Innovate
Strategies:

Act Collectively

Tell Powerful Stories

Enhance Resilience

Green Industries

Approach

Our mission is to nurture transparency, citizen engagement, democracy, and communities living within natural limits.

As a funder we know that we are but a small part of the changes we seek.

Our role is to support and enable others to make the world a safer, fairer, more sustainable and less toxic place to live.

We take pride in our partners achievements and are honoured to support their efforts.

We are passionate in our pursuit of social justice and the protection of people and the environment.

We seek partners who share this passion.

To this end, we pursue rights-based approaches, gender equality and partnership with the organisations we fund.

We aim to lift up the voices of the most vulnerable and support them to understand and pursue their rights.

We strive to be courageous in this pursuit by tackling difficult problems and addressing the root causes of injustice.

Business-as-usual will not create change at the pace and scale needed to address the big audacious challenges we face.

Changing the world just isn’t possible without taking risks and innovating.

We seek out partners that deeply embrace the test-fail-succeed-scale cycles of innovation in their organizational culture.

We believe that the best grant-making reflects both due diligence and the willingness to take calculated risks.

We seek out partners that are willing to share not only their successes, but their failures.

Optimizing our scarce resources requires sharing positive and negative lessons learned to prevent other organizations from repeating mistakes.

We strive to be respectful listeners and responsive to change, unexpected consequences and external developments that require shifts in strategy and expectations.

We pursue honest relationships with partners in which both success and failure offer opportunities for learning.

We strive to support, learn from and value the contributions of all colleagues.

We aim for a working environment where everyone feels respected and able to reach their full potential.

We strive for an organisation in which innovation is rewarded, diversity is embraced and both success and failure are shared.

Priorities

Most of our resources go to our own projects aligned with our priorities. We do like bold ideas, so if you have a high impact project aligned with our priorities, submit our online submission form.

Canadian NGOs are working hard to resolve audacious challenges, often with too few resources and support. Those working in frontline communities particularly those facing impacts from the extraction, storage, transport and use of toxic substances are particularly under-resourced.

We seek innovative ways to build the capacity of selected NGOs to overcome challenges and implement best practices to defend our air, land, and water more cheaply, with higher impact and at a larger scale.

Canada’s water, land, and air are threatened by resource exploitation, toxic pollution and the exclusion of impacted communities.

We support efforts to mitigate these damages, improve resiliency and foster prosperity through community renewable energy, land use, and indigenous territorial planning.

Canadian democracy is in crisis. The proliferation of ideologically-driven digital communications, the downsizing of investigative journalism, and the increasingly hyper-partisanship of our political process are alienating Canadians.

We support research and testing of innovative strategies to promote transparency, citizen engagement, and democracy.

Canadian industries have large carbon, toxic and biodiversity footprints that threaten endangered Canadian forests, fragile terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and water supplies. Under current policies, it is often cheaper for businesses to overharvest, waste resources, dump toxic pollution, and exploit communities and indigenous people than it is for them to operate equitably and sustainably. If we are to mitigate global warming, the biodiversity crisis and our ever-expanding footprint, this must change. 

We are seeking innovative methods for large industries to shift their business practices to lessen these impacts,  to realign monetary and policy incentives to make “polluters pay”, discourage waste and pollution, promote energy and resource efficiency, and reduce inequality. particularly in relation to the production, transport, and use of toxic substances.

Climate change is an existential crisis that continues to polarize our decision-makers yet requires immediate systemic action. Current efforts are insufficient to reorient civilization to bring us within natural limits. In Canada, this manifests as a struggle between clean, regional energy solutions and the export of largely unrefined resources.

We support efforts to catalyze swift large-scale solutions, stop the creation of new infrastructure for toxic exports while promoting new regional clean energy solutions.

To be strong and effective, Canada’s environmental movement must represent the full diversity of the Canadian population.

We support efforts that increase participation and address the environmental concerns of underrepresented populations.

Intact functioning forests provide important ecological and cultural benefits such as carbon storage, nutrient cycling, water and air purification, and maintenance of wildlife habitat. Climate change and industrial logging are having devastating impacts on forests, forest-dependent communities, and biodiversity. Unprecedented wildfires, insects and disease and boom and bust policies are destroying forests and communities.

We seek innovative ways to lessen these impacts and help communities prepare for and mitigate the coming changes. This includes diversifying the fibre basket used in manufacturing and seeking new processes to shift away from using Canadian forests for pulp, single-use products, and packaging.

