Real Estate Industry Grant Program
Funding Criteria
June 2015
INTRODUCTION
As set out in the Real Estate Services Act (Part 7, Division 1), the Real Estate Foundation’s mandate is to
“undertake and carry out real estate public and professional education, real estate law reform, real
estate research and other projects intended for the public or professional good in relation to real estate
activities.”
Since the Real Estate Foundation is enabled by law to receive the interest earned on licensed1 brokerage
pooled trust accounts in BC — that is, monies paid by people buying and renting property — the
Foundation has a responsibility to act for the public good. As a philanthropic organization, all its grants
and initiatives are undertaken in the interest of the public trust. When the Foundation supports real
estate industry organizations’ research, education, and law reform initiatives, it does so recognizing that
it is in the public’s interest to deal with informed, competent practitioners.
The Real Estate Foundation earmarks a percentage of its yearly grants budget for funding projects put
forward by the BC Real Estate Association, the Real Estate Council of BC, the Real Estate Institute of BC,
regional real estate boards and associations in BC, and any other non-profit organization that meets the
Foundation’s Real Estate Industry Grant Program criteria.
Examples of organizations that may be eligible include Professional Association of Managing Agents,
Condominium Home Owners Association of BC, Strata Property Agents of BC, Urban Development
Institute, National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, Building Owners and Managers
Association, Vancouver Regional Construction Association, Architectural Institute of BC, Appraisal
Institute of Canada – BC, Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association, Canadian Home Builders
Association – BC, and Sauder School of Business Real Estate Division. This is not an exhaustive list.
The industry grants intake generally happens in the fall. The rest of this document outlines the
application criteria and process.
FUNDING CRITERIA
The Real Estate Foundation’s Board of Governors considers grant applications submitted by eligible real
estate industry organizations when the applications meet the following funding requirements and are
submitted by the posted deadline. In fairness to all applicants, late applications are not considered.
Note: In addition, if proposals have a strong fit to the criteria for other Foundation grants (including
strong partnerships and other sources of funding), real estate industry organizations are eligible to apply
for these other funding opportunities using the appropriate forms.
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Licensed by the Real Estate Council of British Columbia
Real Estate Industry Grant Program Funding Criteria
June 2015 | Page 1
Real Estate Industry Grants address the Foundation’s legislated purposes, which include supporting the
professional competence of real estate practitioners. Industry grants also support the sector’s efforts to
build real estate and land use knowledge that contributes to resilient, healthy BC communities.
The following diagram illustrates the screening process that the Foundation applies to grant
applications:
*Applications to fund the travel costs associated with getting trainers to remote regions for Continuing
Professional Education (CPE) will be considered. They are not subject to review based on the
Foundation’s ‘Project Effectiveness Criteria’ and do not require letters of support. If Boards are running
their CPE program at a loss and have no reasonable way to recoup these costs, the Foundation will
consider funding instructor travel costs up to their revenue deficit.
Real Estate Industry Grant Program Funding Criteria
June 2015 | Page 2
Legislated Purpose
Research
Professional Education
Description of types of work the Foundation will consider
Applied research or studies intended to build knowledge that supports
more informed decision-making on real estate and land use topics in
the context of the real estate industry and/or the broader community.
The Foundation’s emphasis is on collecting new information, and
presenting new insights and analysis intended to improve best practice.
Creation of new courses and/or content, development and delivery of
other educational opportunities such as workshops, panel discussions,
conferences, etc. intended to increase practitioners’ knowledge and
skills regarding real estate and land use topics.
Development of education courses (i.e. professional development) will
be considered but training courses (i.e. business/personal
development) will not.
For Continuing Professional Education (CPE) we will consider funding
trainers' travel costs to remote regions, only when delivery of that
education is not financially viable (i.e. Boards are running their
programs at a loss and have no reasonable way to recoup these costs).
Creation and delivery of education products or services (e.g.
Public Education
publications, presentations, workshops) for public audiences. The
education content must be real estate and/or land use related.
Law Reform (also Law and As in the “research” category, projects in this category are intended to
provide new information and insight on real estate and land use topics
Policy Analysis)
and issues for the purpose of improving policy and practice.
Please use the Real Estate Industry Grant Application Form to apply for a grant under these terms.
GRANT APPLICATION & REVIEW PROCESS

The deadline for receipt of completed grant applications is 11:59 p.m. on December 15th.
Applications should be submitted online at http://www.refbc.com/grants/application-form.

