Vital Signs

Edmonton Vital Signs® helps identify the greatest needs for funding from Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF).

Vital Signs® is a national initiative conducted by participating community foundations across Canada. The Edmonton Vital Signs® Report identifies community needs, which helps us focus our resources on those needs. Vital Signs® is also a valuable teaching tool and resource for policy makers and organizations working on the front-lines. These groups use Vital Signs® to help inform their decision making processes.

We partner with the Edmonton Social Planning Council (ESPC) to ensure the information provided by Vital Signs® is accurate. ESPC is an independent social research and analysis organization. They have been operating in Edmonton for more than 75 years. You can learn more about the ESPC by clicking here. We also work with a committee of community experts to ensure the report is examining the right issues.

This year we’re conducting Vital Signs a little differently. In addition to our annual report we’ll also be focusing on individual issues, Vital Topics, that are timely and important to Edmonton throughout the year.

Our first Vital Topic focuses on women.  Let’s look a some of the data you will find in the report:

  • In yearly earnings, women working full-time in Canada still earned 74.2¢ for every dollar that full-time male workers made.
  • Edmonton saw a 13% increase in reported sexual assaults in 2017.
  • Slightly more women (215,500) than men (212,860) hold a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree in Edmonton.

These are only a few findings you will discover in the first Vital Signs Topic of 2018. If you would like to read the report, follow the links below:

We take action through the Vital Signs® Grants program to ensure we go beyond simply identifying issues. In November, we will identify an area of focus based on the 2017 report’s findings. We then launch a call for charities working in the Edmonton area to apply for grants to fund projects or programs related to the area of focus. These grants are for amounts up to $10,000 for projects. You can learn more about Vital Signs® Grants by clicking here.

If you would like to read past reports, follow the links below: