Vancouver Foundation is building a culture of learning

In the last year, the Vancouver Foundation website for its neighbourhood small grants program got a revamp that makes it easier for people across the province to apply for micro-grants for community building and skill-sharing activities – from block parties and barbecues to sports tournaments and artmaking events. For Mezzy Onye, a senior manager of strategy and portfolio management who played a key role in launching the new website, getting it up and running was a real highlight during her three years at the foundation.

“It’s a small dollar amount but it can have a big positive impact in the community,” Onye says. “I think that’s one of the most rewarding projects I’ve been a part of.”

The Vancouver Foundation provides grants to hundreds of B.C. charities and non-profits every year with funds from endowments it manages on behalf of people, charities and businesses. Onye says its mission of creating “healthy, vibrant, equitable and inclusive communities” struck a chord with her, and was what initially drew her to work for the foundation.

“I wanted to be part of an organization that aligned with my values, and make a tangible difference in peoples’ lives,” she says. “Working here is being part of community-building. We’re always working on projects that have significance, whether it’s addressing social issues or supporting marginalized communities through the grants we provide to charities.”

The foundation further invests in B.C.’s charitable sector and communities in a more indirect way, says Chris Little, vice-president of corporate services, by supporting its employees’ learning and professional development.

“It supports the organization in a number of ways: it helps to engage our employees and support their personal and professional growth. But it also helps the charitable sector as a whole,” she says. “We really see the foundation being this base where folks can learn and grow their skills, and even if they move on, they can bring those skills to the broader charitable community. It strengthens the sector.”

The organization hosts education sessions on broad topics relevant to all employees, such as learning about neurodiversity or how to challenge power dynamics in a healthy way. In 2024, the foundation began allowing employees to access up to $2,500 per year for job-related professional development.

It also added an annual $1,000 that employees can spend to learn something unrelated to their work, such as a new language, which Little says speaks to its commitment to seeing staff as “whole people – humans first, employees second.” She used her own allocation for a tai chi class. “It’s fantastic – it’s been really calming and helps me focus.”

Unused professional and personal development funds go into an education pool system that employees can apply to if they need extra funds to support their learning. “It’s helped us support some bigger, broader programs – we have a couple of employees doing their master’s programs and we’ve been able to fund a significant portion,” she says.

Onye is currently completing her master’s degree in business administration, with financial support from the foundation. She has also been able to leverage the organization’s modified work week and schedule flexibility to spend one weekday at the library and work around her classes.

“I see it paying off already in terms of what I’m bringing to the foundation. The knowledge from my MBA is helping me enhance my strategic thinking and expand my leadership skills,” says Onye. “It’s a great environment for someone like me who wants to keep learning.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's BC’s Top Employers winners, published February 11, 2025 in the Vancouver Sun. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.