Adaptive & Mobility Equipment
We give children the gift of freedom
Variety BC steps in where health care ends to empower kids with disabilities and complex health needs.
Variety child grants fund adaptive equipment, specialized therapies & counselling, tuition & tutoring, mental wellness support, and private assessments.
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.
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.
At Variety, our vision is to empower every child with disabilities and complex health 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:
Review specific Eligibility Requirements depending on the Grant you would like to receive.
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!
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.
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).
Our current grant priority areas are:
No medicines/prescriptions, eye glasses or dental
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.