Apply for Support

Variety BC steps in where health care ends to empower kids with special needs.

Child Grants

Variety child grants fund adaptive equipment, specialized therapies & counselling, tuition & tutoring, mental wellness support, and private assessments.

Adaptive & Mobility Equipment

We give children the gift of freedom

Mental Wellness

We offer critical support for invisible challenges

Private Assessments

We help families find answers with autism & psychoeducational assessments

Specialized Therapies

We empower kids to build strength and confidence

Tuition & Tutoring

We help kids learn to thrive

Type 1 Diabetes Support

We fund PharmaCare deductibles for kids living with Type 1 Diabetes

Other Support

Variety BC has three other programs that have a positive impact on the lives of children with disabilities and complex health needs and their families.

Variety Schools Grants

Supporting schools working to transform into inclusive and accessible spaces, Variety matches their fund raising efforts to bring their projects to life.

Sunshine Coach Grants

By providing safe and reliable transportation for the kids they work with, we support other organizations who work tirelessly to enhance the lives of kids with special needs.

Hospital Grants

Through the Variety Cares Fund, we enable hospital administrators and social workers to meet the urgent needs of families whose children are receiving medical treatment away from their home communities.

BC Family Residence Program

There’s a lot for a family to think about while a child receives important care at BC Children’s Hospital or Sunny Hill Health Care Centre. Administering the Family Residence Program on behalf of the Government of BC, Variety takes on some of this burden by providing accommodation assistance to families while a child receives care at one of these facilities.

We support families

At Variety, our vision is to empower every child with special needs to reach their unique potential.

To achieve this vision we step in where health care ends to fund equipment and services by giving grants to families.

To apply for a grant from Variety, we recommend developing an understanding of:

• What Variety covers under the grant you wish to apply for
• Our eligibility requirements
• The application and grant process
• The supporting documents you’ll need to complete the application process
• Related grants that your family might be eligible for

Are you eligible?

Review specific Eligibility Requirements depending on the Grant you would like to receive.

Looking to help?

We believe we can achieve a lot more when we work together! Make a donation, volunteer your time, or even set up your own community fundraiser with our support!

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Variety help?

Variety steps in where health care ends aiming to fill the gaps which are not covered by government programs, health care or private health plans. Variety relies solely on the generosity of individuals, corporate sponsors and organizations to fund our child grants. Grants are designed to be flexible to allow you to apply for the items that best meet your child’s needs. As every child is unique, so is every application and each is reviewed on an individual basis. Sometimes, Variety tops up funding where another agency cannot fund the entire cost. An example would be a partial contribution towards vehicle modifications.

Who can apply for a child grant?

Only families whose child meets all of the following criteria can be considered for an individual grant:
– Children from birth to their 19th birthday. (Note: for autism assessment, the child seeking help must be 4 years or under.)
– A child must be a B.C. resident with a valid Personal Health Number (PHN) or Yukon resident with a valid Health Care Card
– Qualified special need (medical and/or developmental) as confirmed by a designated health care professional. (This does not apply to private autism and psychoeducational assessments or mental wellness requests)
– Financial circumstance that limits the ability to afford the item or service required. (We are currently able to consider requests from households with an annual income of up to $85,000).

What can I apply for?

Our current grant priority areas are:

  • Adaptive & Mobility Equipment (e.g. Power and manual wheel chairs, adaptive trikes, hearing aids, standing walkers, custom orthotics, van conversions)
  • Mental Wellness Counselling
  • Specialized Therapies (e.g. Speech & language, occupational, physical, music, equine & counselling)
  • Tuition & Tutoring Bursaries for Learning Disabilities
  • Private Autism (age 4 and under)
  • Psychoeducational Assessments
  • Type 1 Diabetes support

What can’t I apply for?

No medicines/prescriptions, eye glasses or dental

  1. Services or equipment not directly related to a child’s special/extra needs and which are not deemed medically/developmentally necessary
  2. Alternative or naturopathic treatments or those not provided in person including neuroplasticity or computer stimulationAny program/service or equipment that can be or is paid wholly by government (including Autism, At Home,
  3. Early Intervention, Health Region, First Nations Health, BC Family Residence Program. Top up considered
  4. Behavioral Intervention/Consultation
  5. Funding for any services related to Autism for children under six years old who receive over $22,000 per year in government funding. Except for music therapy will be considered for under six year olds with Autism funding.
  6. Childcare, respite or related programs/services
  7. Warranties, insurance, maintenance, service agreements, batteries, repairs
  8. Administrative fees or operational costs
  9. Vehicles – except: Sunshine Family Van program and van conversions (including van ramp and tie downs) to a maximum of $7,500
  10. Medical services plans, premiums, deductibles – except for type 1 diabetic supplies.
  11. Electronic devices, including Apps or software
  12. Travel costs including: time, gas, mileage, truck or car rentals, parking or insurance
  13. Sports equipment that is non-adaptive or does not support special needs
  14. Non-B.C. residents
  15. Reports, consultations, assessments – except autism/psychoeducational assessments
  16. Autism assessments for child age 5 and over
  17. More than one autism/psychoeducational assessment per child
  18. Expenses that have already been initiated or have already occurred prior to submission or written approval
  19. Incomplete application forms
  20. Those without specific certification or professional credentials to deliver services to clients or the use of assistants
  21. Children or Youth over 19 years old
  22. A child without a personal health number (Care card)
  23. More than two request in one Variety fiscal year over $4000 total
  24. Children under five who qualify for early intervention or services through a Child Development Centre (CDC) or Health Authority (HA). (Top up considered)
  25. Equipment from non-Canadian distributors that cannot be invoiced directly from Variety or services outside Canada

How much can I ask for?

Variety’s funding is always based on what funds are available. We will consider one application per year, per child and must be completed within one Variety fiscal year. Your priorities must be listed on the application for Variety’s consideration.
Limits also include:
– Therapies: Maximum $2,500 per year for one and $4,000 total for two.
– Tutoring: Maximum $1,500 per year; Tuition: Maximum $4,000 per year (reviewed only from August to October)
– Compliance with our policies and guidelines does not guarantee funding of any application.