Wish & Win contest and Impact Challenge Grant honour eight decades of cooperative banking by investing in the future of British Columbia

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To mark its 80th anniversary, Vancity is investing $2 million in people and communities across British Columbia through two initiatives: the Wish & Win Contest, which will award $1 million in cash prizes to individuals, and the Impact Challenge Grant, which will provide $1 million in funding for innovative affordable housing solutions.

For eight decades, Vancity has helped members build financial wellbeing while investing in stronger communities. As British Columbians continue to face affordability challenges, the credit union is using its milestone anniversary as an opportunity to give back and help support the people, organizations and ideas shaping the future of the province.

"Our 80th anniversary is a celebration of the members and communities that built Vancity," said Wellington Holbrook, President and CEO of Vancity. "This $2 million commitment reflects who we've always been: a financial co-operative that believes when people and communities succeed, we all succeed."

Helping people pursue their goals

Through the Wish & Win Contest, Vancity will award $1 million in cash prizes to 16 winners across British Columbia.

Open to Vancity members and the public, the contest invites participants to share their wish for the future. Whether that means supporting family, pursuing a personal goal, investing in a business idea or taking steps toward greater financial wellbeing, the contest is designed to help people move one step closer to the future they envision.

Supporting community-led housing solutions

At the same time, Vancity is launching the Impact Challenge Grant in partnership with Spring.

The challenge will award $1 million across three grants to organizations advancing innovative affordable housing solutions while supporting climate resilience, equity and Reconciliation.

With affordable housing remaining one of the most pressing issues facing communities across British Columbia, the grant will help organizations scale promising ideas and expand their impact.

"Affordable housing is one of the most urgent challenges facing B.C. communities right now, and the positive ripple effect of getting it right is enormous," said Caroline von Hirschberg, Co-CEO of Spring. "When people have access to safe, stable homes, everything else becomes more possible, from financial resilience to stronger, more connected communities. This challenge is designed to help organizations accelerate solutions that are already making a difference."

Investing in the next 80 years

Together, the Wish & Win Contest and Impact Challenge Grant represent two sides of Vancity's cooperative purpose: supporting individual financial wellbeing while helping build stronger communities.

Over its 80-year history, Vancity has reinvested in members, local businesses, community organizations and initiatives that help create a more inclusive and sustainable future. The anniversary campaign builds on that legacy by putting new resources directly into the hands of people and organizations working to create positive change across the province.

The anniversary campaign will run through December, with Wish & Win contest winners announced in January 2027 and Impact Challenge Grant recipients recognized later this year.

To learn more, visit vancity.com.

About Vancity

Vancity is a values-based financial co-operative serving the needs of its 588,000 member-owners and their communities, with offices and more than 60 branches located in Metro Vancouver and Squamish, the Fraser Valley, the Sunshine Coast, the Vancouver and Gulf Islands and Alert Bay, within the territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka'wakw Peoples. With $42.4 billion in assets plus assets under administration, Vancity is Canada's largest credit union. Vancity uses its assets to help improve the financial well-being of its members while at the same time helping to develop healthy communities that are socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable.

Contact

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778-837-0394