Clinic Grants 2024/25

The Vancouver Division of Family Practice (VDOFP) is proud to offer our community family practice clinics a one-time financial grant to support your ideas to improve your Patient Medical Home practices and to build your Primary Care Networks. Our objective is to encourage as many clinics as possible to access the grants for a project that will make a meaningful difference to your clinic and staff.

The clinic grant program is available to Vancouver PMHs with family doctors providing primary care to patients in the community, and not in a care facility (e.g. hospital facility). 

Specifically:

• The clinic or practice is Vancouver-based, and is not 100% virtual.
• The clinic provides some aspect of primary care services (though not exclusively longitudinal, and could include specialized populations / specialized services).
• The clinic is primarily MSP-funded, and has at least one practicing, primarily MSP-funded Family Doctor. Clinics without Family Doctors are not eligible.
• Family Doctors do not have to be practicing full-time or be VDOFP members.
• VCH (or other Health Authority) owned and operated clinics are not eligible.

Maximum grant amounts are funded based on the number of physician* full-time equivalent (FTE) at a clinic. Clinics with:

• 0.1 to 1 family physician FTE will receive $1,000
• 2 – 4 family physician FTEs will receive $2,000
• 5 or more family physician FTEs will receive $4,000

For example, if your clinic has 2 full-time physicians and 3 physicians that see patients half-time, the clinic is eligible for $2,000 (2 + 1.5 FTEs = 3.5 FTEs).

* Funding is based on Family Physicians working in the clinic (not specialists, NPs, allied health, etc.)

While the maximum grant funding is determined by your clinic’s total FTE, the actual grant amount awarded will be determined based on receipts submitted in your end of project report.

Vancouver Division reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to change grant amounts.

Applications will open soon.

This year the Vancouver Division is aiming to make the application process for clinics even easier. Eligible clinics will be sent a customized application form to complete their grant request.

Clinic grants cannot be used towards the purchase of computer hardware.

To support your clinic’s technology needs please consider applying to the Division’s PMH Connectivity and Digitization Program: https://vancouverdivision.com/pmh-connectivity-2024-25

Grant funded cannot be used towards:

• Clinical training or purchasing clinical equipment used by physicians and/or clinicians that involve direct or indirect patient care, or patient information/data.
• Physician time related to patient care.
• Projects which are supported by other sources of funding (e.g. DoBC, FPSC etc.) This includes:
  • Staff training on new technology (e.g. online booking system, EMR, new software/ equipment, or online security. Please refer to our PMH Connectivity & Digitization Program for support in this area.
  • Purchase of software or hardware – please refer to our PMH Connectivity & Digitization Program for support in this area.
• Retreats, catering, social events, or appreciation gifts.

• New this Year: To support your clinic’s technology needs consider applying for the Division’s new PMH connectivity and Digitization Program.
• FPSC offers funding for clinics to perform panel management and to implement Health Data Coalition’s EMR data portal. Click here for a complete list of current funding opportunities for clinical support and click here for additional grant information.
• Doctors of BC’s current list of open grants is available here.

Grant monies are considered income for accounting and taxation purposes.

It is important that you consider your clinic structure to allow you to match grant income and expenses appropriately for your circumstances.

The Vancouver Division issues T4A’s for all individual income. Corporations are not issued T4A’s. You will be asked to confirm whether grant funding is to be disbursed to an individual or a corporation following approval of your grant application.

Clinics are advised to seek accounting advice if they have any further questions.

Yes. Clinics may work together on a joint project the positively benefits each clinic. Each clinic will be awarded the grant based on the number of physicians working at each clinic, up to $4,000 per clinic. Only one Clinic Owner or Clinic Manager needs to submit the grant request on behalf of all clinics involved.

No. The application is for the entire clinic (or group of clinics). A single application can include multiple ideas that all support the improvement of Patient Medical Homes and building Primary Care Networks.

Each clinic, or group of clinics may request one grant for a project of its choice. We encourage Clinic Owners and Clinic Managers representing an individual clinic (or representing a group of clinics) to apply on behalf of the entire clinic.

New this year: A clinic (or group of clinics) will receive the initial 50% of the funds shortly after project approval.

A clinic (or group of clinics) will receive the remaining 50% of project funds upon project completion. We will send you an end of project template to provide a brief summary of your project, after which you will receive the remaining funding.

Projects must be completed by February 28, 2025 providing clinics up to four (4) months to achieve their desired outcomes.

No. The grant will cover the clinic’s initial project costs, and it is the clinic’s responsibility to pay for any ongoing costs beyond the initial project.