KL Foundation

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KL Foundation Investing in our Indigenous Youth and Communities, weaving courage, hope, and opportunity into the future.

The Kw’umut Lelum Foundation is a wholly First Nation-owned and led organization whose purpose is to collaborate with private and public philanthropists to invest in Indigenous youth and communities, ensuring equity of access to support programs, positive outcomes in education, and increased community wellbeing. We achieve this led by the strength of our snuw’uyulh, supported by our values:
Uy’ ya’tulct ci’cuwatulct (Walking Hand in Hand in a Good Way )
Stitumstuxw tun shqwuluwun (Self-Determination)
Xwunuts’amaat uw’ muqwstem (Inter-Connectedness)

About Us

The KL Foundation is led and controlled by nine Coast Salish Nations. The voice of the youth are at the centre of the work we undertake. In establishing a First Nations owned and governed foundation we are ensuring First Nations control the mission, vision, values and the resulting strategy and planning for investing in youth and community. For twenty five years the nine Nations who make up Kw'umut Lelum Child and Family Services have been working together to support their children, youth and families. Nine nations came together and from their collective strength and resilience they fought for their children and youth and for the potential of their futures.

As the days fly by into autumn, we are still reflecting on our time in Treaty 1 territory and the home of the Red River ...
10/16/2026

As the days fly by into autumn, we are still reflecting on our time in Treaty 1 territory and the home of the Red River Métis, Winnipeg, Manitoba, where we participated in the 2026 Philanthropic Foundations of Canada (PFC) National Conference.

This year the theme was ‘Reciprocity,’ and there was no better opening keynote speaker than Niigaan Sinclair, an Anishinaabe professor, activist, and author of several books including “Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre.”

There was a plethora of opportunities for Sharon Hobenshield, our Executive Director, and Sheena Robinson, our Grant-writer and Storyteller, to learn and share about Indigenous-led perspectives and practices in philanthropy, and an abundance of time to network with community-minded folks and organizations, including at a lovely dinner out!

We are grateful to PFC for being such excellent hosts and for focusing on the important theme of Reciprocity - one of our 6 R’s for Reconciliation and for guiding the work we do with Nations!

It’s so fun to share the winner of our seasonal draw! 🍁If you’re not sure what that is - each season we put the names of...
10/15/2026

It’s so fun to share the winner of our seasonal draw! 🍁

If you’re not sure what that is - each season we put the names of all our donors into the proverbial hat and pull a name to win an Indigenous gift box full of goodies from Indigenous-entrepreneurs such as food and treats, self-care, home goods, and accessories. It’s our way of saying how much we appreciate all of those who support our work!

Our yuxay'tl'thut (Autumn in Hul'q'umi'num') winner is … Norma Bird! Congratulations!

She was delighted to be the recipient of our seasonal gift and shared that, “I love that my gift to you was appreciated and that I was so lucky to have won something!”


Our 2025-26 annual report is now ready to read! It’s filled with uplifting stories from the work we did with our partner...
10/06/2026

Our 2025-26 annual report is now ready to read! It’s filled with uplifting stories from the work we did with our partner organizations and nine member Nations last year and this spring.

Read on to learn about:
👉 an initiative that encourages children to get off their phones and on to the land;
👉how creating access to physical activity, arts and cultural activities is empowering Indigenous children, youth and their families
👉 how a canoe building project is reconnecting people back to their culture and traditions

Check it out at https://ow.ly/OVsa50ZV4Ml

Huy ch q’u to veryone who took action today on the by donating to our 30x30 campaign, in support of scholarships for ...
10/01/2026

Huy ch q’u to veryone who took action today on the by donating to our 30x30 campaign, in support of scholarships for Indigenous students.
We appreciate all of our donors for taking reconcilACTION and wanted to share a few words from RLR Lawyers who donated $1,500 to our campaign!

“The Kw’úmut Lelum Foundation does vital work supporting Indigenous children, youth and families across Vancouver Island. We are honoured to support their work on this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.”

We lift our hands up to them and to all of you who participated!
If you’d still like to get involved our campaign is running until December 30!
Learn more: klfoundation.ca

On the we encourage you to reflect upon the horrific history of residential schools and the intergenerational trauma t...
09/30/2026

On the we encourage you to reflect upon the horrific history of residential schools and the intergenerational trauma they inflicted on Indigenous Peoples across Canada.

The recent events in Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc reinforce a fear that many of us feel - that a complacency has settled in around the work of reconciliation, as though it no longer needs our attention. But these events are a stark reminder that we cannot get complacent.

Today and every day, we must reaffirm our commitment to reconciliation. As a community, we must hold strong against ongoing colonial violence and erasure.