Civilization as we know it is facing a number of existential crises. Loss of species and topsoil threaten our biome, acidification and rising temperatures damage our oceans, and unless we limit global warming to less than 1.5 C (2.7 F), many parts of the world will become uninhabitable. Addressing these challenges requires the mobilization of human action at a pace and scale unprecedented in history.

We support testing new approaches to identify, recruit and mobilize supporters that can overcome psychological, economic, social and cultural barriers to action.

Indigenous peoples have safeguarded the land, air, water in their territories for thousands of years. Against huge odds, Indigenous nations are leading the way in stopping toxic pollution of water and protecting the health of people and the environment.

We support efforts to build indigenous resilience to defend their land, air, and water in the face of growing threats.

The world’s oceans are the lungs of the world. They are the major source of oxygen and biodiversity, instrumental in the capture and storage of carbon dioxide as well as providing food, medicines, and livelihoods. Yet they face major human-made threats, including acidification, plastic pollution, and exploitative terrestrial and marine fisheries.

To improve the health of the world’s oceans and aquatic and riparian biodiversity, we support research and education promoting best practices from around the world for sustainable fisheries, protecting species, stopping pollution and marine ecosystem management.

All the world’s major problems are human-made, transforming how people relate to nature, their communities and each other is the only way to address them. Research has shown that the best way to change perception and behaviour is through powerful heartfelt stories. Too often groups appeal primarily to people’s heads; to create the world we dream of we need to better connect with people’s hearts.

We support innovative techniques using a variety of mediums to tell powerful stories including methods that integrate the latest research (from neuroscience, behavioural economics, linguistics, psychology, and data science) on how people actually process information and make important decisions.

Team

Board

Michael lives in the Commercial Drive neighbourhood of Vancouver, with his wife Jennifer, their children Olivia and Maxwell, and their dog Star, a living muppet.

Born in Lethbridge, Michael grew up (more or less) in Winnipeg and Thunder Bay before moving to Victoria. After obtaining a B.A. in Economics and an LL.B. at UVic, Michael was called to the bar in 1996. As a young lawyer he devoted himself to his love of the arts, working with nonprofit music and theatre organizations in Vancouver. One day a phone call drew him back to Victoria to join the B.C. government’s Land Service division. There, he worked on land-use policy and land tenure agreements before becoming the manager of indigenous relations, consulting with first nations and supporting treaty talks.

Another call drew him to join Dogwood Initiative, where he worked as director of operations for several years before returning to Vancouver as a graduate student at UBC Law. Michael then began teaching law in Capilano University’s paralegal program, which he continues to do today.

Damion studied Engineering Design in Toronto and has more than 25 years of diverse international experience. During his career, he has worked with major multi-national / Fortune 500 corporations managing and implementing multi-million dollar projects globally in a variety of business sectors and industries. After working in Canada, Hong Kong, the United States and Luxembourg over a period of 15 years, Damion moved with his family to the Middle East working with a major regional Investment Bank for 7 years as an Investment Analyst Consultant responsible for providing detailed risk assessments, analysis and recommendations for major capital projects in a variety of industrial sectors. After moving back to Canada in 2016, he worked with a technology startup based in Victoria, BC in a Senior Executive role responsible for the development and implementation of key leading edge virtual reality technology for ride attractions. Damion is a hands-on Executive that understands the value of people and how to build strong collaborative relationships within teams and stakeholders.

Jessica Clogg (she/her/hers) is West Coast’s Executive Director and Senior Counsel leading their work on Aboriginal and Natural Resource law. 

Jessica said she does her work “because she loves the land and because she believes in justice.” For more than a decade, her work has had a particular focus on providing legal and strategic support to First Nations – working with First Nations leaders and community members to use their laws as a foundation for powerful strategies to protect the lands and resources of their territories and to catalyze broader shifts in Canadian law. 

Jessica holds a joint Master in Environmental Studies and Law degree (MES/LL.B) from York University, where her graduate research focused on “Tenure Reform for Ecologically and Socially Responsible Forest Use in British Columbia.”

Peter has been a conservation leader in government, academia, private industry, not-for-profit organizations, and as a consultant. His career has focused on improving sustainable land management in Alberta and nationally, throughout Canada, and internationally. Peter has negotiated conservation positions within Alberta, within Canada and internationally. He has experience working with and for First Nations, extensive experience in Alberta’s oil sands and foothills regions and throughout Canada’s boreal forest, and has published numerous ground-breaking reports and science papers. Peter is recognized as a highly effective leader, networker, communicator, and manager.