All applications will be reviewed by a Foundation staff committee. You will be contacted in January
with feedback and queries on your initial application. You will then have two weeks to revise your
application and resubmit to submissions@refbc.com if you wish to do so.

Every complete grant application submitted by a real estate industry organization and received prior
to December 15th is reviewed by the Foundation’s Board of Governors at the first grants meeting of
each year. Since the Foundation makes available a pool of funding to the BC real estate industry on
an annual basis, applications will be adjudicated concurrently.

Each grant application is evaluated based on the project’s relevance, expected outcomes, and fit
with the Foundation’s legislated purposes (see table above). The Board of Governors also reviews
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June 2015 | Page 3
applications based on basic funding criteria, such as having realistic objectives and a reasonable
budget. Grant applications are adjudicated on a competitive basis.

An organization’s application is strengthened by the extent to which the proposed project
demonstrates leadership, innovation, collaboration, and – as appropriate – outcomes that will be
shared with or inspire others, and be sustained over time.

Two letters of support, from organizations other than your own, which can vouch for the
importance of and your capacity to complete the project, are required. (Note exception:
Applications to fund the travel costs associated with getting trainers to remote regions for
Continuing Professional Education (CPE) do not require letters of support).

A grant request may be fully or partially funded, or declined, depending on the strength of the
proposed project compared to other real estate industry applications being considered at the same
meeting.
EXCLUSIONS
It is Foundation policy that we do not entertain grant applications from any organization for:

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Directed political lobbying;
Activities of religious organizations that primarily serve their membership and/or direct religious
activities, unless the community at large significantly benefits;
Activities that will primarily or exclusively provide financial benefits for individuals;
Retirement of debt and/or retroactive funding.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Website: www.refbc.com/grants
Tel: 604.688.6800 | toll free 1.866.912.6800
Grants Coordinator:
Nick Davies
ext 106 | direct 604.343.2626 | nick@refbc.com
Grants Managers:
David Hendrickson
Hedy Rubin
Leanne Sexsmith
ext 108 | 604.343.2618 | david@refbc.com
ext 102 | 604.343.2630 | hedy@refbc.com
ext 111 | 604.343.2621 | leanne@refbc.com
Real Estate Industry Grant Program Funding Criteria
June 2015 | Page 4
REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY
GRANT APPLICATION FORM
Revised October 2014
Use this form only if you are one of the following eligible organizations and are applying in December for
annual Real Estate Industry Grant Program funding:

