Year Founded: 1946

Mission & Mandate: Vancity uses its assets to help improve the financial wellbeing of its members while at the same time helping to develop healthy communities that are socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.

Description: Vancity is a values-based financial co-operative serving the needs of its more than 543,000 member-owners and their communities, with offices and 54 branches located in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Victoria, Squamish and Alert Bay, within the unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw people. With $28.2 billion in assets plus assets under administration, Vancity is Canada’s largest community credit union.

Investing in impact is core to Vancity’s business and includes:
– Catalyzing the creation of impact-focused businesses – Vancity operates a “fund of funds” committed to investing in impact-focused private equity Funds that are domiciled in Canada and that invest in companies within areas of impact important to Vancity (environment, sustainable agriculture and organics, health and wellness, women-led enterprises, indigenous entrepreneurs, affordable housing, co-ops). These investments help investees leverage further resources in support of impactful early-stage innovation, magnifying the impact of our own investment.
– Supporting impact business members and community initiatives – Vancity provides a variety of supports for impact-focused member businesses (including businesses that are starting up) and community initiatives. These may include standard and specialized business loans, community investment grants, microloans, special programs to build financial literacy and capacity, and partnerships on specific social impact projects in the community such as social housing developments. Vancity’s business lending and community investing activities are guided by Vancity’s Ethical Principles of for Business Relationships, under which impact is a key factor in business lending and community investing.