Aran is the National Director, Government Relations and Environment, for The Royal Canadian Geographical Society and Canadian Geographic. Aran represents the Society in senior-level government relations and is responsible for animating the Society’s Healthier Planet strategic priority. Aran is a Canadian environmental and sustainability leader, a non-profit and charitable sector executive and an environmental lawyer who believes in the necessity of forging environmental solutions that integrate the environment, the economy and advance Indigenous reconciliation.  

Aran has significant experience working across sectors to catalyze and direct, large-scale, collaborative conservation initiatives around Canada. Aran has served in an advisory capacity to federal government departments and has done consulting work for clients as diverse as the United Nations, Mission Innovation, the World Resources Institute, Sustainable Prosperity and the Great Bear Rainforest’s Coast Information Team. Aran was elected a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 2018. Aran joined the Society as a staff member in the fateful spring of 2020.

Aran lives in Kingston, Ontario, with his partner, Jennifer Ruddy, their young children, Eoghan and Georgia, and their yellow Labrador, Percy.

Aran on LinkedIn

Kat (she/her) is the Executive Director of the Foundation for Environmental Stewardship (FES). Kat’s main focus is building The Youth Harbour, a youth-for-youth climate support system focusing on supporting youth climate leaders with financial, technical, and networking support to amplify and scale their work, so far raising $4 million for youth climate action since 2021. On top of her work at FES, she sits on the board of the Sustainability Network, is an Advisory Council member to the Boann Social Impact, and is an Advisory Group Member for the Community Climate Transitions Innovation Fund by Tamarack Institute. Kat is passionate about activating the local community, whether that be organizing grassroots campaigns and clothing swaps, or volunteering at the University of Calgary or Calgary Foundation. Kat is passionate about empowering youth to take impactful action on sustainable development, strengthening and amplifying the youth *force* in the Canadian climate movement.

Karine joined the Salal Foundation board in March 2024.  She has worked with the independent senator Rosa Galvez, who authored the groundbreaking Climate-Aligned Finance Act, which was introduced in 2022 and drafted based on expert consultations. She also worked hard to ensure the passage of the Canada Net Zero Accountability Act, which the senator sponsored.

A member of the Quebec Bar since 2007, she was the Quebec Center for Environmental Law (CQDE) director from 2014 to 2018. She was deeply involved in the injunction that protected beluga whales against an oil terminal in the St-Lawrence and the litigation that led to the first federal emergency decree order on private land for the western chorus frog, stopping a real estate development in the suburbs of Montréal as well as all files concerning the now-defunct Energy East pipeline.

Karine started her career at Davies Ward Philips and Vineberg LLP. She holds an M.Sc. in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford, UK, and a B.C.L./LL.B. from McGill University’s transsystemic law program. She has contributed to diverse environmental and social justice projects worldwide and in Canada. Keenly interested in communication, she appeared in numerous media and was awarded the Lawyer of the Year / Tomorrow’s Leader in the alternative career category by the Montréal Young Bar Association in 2015.

When not working, she can be spotted gallivanting in the woods.

Staff

Aiden has 20+ years leading and supporting many organizations and networks in organizing, strategic communications, systems design, and technologies.

Rainer is passionate about developing digital systems that enable people to organize, advocate, and build a better world. Outside of work, Rainer is a climate activist, a community bike advocate, and an avid reader of science fiction.

Jeannette (BSc Environmental Science) has volunteered and worked with community groups, non-profits and charities since 1999 (including Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, and Global Forest Watch Canada). She has extensive experience in non-profit administration, project management, and communications. She balances her part-time position as Salal Foundation’s Administrative Director with parenthood and its related projects and adventures.

Will, formerly the Executive Director at DogwoodBC and a staff lawyer at EcoJustice (then Sierra Legal Defence Fund) is an activist, lawyer and writer whose work focuses on reinvigorating democracy, redefining citizenship and pondering things that matter in the world.

A graduate of Dartmouth College (Cum Laude), Will received his law degree at University of California (Summa Cum Laude). He has served as a Director of numerous local, national and international organizations. Will (tries to) balance his work by making up imaginary stories with his daughter, baking, and exploring research on how the human brain processes information and makes decisions.

Kyle is a fierce advocate for grassroots volunteers and orgs seeing their efforts make real-world impacts through data-driven and data-informed campaigns. Kyle is a resident of Burlington, Ontario, and volunteers locally for climate and social justice related causes.

