Money + Time and Why SVP is Needed Now More Than Ever  

Traditional philanthropy models have an intrinsic expectation of nonprofits to continuously do more in the face of decreasing resources. The 2025 Vantage Point State of the Sector Report saw that one-in-three organizations with operating budgets under $1M are at risk beyond the next 12 months, nearly 90% reported a massive increase in demand for programs, services, and activities that exceeds their capacity to deliver, and 80% of organizations reporting increased operational expenses of all types. These numbers tell an inescapable story: nonprofits need more than donations. They need full-spectrum investment in their people, platform, and power to scale. 

For 25 years, Social Venture Partners (SVP) Vancouver has filled this investment gap by investing where others don’t: in the leadership, operational infrastructure, and capacity that power lasting social change. That is the real meaning of Money + Time, and why it’s more relevant than ever to the philanthropic ecosystem of B.C. It’s a testament to the vision of SVP’s founders.

Defining Money: Long-Term, Flexible Capital

Sustainable scale doesn’t occur within a single grant cycle. We provide multi-year, multi-level financial support, giving nonprofits the foundation to pursue innovative initiatives, seek strategic partnerships, and work to scale their offerings. By treating funding as risk-tolerant and flexible rather than narrowing it towards singular project grants, we give nonprofit leaders the agility they need to focus, adapt, and direct resources where they’re needed most: to support the children and youth of British Columbia.

Defining Time: Building Sustainability

While money gets things moving, it’s organizational capacity that keeps them going. Our Time is dedicated to capacity building through wrap-around services and support that takes shape in the following ways:

• Leadership Development: Nurturing non-profit leaders via 1:1 executive coaching from our Partners, peer mentorship, and collaborative leadership tables that foster personal growth, confidence, and strategic vision.
• Subject-Matter & Industry Expertise: Pairing organizations with SVP Partners; skilled professionals who volunteer their time to offer strategic advice and hands-on guidance across infrastructure, event design and hosting, human resources, systems, and strategy. 
• Ecosystem & Network Building: Bringing non-profit leaders and engaged Partners together to identify opportunities for collaboration, peer-to-peer support, and knowledge-sharing in a genuinely supportive network.

The Result: A Multiplier Effect

Funding and guidance help build strong leaders, strong leaders build resilient organizations, and resilient organizations help B.C. kids thrive. That’s the SVP effect in action. And right now, more than ever, it’s the effect that B.C. nonprofits need. Fears surrounding donor reactions to overhead costs have pushed organizations to underinvest in infrastructure and leadership. Over the past two decades, only about 1% of organizational dollars have gone to nonprofit leadership and talent development. 

That gap in particular is where the SVP model steps in to make a profound impact. 

As we move into our next 25 years, we are committing to move more capital, expand our capacity building programming and supports, fuel groundbreaking initiatives, and reach even more children and youth across B.C. But to scale our impact, we need to scale our community.

Here is how you can help us:

• Expand the Circle: Philanthropy is a team sport. Think of one peer, colleague, or family member who wants their giving to go further, and invite them to the table. Introduce them to the SVP model.
• Deepen Your Investment: Elevate your funding commitment or bring your specialized expertise to our capacity-building teams to help us support even more Investees.
• Champion the Work: Use your platform and your voice. Share the transformative stories of our Investees and help us advocate for a funding model that truly builds resilient non-profits.

Let’s change how philanthropy works in every corner of the province.