One way to do this is to get involved with Indigenous-led organizations that are doing the good hard work to move along the reconciliation path - learn about their work, share it with others, and if you are able, give what you can.

For us this work is connected to a core Call to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: to ensure equitable funding for Indigenous students — including post-secondary opportunities (Call to Action #11).

That’s why we are launching our 30 x 30 campaign today with a goal to raise $30,000 by Dec 30 for scholarships for .

Every $ supports reconciliation by increasing access to life-changing education opportunities for Indigenous youth.

“Please know how much your generosity means to me. I carry this encouragement with me as I continue working hard toward my goals, and I am deeply grateful for your belief in my potential.” Janessa Toye Stz'uminus First Nation, BC Medicine, Queen's University - School of Medicine

If you’d like to join our campaign please like, share or donate at
https://www.klfoundation.ca/donate 🙏

Join us for our second annual 30x30 campaign launching on September 30 - the . Did you know - there is a 20 per cent ga...
09/25/2026

Join us for our second annual 30x30 campaign launching on September 30 - the .

Did you know - there is a 20 per cent gap in post-secondary completion between Indigenous and non-Indigenous adults in Canada? There are many reasons for this including the disparities that exist because of the devastating and ongoing legacy of colonization.

Our 30x30 campaign helps to address that gap - providing scholarships to Indigenous youth so they can pursue their post-secondary education dreams!

“Thank you for believing in students like me and for making it possible to keep chasing these goals. I’m truly grateful.” Aedan Crocker Penelakut Tribe, BC Engineering, University of Calgary

Learn more: klfoundation.ca

🙏

Wow! We are excited to share that our Physical Activity, Recreation & Culture (PARC) grant, together with the Grassroots...
09/22/2026

Wow! We are excited to share that our Physical Activity, Recreation & Culture (PARC) grant, together with the Grassroots Recreation Scholarship grants funded by three member Nations (Stz’uminus, Snuneymuxw and Penelakut ) had almost 100 applicants – twice as many as in previous years!

We raise our hands to our tsetsuwatil communithy of donors and the Nations who helped make this possible. Together, we’re creating opportunities for Indigenous children and youth to nurture their physical, cultural, emotional and spiritual wellbeing through activities like lacrosse, skiing, dance, soccer, and boxing.

And the impact goes far beyond the activity itself.

Casey Frenchy’s children were supported by the PARC grant and as she said: “The support provided through the grant has made a meaningful difference for our family and has allowed my children to pursue activities that contribute to their growth, confidence, and overall well-being.”

That is what these opportunities are about: creating space for Indigenous children and youth to build confidence, strengthen connections, discover their passions and experience the joy of being active and involved in their communities.

Huy ch q’u! 🙌

www.klfoundation.ca

Kw’umut Lelum wrapped up another successful year with a grant from Vancouver Foundation in support of the "Respecting th...
09/15/2026

Kw’umut Lelum wrapped up another successful year with a grant from Vancouver Foundation in support of the "Respecting the Harvest" program.

This grant has not only allowed the traditional harvesting program to continue but to flourish, with more youth participating than ever before. The funds went towards three hunting trips - deer, elk, and grouse - where 34 youth from across the nine member Nations learned how to respectfully harvest the animals from local knowledge keepers. They also supported marine harvesting and plant medicine harvesting!

Frankie Shaw was once a child in care and now works with youth in care. He said, “Kids aren’t getting outside as much as they used to. Harvesting plants and animals is crucial for their learning … this brings them back to what their ancestors were doing.”

We love witnessing youth becoming mentors to the younger ones as this program continues to flourish, and we can’t wait to see what happens this coming season!

Read more: https://shorturl.at/DyEYo

09/10/2026

Just in case you missed it! We shared this inspirising story of a Snaw-naw-as canoe building project back in July. 🛶

But it’s so good we thought we’d share it again!

It’s the story of how traditional canoe-making was brought back to the Nation creating a pathway for Indigenous youth and community members to strengthen connections to each other, the land, the waters, and their ancestral teachings.

Guided by Mike Billy, a seventh-generation Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) canoe builder and founder of Canoe Cultures, Snaw-naw-as community members Melanie Bob-Coleman, Ron Fraser, Logan Bob, and Sophia Sampson spent six months building a six-person canoe. They learned technical skills but also so much more — experiencing how a project like this can be life changing — awakening the community back to its culture, traditions, and history.

As Sophia said: "I'm very proud to say that I was able to take part in something this big, and I'm excited to see how far we can go with this."

Check out the full video at https://www.klfoundation.ca/stories/sfs-canoe

Address

204-12590 Transcanada Highway
Ladysmith, BC
V9R4Z3

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

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