Jenn is a graduate of an Environmental Science degree from Thompson Rivers University. She has a special interest in ethnobotany and has worked in various fields ranging from solar data analyst to small scale edible landscaping and all things in between. Volunteering with DogwoodBC propelled her to seek out other nonprofits as she believes this type of grassroots work is where tangible change truly arises.

Phoebe is committed to utilising her research and communications skills to overcome barriers to effective climate action, by making complex ideas accessible. Originally from the UK, she has a Master’s in Environment, Politics and Development, and is passionate about advancing environmental justice. Outside of her work, she can be found ski touring, mountain biking, reading, or facetiming her dogs.

Kieran graduated with a degree in English Language & Literature from the University of Western Ontario. After graduating, Kieran planted his roots in sustainable writing, advocating for any and all things green. Kieran previously worked as a financial journalist with a presence in renewable energy, plant-based food, and agriculture. When not writing, he enjoys exploring green technology and all of the ways technology can be used to promote sustainable living.

Juhi (she/elle) is a communications and change strategist and community organizer living in Tiohtià:ke (Montréal). Her practice deviates from conventional approaches to communication and is rooted in the stories and connection to community that seeded her passions in the first place. Her approach to organizational change is anchored in a strong belief in abolishing the carceral values that tear our communities apart and uphold colonial and capitalist systems of oppression. You can find her cycling through the Laurentides or sitting on her couch and watching too much reality TV.

Driven by a deep appreciation for the natural world, Kerry brings an ambitious, mountain-inspired perspective to her work. Growing up in Whistler, BC, Kerry stayed local to earn her Bachelor of Commerce degree in accounting at The University of British Columbia. Focused on optimizing financial systems, Kerry is dedicated to enhancing the efficiency of non-profit and charity bookkeeping, for the benefit of maximizing their resources to fulfill their missions. Off the screen, Kerry has a love for bringing others into the outdoors whether it is surfing, mountain biking, skiing, or running long distances.

Wita (she/her) is a social media enthusiast. She worked as a journalist in Thailand, reporting for both local and international media for six years, and witnessed firsthand how storytelling and multimedia can shape society. In Canada, Wita has gained work experience in the non-profit sector, advocating for equal opportunities, sustainability, and education. Outside of work, she enjoys spending her time at home exploring different hobbies.

FAQ

Salal operates with a small part-time staff so we cannot respond to every proposal. If your organization believes it has a project that is compatible with our purposes and fits our priorities please submit your proposal using our online form.  It’s easy. We’ll then carefully review your application. If we are interested we will contact you. If we require more information we will let you know.

Very rarely. Most of our resources are devoted to funding our priorities – established annually by our Board – with organizations we have identified as leaders in their fields.

Salal funds projects that further our purposes, address our granting priorities, or complement current initiatives.

We are seeking innovative methods for large industries to shift their business practices to lessen these impacts,  to realign monetary and policy incentives to make “polluters pay”, discourage waste and pollution, promote energy and resource efficiency, and reduce inequality. particularly in relation to the production, transport, and use of toxic substances.

Salal will not fund:

  • Partisan political activities, including support or opposition of any candidate for political office;
  • Strictly religious purposes or activities;
  • General support grants;
  • Staff salaries (except in exceptional circumstances and only if organization has clear firewalls set up in advance to ensure that all Salal funding is segregated from any non-charitable work being conducted by that organization);  
  • Land acquisition;
  • Deficit financing;
  • Endowments, debt reduction, or cash flow shortfalls;
  • Funding of individual scholarships or fellowships;
  • Grants to schools, for-profit organizations, cities, regional districts, or other governmental agencies;
  • Indirect costs, overhead, or facilities administration to academic institutions or universities;
  • Books, videos, and television or film projects that are not components of a broader strategy;
  • Direct land purchases or easements;
  • Conferences, workshops, or seminars (unless they are a part of a larger scale project or program).
  • Structures, capital improvements or capital campaigns;
  • International programs (unless the program responds to a pressing national or provincial issue where there is high potential, demonstrated demand, and a clear strategy for the wider application of the project’s lessons within British Columbia or Canada); and
  • More than 20 percent of organisation’s budget.

There are no application deadlines for grants. We review applications on an ongoing basis and make decisions quarterly. Application deadlines are used only when Salal Foundation initiatives seek request for proposals for a specific project. In this case, we’ll list the application deadline on our website.

