BC Hospitality Foundation

What BC Hospitality Foundation does

The BC Hospitality Foundation (BCHF) is a registered Canadian charity (Charity #86016 1785 RT0001) founded in 2006 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, that provides critical financial assistance to hospitality and tourism workers in BC who are facing health-related crises. Eligibility requires applicants to have at least two years of BC hospitality employment as their primary income source; approved beneficiaries receive an average of approximately $5,000 to cover rent, food, medicine, transportation to medical facilities, and other recovery expenses when other supports (medical plans, insurance, employment insurance) have been exhausted. The foundation was created by a group of wine and hospitality industry figures after their colleague Michael Willingham suffered a brain aneurysm, and it is described in source data as the only registered charity in Canada specifically serving hospitality workers during medical crises. Since inception, BCHF has supported over 329 workers with more than $1.3 million in cumulative assistance.

BCHF operates a portfolio of programs built around this core mission. Beyond direct financial support, the foundation administers eight named legacy scholarships covering culinary arts, wine and sommelier studies, hotel and restaurant management, and 2SLGBTQ+ hospitality pathways, plus the WORTH Beneficiary Fund partnership offering bursaries up to $2,000 to single mothers in BC hospitality. Fundraising is event-driven through recurring channels including the Vancouver and Victoria golf tournaments, the Spirit of Hospitality Lottery (with over $31,000 in travel prizes), the month-long Hospitality with Heart campaign where participating venues donate a portion of May sales, and the 20th Anniversary Gala targeted at $100,000. The foundation is governed by a Board of Directors drawn from BC's hospitality industry and staffed day-to-day by two paid employees (Executive Director Alana Dickson and Business & Fundraising Administrator Ana Franco).

The revenue model is purely donation-based, with no products or services sold. Income is sourced from individual one-time and monthly donations, corporate gifts (including Charity of Choice multi-year commitments and workplace giving payroll deductions), securities gifts processed through CanadaHelps, signature event fundraising, percentage-of-sales contributions from participating hospitality venues during Hospitality with Heart, and in-kind donations for auctions and lottery prizes. Donor management runs on the NeonCRM platform, and the foundation operates from a single mailing address in North Vancouver with no subsidiaries, parent company, or paid app product.

Name

BC Hospitality Foundation

Legal name

BC Hospitality Foundation

Website

https://bchospitalityfoundation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BC Hospitality Foundation is a registered Canadian charity providing financial assistance to BC hospitality and tourism workers facing health crises, supported through donations, corporate partnerships, and signature fundraising events including golf tournaments and lotteries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Financial Assistance Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Charitable foundation services
• Hospitality worker assistance
• Scholarship programs
• Event fundraising
• Workplace giving programs

Headquarters

HQ city

North Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and monthly donations from individuals supporting hospitality workers in BC. Donors can give through the website's NeonCRM donation portal.
2. Corporate Gifts and Charity of Choice: Corporate partners select BCHF as their Charity of Choice, supporting through workplace giving programs, payroll deductions, and corporate donations.
3. Securities Donations: Gifts of securities or mutual funds processed through CanadaHelps partner, allowing donors to give more efficiently without capital gains taxes.
4. Event Fundraising: Funds raised through signature events including golf tournaments, Spirit of Hospitality Lottery, and annual fundraising gala.
5. Hospitality with Heart Campaign: Month-long campaign where participating hospitality venues donate portions of sales (from specific menu items, room fees, or sales) to BCHF.
6. In-Kind Donations: Hotels, restaurants, and businesses donate items for lottery prizes and auction items used at fundraising events.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

BC Hospitality Foundation is a registered Canadian charity providing direct financial assistance to British Columbia hospitality and tourism workers facing health-related crises. It supplements this core financial aid with a portfolio of legacy scholarship programs supporting hospitality education and an annual calendar of signature fundraising events (lottery, golf tournaments, month-long Hospitality with Heart campaign, and milestone anniversary gala). Operations are funded entirely by individual donations, corporate Charity of Choice commitments, workplace giving, in-kind contributions, and event proceeds.

