Ready Where We Live is a resident-led micro-grant program offered by the Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen. 

Grants of $250 to $500 are available to support neighbourhood gatherings focused on emergency preparedness, resilience, and community connection. 

Funding can be used to bring neighbours together for one or multiple gatherings, allowing groups to build relationships while working through preparedness activities and resources. 

Priority is given to projects that: 

• Bring neighbours together in a meaningful way 
• Encourage shared leadership
• Build local connections and networks
• Increase household and neighbourhood preparedness
• Create welcoming and inclusive spaces
• Strengthen community resilience

Review the application here

Why Neighbourhood Preparedness Matters

In many emergencies, neighbours are often the first people nearby and able to offer support. Before emergency responders arrive, simple acts of care — checking on someone, sharing information, offering a ride, or knowing who may need extra help — can make a significant difference.

When neighbours know one another, understand local skills and resources, and have talked through basic plans together, they are better able to respond with confidence and care.

Ready Where We Live focuses on both preparedness and connection because resilient communities are built through relationships. The goal is not to create a complicated emergency plan, but to help neighbours build trust, share knowledge, and take practical steps toward being more ready together.

Neighbourhood groups can choose activities that fit their community and interests. 

Examples include: 

• Hosting a neighbourhood preparedness gathering  
• Working through a PreparedBC guide together
• Creating a neighbourhood contact list
• Mapping local skills, assets, and resources
• Developing communication plans
• Inviting local emergency personnel to speak
• Practicing evacuation or communication scenarios
• Learning about extreme heat, wildfire, flooding, or power outages
• Creating plans to support neighbours who may need extra assistance during emergencies
• Holding seasonal preparedness gatherings throughout the year  

Food, conversation, and relationship-building are encouraged. Many neighbourhoods may choose to gather more than once as they move from learning to planning and action. 

Funding may be used for: 

• Food and refreshments
• Printing and materials
• Name tags and meeting supplies
• Honoraria or mileage support for local guest speakers
• Emergency preparedness demonstration materials
• Small door prizes such as emergency preparedness items
• Accessibility supports  

All expenses must directly support neighbourhood preparedness and community connection activities. 

Ready Where You Live applications are open to residents of the South Okanagan Similkameen. 

We encourage neighbours to apply together. Shared leadership helps build stronger relationships, distributes responsibilities, and increases the long-term impact of preparedness efforts. 

Neighbourhood groups, strata communities, apartment buildings, rural roads, mobile home parks, and informal resident groups are all welcome to apply. 

Funding Decisions 

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. 

Funding decisions are based on: 

• Neighbourhood engagement
• Community-building opportunities
• Preparedness activities proposed
• Number of participants
• Number of gatherings planned
• Overall alignment with program goals  

Not all projects will receive the amount requested. 

Application Process

To begin your application, click the “Apply Here” button below. This button will be active during the application period (June 26 through July 31). Clicking the button will open a new window where you can sign in to our online application system.

If you have applied to for an individual grant before (i.e. Neighbourhood Small Grants), you will already have your e-mail address and password registered in our system. Please log on using those credentials. If you don’t remember your existing log on information, please click the “Forgot Your Password?” link.

If you have not applied for a grant before, click on the “Create new Account” link and follow the instructions.

Important Note: our application software is optimized for organizations, and that means there are some workarounds for an individual applicant. When you reach the Organization Information section of the “Create New Account” page, ensure you do the following:

• Fill in only the starred (*) fields
• Organization Name: please use your family (last) name
• CRA Registration Number: enter 000000000RR0000 (9 zeros, RR, 4 zeros)
• Address: please use the address of your permanent residence
• Telephone: please use the number where you are most easily reached

Once you have created and or/signed into your account, you can start your application by clicking the “Application – Ready Where We Live” link on your Applicant Dashboard. You can access your application at anytime prior to final submission by logging in with your username and password.  

Link to application portal

Apply today and help your neighbourhood become Ready Where We Live.