Projects
we are proud to support
Visitors giving back to the community
In 2024 we raised over $360K to support local initiatives that enrich the lives of community members. Below are the projects we have supported so far.
Tofino Fire Society
Fire Training Structure
$50,000.00
Established in 1959, the Tofino Volunteer Fire Department (TVFD) provides fire protection and emergency services to the community of Tofino, as well as motor vehicle rescue along Highway 4.
The funds donated will be used towards the purchase of a fire fighting training structure, these funds will be specifically earmarked toward creating hallways, stairwells and standpipe features to replicate conditions like those found in hotel and resort structures.
Tofino Surf Lifesaving Club
Start up Funding
$40,000.00
Established in 2024; Inspired by other coastal surf communities in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK the club is working towards building a culture of safe, educated, and well trained ocean users.
The clubs goal is to prevent drownings and critical injuries on Tofino’s beaches through public outreach, improved safety infrastructure, and safe community practices.
The funds allocated will go towards support of part-time wages for Program Coordinators to create and manage club membership, create Beach Ambassador training program – a public education campaign focused on teaching beachgoers how to enjoy the ocean responsibly and safely, cover members' surf lifesaving training costs, support general operating expenses, and purchase start-up equipment to facilitate club practices.
Clayoquot Biosphere Trust
Grant Support
$79,300.00
Funding multiple grants supporting:
Rising Tides $20,000.00
Carving on the Edge, Youth Traditional Indigenous Arts Development $6,000.00
Coastal Queer Alliance, Queer Youth Connections $6,000.00
Maaqtusiis Elementary School, Reawakening Our Cultural Identity $6,000.00
Pacific Rim Hospice, Youth Resiliency Groups $6,000.00
Ucluelet Secondary School, Land Based Learning $6,000.00
West Coast Multiplex, Youth Voices in Motion: Recreation Through Our Lens $6,000.00
Wickaninnish Community School, Afterschool Inclusion & Support Worker $6,000.00
Wickaninnish Community School, Inlet Tour & Whale Watching $6,000.00
Ucluelet Elementary School, Young Men’s Group & Young Women’s Group $4,300.00
Tofino Clayoquot Heritage Museum
Historical Exhibitions
$30,000.00
The region encompassing Clayoquot Sound has been the site of numerous important events over the past 15,000 years.
The Tofino Clayoquot Heritage Museum developed by the Tofino Clayoquot Heritage Society located in the lower level of the Legion is a permanent record of these events beginning with the retreat of the last glaciers and extending to the present day.
Funds will be used to create three engaging and educational historical exhibitions for the Tofino Clayoquot Heritage Museum, significantly enhancing the visitor experience and promoting sustainable tourism on the west coast. These exhibitions will be movable, with pictures and text printed on vinyl sheets that can be easily stored and rotated. Exhibition focus: History of Fort Defiance, History of Mining in Clayoquot Sound, History of Tofino Airport.
Wickaninnish Community School
Breakfast Program
$13,500.00
The school food program provides healthy food for students at the Wickaninnsh Community School.
It’s been shown time and time again that students who have access to healthy food focus better, concentrate longer and in turn have a much more valuable learning experience.
The consistency of having healthy food available every school day also provides a level of emotional comfort for vulnerable students. This program to provides the students at Wickaninnish Community School with the nutrition they need to thrive and succeed.
The funding received will support the cost of a Full time Employee to expand the capacity of breakfast & lunch program.
Clayoquot Sound Community Theatre Renovation Phase 2
$20,000
The Clayoquot Sound Theatre is an intimate venue with great acoustics located downtown Tofino. They present live music, plays and movies.
Built in 1983 by Kim Hoag, Gary Marks and a team of volunteers who went on to stage many live plays in the space. The Theatre will soon be 40 years old and is undergoing vital renovations to keep entertaining the community and keep its legacy alive. The whole space will be revamped and turned into a healthier, more flexible, accessible, and professional venue.
The funds donated will be used to cover cost of installing mirrors, speakers and barres for dance lessons, and adding a barn door to protect the grand piano.
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 65
$10,000.00
The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 65 is a community hub centrally located in the heart of Tofino’s downtown core. The Legion acts as a gathering space for community events, celebrations, recreation, and the arts. The Legion welcomes all age groups and demographics.
