Our community initiatives have taken a big step forward in 2026, and just as importantly, our teams have been out there bringing them to life. Across our communities, StellerVista staff have spent the year hosting and showing up: at river races, soap box derbies, fundraisers, fall fairs, and community celebrations – and it is something that we are incredibly proud of.

From the West Boundary, through the Kootenays, to the Elk Valley, our communities are full of people and organizations doing great things. Being able to support that work with funding is important, and being there alongside them matters too.

And the season is not over. After joining the Rock Creek and Jaffray fall fairs this past weekend, our teams will be at several more community events in the weeks ahead. If you see the StellerVista tent, come say hello.

StellerStudents and StellerImpact

Two of our very popular grant program were running and wrapping up through the summer. Our StellerStudents program has officially provided post-secondary awards to 25 students from across our seven communities, with $25,000 being issued to these students, we wish them much luck on the year ahead, and the next step they are taking!

For our StellerImpact grants, which offer $1,000 to $5,000 grants to organizations working on projects that make a local impact, we have seen close to 90 applications come in July through September – wow! Reviews are now underway, we expect to issue about $50,000 in grants this October to a number of applicants across the Kootenay / Boundary region.

Introducing StellerFuture

We are also excited to launch the trial of something completely new. StellerFuture! This grant program can provide up to $40,000 in funding for community-based financial literacy, through two regional grants designed to create meaningful, lasting impact ($20,000 for education in the East Kootenay, $20,000 for education in the West Kootenay / Boundary).

We have been hearing from members that traditional forms of financial literacy just don’t work in todays age, and that if we want to make an impact in this area, we need get out beyond our own walls. So we are listening, but we know we cannot do it alone – and the hope is that the StellerFuture program will help us find the right partner or partners to make it happen.

We are hoping you can help us spread the word on this one. More info and the full RFP can be found at StellerVista.com/stellerfuture