$166,500 administered in first intake of Hosting BC Grant funding 2024/25

Aug. 28, 2024, VANCOUVER – To support British Columbia’s very active and vibrant amateur sport sector, the Province continues to invest and fund event hosting annually through the Hosting BC Grant program.

“This grant supports a wide variety of sports events throughout the province,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. “We know this funding is essential to helping BC communities create a strong and thriving sport sector and a positive impact on local economies and tourism opportunities.”

The Hosting BC program provides grants of up to $35,000 to support sporting events taking place in BC. The program is aimed at boosting economic and community development. It helps communities by enhancing hosting capabilities to generate economic and tourism impacts at the local and provincial level. As well, the program fosters athletic development by supporting sport competition participation opportunities in the province.

“viaSport is incredibly proud to support a range of sport events all across the province, from local tournaments to international championships,” says Charlene Krepiakevich, CEO, viaSport BC. “The Hosting BC grant allows communities, organizations, and volunteers to enhance their event hosting skills and knowledge for the future.”

The Province invests $500,000 annually in the Hosting BC Program which is distributed by viaSport in three grant cycles throughout the year. From the first intake in 2024, which closed in May 2024, a total $166,500 in grant funding was distributed to 45 organizations. Funded events in the latest intake represent 30 different sports in 28 unique communities around the province. The next two intakes are tentatively scheduled to open in September 2024 and January 2025.  

“We are thrilled with the success of the Ringette BC U12 final tournament between Westside Ringette, West Kelowna and Ringette BC,” said Nathan Kurjata, president, Westside Ringette Association. “With the grant funding we received, we were able as host to provide a great sport experience for our guests. We got a lot of good feedback from the teams and Westside Ringette plans to host the event again in 2025.”

Learn more: 

To apply, learn more about the grant criteria and view recipients, please visit viaSport’s website at https://viasport.ca/grants/hosting-bc/

Contact:
Ninu Gill
Director, Marketing and Communications
ViaSport British Columbia
ninug@viasport.ca

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