The Legion promotes Remembrance and support of veterans, their families, and the communities in which they live.
The Tofino Legion has a 95 year history of supporting local non-profit organizations, they currently provide a free home for the Fish and Loaves Food Bank and the Girl Guides of Canada as well as provide discounted rental rates to non-profit organizations.
The funds allocated will cover the cost to upgrade lighting to LED fixtures from current fluorescent ones, replace 2 fire doors
Long Beach Golf Course
Junior Golf Program
$9,532.00
The funding received will support the to purchase of 30 new sets of junior golf clubs & cover transportations costs to support the new Junior Golf Program.
West Coast Community Resources Society
Ukee Re-Use-It Store
$6,000.00
WCRS is a non-profit organization which believes that every person in the community should have access to resources to enhance, and improve their well-being.
Ukee Re-Use-It (URI) Store. Since its inception, URI has been instrumental in diverting waste from our local landfill while simultaneously providing essential household items at an affordable cost to our community members.
The funding received will support operational funding; Portion of rent, staff and operating costs.
Redd Fish Restoration Society was founded in 1995 by loggers, First Nations, biologists and forestry professionals who recognized the need to address the loss of habitat in order to preserve our wild fish stocks
Redd Fish works closely with the 5 Nuu-chah-nulth Nations in our region: ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ (Ahousaht), hiškʷiiʔatḥ (Hesquiaht), tukʷaaʔatḥ (Toquaht Nation Government), ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ (Tla-o-qui-aht) and yuułuʔiłʔatḥ (Ucluelet Nation Government), The Nations provide direction and invaluable traditional ecological knowledge.
These partnerships help leverage funding and create training, employment and capacity building opportunities.
For remote communities, it is an opportunity to work in their own territory and to help rebuild one of the most culturally significant resources on the coast: wild salmon.
The funding received will support hiring an indigenous summer student for restoration work.
Tofino Market Society
$5,000.00
The Tofino Public Market Society coordinates and promotes West Coast artisans representing the unique culture of the Pacific Rim.
Their mandate is to support and showcase local artisan vendors from Tofino, Ucluelet and surrounding First Nations communities in a festive community marketplace environment that is sustainable and accessible to all. The Tofino Market hosts local food-makers, growers and foragers; live music and workshops; hand-made artisan goods; up-cycled creations and collaborates with other community-lead not-for-profit initiatives and programs.
The Tofino Market takes place every Saturday from the May long weekend to the Thanksgiving long weekend, along with a Winter Market and the Jingle Market.
The funding received will support a portion of staffing costs to run the Market.
Tofino Community Food Initiative
$3,000.00
Since 2011 TCFI has provided over 5000 hours of food and gardening education to children, adults, and seniors in Tofino and surrounding communities.
In 2023, TCFI delivered a comprehensive program of in-class and in-garden activities for 10 classes and two after school programs throughout the school year.
These programs meaningfully engage youth around healthy food and enjoying the benefits of connection with nature as they learn the cycles of growing food. TCGI also runs a successful intergenerational program, with seniors working alongside children in the classroom and garden.
The funding received will support staff wages and plant + soil costs to maintain the school garden in summer.
Ucluelet Aquarium Society
Salmon Trail Program
$5,600.00
In the spring of 2004, the Ucluelet Mini Aquarium was opened as a pilot project on the Ucluelet waterfront. Conceived by Philip Bruecker as an alternative to large modern public aquaria, its focus was on local species only, interactivity, open display of infrastructure and, most importantly, a “collect-and-release” model which saw specimens released back to their home habitats each autumn. This pilot project proved popular and the not-for-profit Ucluelet Aquarium Society was formed to oversee and grow the aquarium.
By the late 2000’s, the increasing popularity of the aquarium strongly suggested that the ‘plywood shack’ Mini Aquarium was no longer able to meet the needs of the public and plans were hatched to construct a permanent facility. The new Ucluelet Aquarium opened its doors in May of 2012.
The funding received will go towards the Salmon Trail, a self-led educational adventure spanning Ucluelet and Tofino, featuring six interactive stations that highlight the vital role of Pacific salmon in marine and freshwater ecosystems. The funds will be allocated to staff time, printing costs, market fees, fuel, marketing, and design costs.