There is no pre-established limit for grants.

Generally no. Salal can only make grants to organizations defined as “qualified donees” by the Federal government. However, sometimes Salal hires non-charitable organizations to deliver services on projects Salal is pursuing further to our charitable purposes and current priorities.

We do not publish an annual report although we do comply with all Canada Revenue Agency filing requirements.

For more information about our grantmaking, please contact us at info@salalfoundation.ca

Salal Foundation is a registered Canadian charity (898470513RR0001).

Canada Revenue Agency charities listing.

The Salal Foundation is a vehicle through which donors can support important charitable activities. The Gift Acceptance Policy is designed to provide guidance to the public to facilitate the gift giving process. It clarifies the mission of the Salal Foundation and the roles, responsibilities and expectations of both the Salal Foundation and its donors.

  1. The Salal Foundation is a registered charity with charitable business number #898470513RR0001.
  2. Staff and Directors of the Salal Foundation may inform, serve, guide or otherwise assist donors, who wish to support Salal’s activities, but are not to pressure or unduly persuade.
  3. The Salal Foundation reserves the right to decline a gift.
  4. Staff, Contractors and Directors of the Salal Foundation shall encourage the donor to discuss the proposed gift with independent professional advisors of the donor’s choice so that the donor may receive a full and accurate explanation of all aspects of the proposed charitable gift.
  5. Salal’s Chair, or their delegate, is authorized to review planned gift agreements with prospective donors. Gifts will be planned to reflect the donors’ charitable interests and the Salal Foundation’s purposes and priorities.
  6. All proposed planned gift arrangements requiring execution by the Salal Foundation shall be reviewed and approved as to form and content by independent legal counsel. Where substantially the same agreement is used repeatedly, only the prototype needs to be approved.
  7. Gift related costs such as legal fees, appraisals, real estate commissions and taxes relating to acceptance, maintenance, management or re-sale of a gift or property, will normally be the responsibility of the donor, unless the Salal Foundation agrees to assume responsibility for any portion of these items.
  8. The Salal Foundation will obtain independent opinions of the value of gifts other than cash. The valuation of gifts of publicly listed securities is made by the the Salal Foundation’s brokerage service.
  9. Salal Foundation (employees and Directors) will not serve as executor of a donor’s will or trustee of a charitable remainder trust.
  10. Donors’ wishes of recognition or anonymity regarding a gift will be respected except as required by law.

DISCLOSURE POLICY

Records of donations and grants are maintained by the Salal Foundation to ensure compliance with Canada Revenue Agency regulations.

For gifts under $5,000, we ask that you donate to Salal through Canada Helps or Charitable Impact. A tax receipt will be automatically generated.

Other Ways to Give

Cheques of $5,000 or greater, payable to Salal Foundation, can be mailed to the address below.

Please include an email address for tax receipt delivery.

Salal Foundation
185-911 Yates St, Suite 561, Victoria, BC V8V4Y9

You can donate stocks, bonds, mutual funds or other publicly-traded securities.

If you have publicly traded securities in your portfolio that would generate a substantial taxable gain if sold, consider donating securities. You will receive a tax receipt for the full market value of the securities at the closing trading price on the day they are received and will not owe capital gains tax on the advantage of the securities from the cost base. Salal Foundation will receive the net value of the sale of the securities to further our charitable projects.

If you would like to make a donation of securities to Salal, please send an email to donate@salalfoundation.ca

A charitable bequest is simply a distribution from your estate to a charitable organization through your last will and testament.

Here are two simple ways that you can put a charitable gift in your will.

You can name the residue of your Estate in whole or as a proportion using percentages. The residue is what remains after taxes, administrative expenses and your heirs have received their specific gifts or proportion. An advantage is that as your circumstances change, your will does not have to be altered, as the proportion remains the same.

Sample wording: “I bequeath the residue of my estate (or _______% of the residue of my estate) to Salal Foundation.”

Another way is to name a specific amount.

Sample wording: “I give $_____________to support the work of Salal Foundation.”

Contact

If you are a potential donor, please click on the donation tab in the upper right to make a donation or contact our administrator.

If your organization believes it has a project that is compatible with our purposes and fits our priorities please submit your proposal using our online submission form. It’s easy. We’ll then carefully review your application. If we are interested we will contact you. If we require more information we will let you know.

For all other information we can be reached at:

185-911 Yates St, Suite 561 Victoria BC V8V 4Y9