Community Advisors

Community Informed Approaches

The Law Foundation of BC believes that the people and communities we serve should have a voice in how we do our work. Over the years, that belief has shaped the way we operate as a funder in meaningful and lasting ways. 

Through collaborative approaches like deep listening and shared learning, we have changed how we work with grantee organizations. We moved to long-term, multi-year funding. We simplified reporting requirements. We offered different ways to submit grant applications. Each of these changes was informed by the people closest to the work, and each one has made us a more responsive and effective funder. 

Being community-informed is an ongoing practice that shapes every aspect of how we work.

Community Voice in Decision Making

One of the most significant expressions of this commitment is the creation of advisory groups, made up of members from the communities we serve. These groups bring lived experience and community knowledge directly into our decision-making processes. For example, the Racial Justice Grants Advisory Committee supports our grantmaking work in our Racial Justice portfolio, providing advice, reviewing grant applications, and making recommendations to our Board. 

The Indigenous Advisory Circle

The Law Foundation’s work takes place across the Indigenous territories that make up BC. We acknowledge that the legal system has caused, and continues to cause, harm and injustice to Indigenous people in this province. The funds we distribute are generated through the operation of that same system, and we take seriously our responsibility to use them for the public good, with particular focus on people who are most affected by the justice system. 

In 2023, we established the Indigenous Advisory Circle as a meaningful step in our commitment to be in right relations with Indigenous peoples. The Circle’s members bring leadership, wisdom, and lived experience to guide our work and our ongoing transformation as an organization. They offer critical reflections, perspectives, and recommendations on any aspect of our work, with particular attention to work that impacts Indigenous communities and peoples.