examples of infrastructure-related expenses include, but are not limited to:

• Support and capacity for collectives to become and register as a society;
• Developing internal organizational infrastructure and policy for budgeting, human resources, communications and other day-to-day operations;
• Hiring staff; and
• Training and capacity-building for staff and board.

Activate Grants cannot be used solely for the creation of new organizations or societies or for operational expenses without a proposed project.   

Note on Ineligible Proposals

This grant program is not intended to fund applications whose main purpose is the production of research studies, educational resources, and reports. In some cases, a research activity can be funded as an activity within a proposal if data or information is required to guide and inform the work.  

This grant program is also not intended to conduct organizational or programmatic equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) audits, carry out EDI related training for staff/boards or to create organizational EDI policies and practices.   

Applications must include a specific project proposal as Racial Justice grants do not fund organizations for solely operational funding.  

Funding can’t be retroactively applied to activities that are expected to unfold before April 2027.

Note on Applications Related to Justice for Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous peoples and communities in BC experience many forms of racism and racialization. Projects that aim to address structural and systemic racial discrimination and barriers against Indigenous communities within a broad range of legal and policy areas and are led by Indigenous communities are eligible for Activate grants.  

The Law Foundation recognizes that a racial justice framework and calls to combat systemic discrimination may not be sufficiently expansive to address legal issues impacting Indigenous peoples. This is because the rights of Indigenous peoples are distinct from the rights of other communities impacted by racism and include inherent rights to land, self-determination and self-government. This also means that additional and unique approaches are required to support Indigenous justice and the restoration of Indigenous legal traditions and systems. A separate Indigenous Justice program supports projects that seek to revive Indigenous law and legal orders and to expand restorative justice projects. 

The Indigenous Justice grants program will launch the next grant call in mid-2027. Please contact indigenousjustice@lawfoundationbc.org for more information.   

Who Can Apply

We welcome applications from:   

• Existing non-profit organizations within BC;   
• Collaborative entities or groups within BC;   
• Organizations that are not based in BC but are working in collaboration with BC-based groups on projects that are for the benefit of people and communities in BC.

Grant seekers do not need to be registered charities, and they do not necessarily need to be registered non-profit societies. Grant seekers do not need to identify as specifically law-focused groups or organizations as long as the proposed work is connected with the legal system or the impact of laws and policies on the lived/living experiences of racialized people.

The Law Foundation invites applications from a single group or organization as well as those that involve collaboration among several groups or organizations. We do not prefer one form over the other and trust grant seekers to determine whether a joint application with other groups or organizations will better serve the proposed work.  

What to Expect

This year, we are introducing a new application process to help ensure that proposed projects are aligned with the funding priorities before applicants invest time in preparing a full application. This approach is intended to support both applicants and our staff by making the best use of everyone’s time and capacity.  

The process will begin with a Zoom conversation with staff before a full application package is provided. During this meeting, you will be asked to share:   

• Brief description of your project idea;  

• The legal/policy issue(s) your project will address; and 

• Requested amount 

More detailed information on how to apply will be shared here on September 8th. 

FAQs

We have set up a Frequently Asked Questions page to provide more details if those are helpful now.