What is a Community Futures?
"Having spent the last year as Chair of Community Futures British Columbia. I am deeply impressed with the commitment of both staff and volunteers in the program. Finding solutions to community challenges, building relationships to support community development and acting as facilitators, community developers and capacity builders, those involved in the Community Futures program are ensuring that rural British Columbia remains a vibrant place to live and a thriving place to do business."
Bob Wright,
Chair of Community Futures Development Association
Community Futures organizations are independent, locally run and guided by volunteer boards. They actively support community-based economic development with a range of products and services aimed at creating diverse, sustainable rural communities.
Community Futures are:
- non-profit organizations guided by a volunteer board of directors and staffed with business professionals, who together are actively engaged in helping to develop and implement community-based economic development strategies;
- user-friendly business development centres that control and manage investment funds from which they make fully repayable loans to community members who are interested in starting or expanding their businesses;
- entrepreneurial development centres that provide one-on-one business training to assist individuals who are interested in self-employment or in expanding their businesses; and
- proactive, progressive thinking, community organizations dedicated to strengthening both their community's entrepreneurs and their community's economy as a whole.
Community Futures South Fraser
Community Futures South Fraser (CFSF) has been positively impacting the local economy and community since 1997. CFSF is a federally incorporated not-for-profit organization.
CFSF:
- nurtures community economic development and entrepreneurial culture in the Southern Fraser Valley of BC by providing support and services for community well-being.
- provides the practical tools and direction to turn dreams of self-employment into reality, by nurturing entrepreneurial spirit and offering the resources and direction to start, grow, or expand successful businesses.
- is funded by Western Economic Diversification (WD). Community Futures South Fraser is located in Abbotsford, BC, and serves those residing in the Greater Chilliwack and Abbotsford area, from the US border north to the Fraser River.
- is a not-for-profit, community operated organization consisting of committed volunteers and staff who provide leadership and act as catalysts to improve the social, cultural, and economic well being of rural communities.
Through the Community Economic Development process we work closely with communities to explore new means of economic diversification, business development, and project realization.
The Community Futures Business Development
Program provides counselling and workshops in areas such
as business plan development, marketing, bookkeeping and business
finance to help new and existing entrepreneurs
improve their business skills.
In addition, through our Business Loans
Program, we help clients locate both traditional and non-traditional
financing and provide non-monetary assistance to develop new
businesses or improve existing businesses.
