Both categories support heritage site owners or site stewards in the care for their historic buildings and sites with professional guidance and a commitment to high standards of heritage conservation practices, ensuring the longevity of the sites. VHF encourages all applicants to consider first applying for a Planning Project Grant or undertaking appropriate conservation planning before putting forward an application for a Conservation Project Grant.

Planning Project Grants will provide heritage site owners and stewards an opportunity to work with a Heritage Consultant. Planning projects can take the form of research and/or required documentation for nominating a building, structure, or site to the City of Vancouver’s Heritage Register. They can also support the creation of long-term informed conservation reports that map out a prioritized schedule for maintenance, repairs, restoration, or rehabilitation of the site. Examples of the type of research and documentation this can assist with include:

• Heritage Assessment to apply for addition to the Vancouver Heritage Register 
• Conservation Plan
• Maintenance Plan

For additional information, see: https://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Heritage-Conservation-Grants-Program-Guidelines-December-2022.pdf#page=5

Conservation Project Grants provide the next step in supporting a heritage site’s conservation for the long term and focus on the maintenance, repair, restoration and rehabilitation of a site’s exterior fabric and character-defining elements that embody its heritage values. Examples of the type of projects eligible for a Conservation Project Grant include:

• Conservation projects that support the repair of a historic site, enabling the longer life of the historic resource.
• Restoration projects that focus on bringing a site back to a specific period in its history.
• Rehabilitation projects that enable new uses or continued use of a heritage site while respecting character-defining elements.
• Sustainable retrofits that improve building performance where directly related to preserving eligible heritage elements.
  

For additional information regarding these types of projects, see: https://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Heritage-Conservation-Grants-Program-Guidelines-December-2022.pdf#page=6

Eligible types of sites can be found at https://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Heritage-Conservation-Grants-Program-Guidelines-December-2022.pdf#page=3.

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Eligibility Criteria" for clarification)