Summary
- The Civil Forfeiture Grant program uses the proceeds of crime to provide funding to local crime prevention and community-safety projects
- 173 grants and a total of more than $8 million are being provided to support community organizations
- 111 police agencies will benefit from more than $1 million for community safety, prevention and crime-reduction initiatives
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Communities throughout British Columbia will benefit from more than $8 million in grants to support local projects promoting crime prevention, Indigenous healing, restorative justice and solutions to gender-based violence.
“Community organizations play a vital role in keeping our neighbourhoods safe and inclusive for everyone,” said Nina Krieger, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “With the Civil Forfeiture Grant program, we’re supporting organizations working to make a difference in communities through projects helping youth, preventing gender-based violence and supporting Indigenous healing. At the same time, we’re taking away the proceeds fuelling organized crime.”
The Civil Forfeiture Grant program targets crime at its roots and supports public safety by converting forfeited assets that were the instruments or proceeds of unlawful activity into grant funding for community-safety initiatives. In 2026, 173 grants will be provided to organizations to support projects under the following streams:
- gender-based violence: 70 grants totalling $2.7 million
- child and youth advocacy centres: 12 grants totalling nearly $2 million
- crime prevention: 31 grants totalling more than $1 million
- Indigenous healing: 27 grants totalling $1 million
- restorative justice: 20 grants totalling $814,000
- domestic-violence prevention/intervention programming: 13 grants totalling $510,000
Police equipment and training grants
In addition to funding community-led initiatives, the Civil Forfeiture Grant program also funds specialized police equipment and training for law-enforcement agencies in B.C. In 2026, more than $1 million has been awarded to 111 police agencies supporting law-enforcement projects with a focus on community safety, prevention and crime-reduction initiatives.
Funding for these grants is made available through the Civil Forfeiture Office, which was established in 2006 with the purpose of removing the tools and proceeds of unlawful activity and redirecting them back into programs that support community safety and crime-prevention initiatives.
Quotes:
Spencer Chandra Herbert, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation –
“Communities across B.C. are benefiting from holistic, community-based approaches to healing and rebuilding families who have been impacted by intergenerational trauma, crime or victimization. The Indigenous-led projects funded this year, like the Tsay Keh Dene Nation Justice Program, are improving the experiences of Indigenous victims and survivors when interacting with the criminal-justice system by increasing access to justice and delivering trauma and culturally informed support and services.”
Jennifer Blatherwick, parliamentary secretary for gender equity –
“Redirecting assets linked to unlawful activity into programs that address community-safety measures is a powerful way to promote accountability while supporting those who are most affected. Gender-based violence has a profound impact on individuals, families and communities, and this funding helps turn harm into hope. It supports organizations that provide critical services, promotes prevention and empowers survivors to rebuild their lives.”
Brooke McLardy, executive director, BC Network of Child and Youth Advocacy Centres –
“Thank you to the Ministry of Public Safety for their continued support of child and youth advocacy centres working to create a better response to crimes against children in B.C. This funding will allow us to continue providing provincial leadership to support child and youth advocacy centres throughout the province, and continue offering the education and practice-focused Transformative Reconciliation Program, which helps to build more inclusive services for children, youth, families and communities.”
Quick Facts:
- Since the Civil Forfeiture Office’s inception, more than $100 million in civil forfeiture recoveries has been given as grants supporting community organizations throughout B.C.
- The Province announced an open call for 2026 grant applications in November 2025.
Learn More:
- To see the full list of 2025-26 grant recipients, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/crime-prevention/community-crime-prevention/grants
- For information about victim services, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/criminal-justice/bcs-criminal-justice-system/understanding-criminal-justice/key-parts/victim-services
- For information about the Civil Forfeiture Office, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/crime-prevention/civil-forfeiture-office
- For information about how B.C. is keeping communities safe, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/safe-communities