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BC Real Estate Association
A BC Real Estate Board/Association
Real Estate Council of BC
Real Estate Institute of BC
Any other non-profit real estate organization that meets the Foundation’s Real Estate Industry
Grant Program criteria
GRANT APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Length
Ten pages maximum, including the budget. Clearly number your pages.
Applications exceeding ten pages will not be accepted (Note: this page and the
prior Funding Criteria pages can be deleted).
Method of submission
Applications should be submitted online at
http://www.refbc.com/grants/application-form.
We do not require a hard copy of your grant application. However, we do
require the signature page to be completed. It is acceptable to attach an
electronic copy of the signature page as part of your application. If you are
unable to submit an electronic copy of the entire application, we will accept a
fax copy of the signature page, which we will attach to your application (fax
604.688.3669).
Green text
Please delete or type over all green text. It is there to provide advice and
guidance. There should be no green text in your submitted application.
Letters of support
Applications must be accompanied by two current letters of support specific to
this project. They must be from organizations other than your own, which can
vouch for the importance of the project and your capacity to complete the
project (Note exception: Applications to fund the travel costs associated with
getting trainers to remote regions for Continuing Professional Education (CPE)
do not require letters of support).
Addenda
If there are other documents that are key to comprehending your project
please attach them separately and indicate their relevance. Our staff will follow
up with you, as required.
A - APPLICANT INFORMATION
1. Legal name of applying organization:
2. Full mailing address:
3. Website:
4. Project Contacts
Please provide contact information of two individuals involved with the project. During review of your
application, Foundation staff will contact at least one of these people.
Name & Title:
Name & Title:
Phone:
Phone:
Email:
Email:
B - PROJECT INFORMATION
1. Project title:
2. Amount applied for:
Total project budget:
3. Start date:
End date:
Note that the Real Estate Foundation of BC does not fund project activities retroactively.
4. Identify which of the Foundation’s mandate areas applies to your project. You may put an X beside
more than one.
____ Public Education
____ Professional Education
____ Research
____ Law and Policy Analysis/Law Reform
5. What is the specific project for which funding is requested?
1-3 sentences
e.g. We propose to undertake a study on the need for/extent of….We will distribute the research… or
We will hold a workshop on Planning for Community Resilience in our town in September….
6. If this project is a component of a larger project, please provide a brief overview of the larger
project.
Two paragraphs maximum
7. Geographic Impact
State the specific geographic impact of your project.
8. Implementation Plan
Fill in the chart below based on objectives, activities, timeframe and deliverables.
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Real Estate Industry Grant Application Form
Objectives
E.g. Improve
Coordination
Activities
Start-up meeting with
Project manager &
working group
Timeframes
October 2014
Deliverables
Project Manager 2014
work plan
(a) Describe the organization’s specific capacity to carry out the project activities and achieve the
project goals.
(b) How has the need for this project been established?
e.g. Previous research, community meetings, etc.
(c) How do you ensure this type of project or program does not already exist and will not duplicate
existing efforts and resources?
C - EFFECTIVENESS CRITERIA
Note: This section is not applicable for applicants applying for a contribution towards the delivery of
costs for continuing professional education (CPE). If in doubt please contact a Real Estate Foundation
staff member.
Your responses under the following four headings will help the Real Estate Foundation understand how
your project demonstrates “effectiveness” according to our criteria. We will consider the overall
combination of project qualities in our review of your grant application (they are not listed in priority
order). In general, the stronger a project is in every category, the more favourably it will be reviewed.
1. Leadership & Innovation
The Foundation gives preference to projects that demonstrate leadership in a field, either by presenting
an innovative or new approach and/or by meeting an identified need. Please describe how this project
demonstrates leadership and innovation.
2. Partnership & Collaboration
The Foundation encourages partnership and collaboration. Using the table below, please list partner
organizations and individuals that will be directly involved in the project, either through planning and/or
implementation. Please add additional boxes to the table as required to list all key partners.
Organization:
Phone:
Description of
involvement:
Individual:
Email:
Organization:
Phone:
Individual:
Email:
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Real Estate Industry Grant Application Form
Description of
involvement:
3. Sustainability and Longevity
How will the outcomes be sustained after the period for which funding is received and over the long
term? What will be the lasting legacy of this project or program?
4. Scalability and Potential to Replicate
Projects should be able to be replicated in other communities. Please explain the way this project can be
modeled by or transferred to other geographic regions, audiences or practitioner groups.
D – PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS & FOUNDATION RECOGNITION
1. How will the project findings be shared with key audiences and stakeholders? Do you have a
communications strategy or plan?
Who should be aware of your project and how will you reach these audiences? e.g. media, workshops,
press releases, social media, networking.
2. List ways in which the Foundation will be recognized for its support of the project.
Will there be name and/or logo recognition on printed materials, name recognition at education events,
public relations opportunities?
E - OUTCOMES
1. If your project is successful, what do you think the impact will be?
What difference will this project make? Be specific. How will this proposal lead to positive changes?
2. What are the key project deliverables?
Detail any deliverables. They should be specific, measurable, relevant, and within the timeframe of the
project. Even if noted previously, please summarize here.
3. How will the outcomes and learning be shared with the broader community?
The Foundation prefers projects that have strong educational value and sharing of outcomes as major
components. How, specifically, will outcomes/findings be disseminated?
F - PROJECT BUDGET
Submit the Grant Application Budget Form, available on our website.
If you have any general notes or comments about the budget, include them here.
Projects should have sources of funding other than the Real Estate Foundation. Typically, the
Foundation will not consider being a project's sole funder.
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Real Estate Industry Grant Application Form
G - SIGNING AUTHORITY & PRIVACY DISCLOSURE
This grant application must be signed by persons with the authority to act on behalf of the applicant
organization.
By signing this grant application, by hand or with an electronic copy of my signature, I acknowledge that
my organization is committed to account for the receipt and expenditure of funds as well as the conduct
of the proposed project. I understand that the Real Estate Foundation of BC reserves the right to impose
an audit on the use of Foundation funds. I also acknowledge that the Real Estate Foundation of BC may
disclose any and all information that my organization submits to the Foundation, as required under
Freedom of Information legislation. I understand that the Real Estate Foundation may contact
individuals outside the applicant organization for additional information related to this proposal.
Please print (or type) name and sign.
_________________________________________
Print Name & Title
______________________________
Date
_________________________________________
Signature
_________________________________________
Print Name & Title
______________________________
Date
_________________________________________
Signature
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Real Estate Industry Grant Application Form