Product overview

The BC Hospitality Foundation operates as a single unified charitable mission offering financial support programs for BC hospitality and tourism workers facing health challenges. The core product is the Financial Support Program providing critical aid for essentials like rent, food, and medicine. Supporting this mission are scholarship products including the Michael Willingham, 2SLGBTQ+, Terry Threlfall, Tony Ryan, Chef Nik Lim, Gia Pastion, Greg King, and Valerie Soon Legacy Scholarships, each targeting different segments of the hospitality community. Additional offerings include the WORTH Beneficiary Fund for single mothers and fundraising events including the Spirit of Hospitality Lottery, Victoria Golf Tournament, Hospitality with Heart campaign, and 20th Anniversary Celebration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WORTH Beneficiary Fund: A bursary partnership with WORTH Association offering up to $2,000 in funding to support single mothers in hospitality facing hardship due to accidents or injuries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 329 hospitality workers helped with over $1.3 million since 2006
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• WORTH AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to support single mothers in hospitality facing hardship due to accident or injury. The WORTH Beneficiary Fund offers up to $2,000 in funding for single mothers in BC's hospitality industry.
• AbleBCcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry association partner representing BC's hospitality and tourism businesses, providing industry visibility and support.
• BCHA (BC Hotel Association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry association partner supporting hotel sector representation and fundraising efforts.
• Destination VancouversupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerTourism marketing partner for Vancouver region events and awareness.
• Destination Greater VictoriasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor for Victoria Golf Tournament, supporting regional hospitality events.
• Hotel Association of Greater VictoriasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry partner supporting Victoria-based hospitality events and initiatives.
• Hotel Association of VancouvercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCreated and leads the Spirit of Hospitality Lottery fundraiser since 2017. Key industry partner for Vancouver hospitality events.
• TIABC (Tourism Industry Association BC)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry association partner representing BC's tourism businesses.
• ContainerworldsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor for Vancouver Golf Tournament.
• Township 7 Vineyards & WinerysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Support, Ship & Sip campaign donating $10 from every May online purchase to BCHF plus collecting direct donations.
• CanadaHelpssupportingTechnology or IntegrationTrusted partner processing gifts of securities and mutual funds for efficient charitable giving.
• Neon OnesupportingTechnology or IntegrationPlatform provider powering BCHF's website and donation management through NeonCRM.
• Founding Planning CommitteecoreOthersOriginal founders including Christine Coletta (Haywire Winery), Darryl Weinbren, Geoffrey Howes, George and Trudy Heiss (Gray Monk Estate Winery), Harry McWatters, Jeannie Crane, Jim Bagan, Leeann Froese, Richard Carras, Tim Pawsey, Terry Sewell, Wendy Taylor who established BCHF in 2006.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• United Way British Columbia: Large BC-based nonprofit supporting community services through workplace giving campaigns. Comparable in leveraging payroll deduction and corporate partnerships as core fundraising channels, though mission spans all social services rather than hospitality specifically.
• James Beard Foundation: Established US culinary foundation administering scholarships, awards, and industry programs. Overlaps with BCHF on culinary education and hospitality industry support, but operates at much larger scale and broader mission scope.
• Vancouver Foundation: BC's largest community foundation managing over $1 billion in charitable assets. Compares on geographic jurisdiction (BC) and grantmaking distribution model, but at vastly greater scale and across a much broader mission than BCHF's hospitality-specific focus.

Others

• Restaurants Canada: National industry association representing Canada's restaurants and foodservice operators. Direct BCHF partner and comparable in serving BC hospitality industry interests, though structured as an advocacy body rather than a charitable grantmaker.
• Tourism Industry Association of BC: Industry association representing BC's tourism businesses and the broader visitor economy. Direct BCHF partner with overlapping sectoral coverage, though primarily an advocacy body rather than a grantmaking foundation.

Direct peers

• CORE: Community Organized Relief Effort: Nonprofit providing emergency relief including direct financial support to hospitality and service workers. Comparable in providing rapid-response grants to hospitality workers during crisis, with similar event-driven and corporate fundraising mix.
• Tom Douglas Foundation: Seattle-based charitable foundation established by chef Tom Douglas supporting restaurant industry workers in crisis. Highly comparable single-region hospitality worker charity with similar grantmaking focus and donor base drawn from the local food and beverage industry.
• Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation: US-based charitable foundation providing crisis grants and recovery support to restaurant workers. Closely comparable to BCHF in mission, grantmaking model, and beneficiary profile, though operating at larger US geographic scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/bchospitality
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bc-hospitality-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BC Hospitality Foundation