Community Salmon Program
The Pacific Salmon Foundation was established in 1987 as an independent, non-governmental, charitable organization to protect, conserve and rebuild wild Pacific salmon populations in British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. Since inception, grants to community stewardship groups including First Nations, have been at the core of the Foundation’s work.
The Foundation’s Community Salmon Program supports the volunteers, community stewards and First Nations who undertake salmon conservation projects.
Objectives
- To empower community stewardship groups by funding projects to conserve and rehabilitate Pacific salmon stocks and habitat;
- to increase awareness and public engagement with issues related to Pacific salmon;
- and, to create partnerships with diverse organizations in support of salmon rehabilitation.
By the Numbers
- Provided grants to more than 1,900 projects since 1989;
- engaged more than 35,000 volunteers in British Columbia and the Yukon;
- rehabilitated more than 1.1 million square meters of streams
- planted more than 360,000 trees and shrubs;
- resulted in an additional $6 raised for each $1 granted by the Foundation, on average by local communities;
- granted more than $1.5 million to community-led salmon projects through Salmon Conservation Stamp funds each year.
Streamkeepers at Work
Apply for Funding
Applications for the Community Salmon Program Fall 2023 funding round are open from September 5 through October 15. Please go to our online application portal, https://psf.smapply.ca/, to review eligibility criteria and create an account or to log into your organization’s existing account.
Community Salmon Program offers two streams of grant funding: Short and Standard Form applications. Applicants are limited to one Short Form application (single-item requests not exceeding $2,500) per funding round, and unlimited Standard Forms (requests over $2,500). Please note that CSP will pay up to 50% of the total value of each project and must be matched by other funds, donations, and volunteer labour.
The Pacific Salmon Foundation’s Community Salmon Program is a grantmaking program that supports volunteer and community–driven organizations that undertake salmon conservation and restoration projects in British Columbia and the Yukon. The program makes annual grants totaling more than $1.5 million. The majority of these funds are generated through sales of the Recreational Fisheries Conservation Stamp, commonly known as the Salmon Stamp, by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Please contact our Salmon Programs staff to learn more about applying for the Community Salmon Program: jshinkewski@psf.ca or 604-664-7664 x112

Partner with Us
Despite our best efforts, each year the Foundation has to turn away technically sound projects due to budget constraints. Furthermore, many community groups struggle to raise sufficient matching funds to secure Foundation grants. We are continually looking for individual, foundation and corporate partners to help fill this unmet need with donations that can be targeted to particular geographic regions or types of projects, such as habitat restoration and conservation, salmon enhancement, education, etc. Tax-deductible donations to the Community Salmon Program are typically in the range of $5,000-$50,000 annually and are ideally pledged over several years to provide continuity in funding over time. Funders are provided recognition through traditional and new media platforms when grants are announced.
To learn more contact Cory Matheson at 604.664.7664 or cmatheson@psf.ca.