Japanese Canadian Survivors Health and Wellness Fund Society
Welcome to the Japanese Canadian Survivors Health & Wellness Fund, a program created to distribute health support grants to assist individual Survivors with their health care needs.
Two grants are available:
- Grant 1 ($650): For Survivors who did not receive the 2021 Grant that was offered between September 1 to October 31, 2021
- Grant 2 ($4500): A new grant to support living Survivors with their individual Health & Wellness needs
The Japanese Canadian Survivors Health and Wellness Fund is now open for online applications and will remain open until March 31, 2025.
Visit our Apply page to find out more information about the available grants, eligibility criteria and to make your online application.
Outreach Workers are available across Canada to support survivors with making their online applications over the phone, through a virtual call or at an in-person event.
After making an application, the next step is to have your application validated by an Outreach Worker. Please see the Apply page for more details.
Background to this Fund
British Columbia Government policies prior to, during, and after World War II resulted in the forced removal of nearly 22,000 Japanese Canadians from their homes on the West Coast, and their displacement, confinement, and permanent dispossession. The majority were born in Canada.
Overnight, lives were shattered and entire communities eradicated. Japanese Canadians trusted they would one day return to their homes. Instead, their properties and possessions were sold without their consent.
Following the end of the war in 1945, restrictions prevented Japanese Canadians from returning to the coast. The government offered Japanese Canadians two choices: relocate east of the Rockies or face deportation to Japan. The restrictions were lifted in 1949, but many never returned. Those that did had nothing to return to.
On May 21, 2022, the BC Government acknowledged the historical wrongs perpetuated against Japanese Canadians in BC during the 1940s and made a pledge to support a 2019-2022 community built $100 million legacy initiatives package recommended by the National Association of Japanese Canadians BC Redress Project and administered by the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society (JCLS).
The Japanese Canadian Survivors Health and Wellness Fund Society (JCSHWFS) operates the fund, under the umbrella of the JCLS. The JCSHWFS will be distributing $28 million in the form of two health support grants for individual Japanese Canadian survivors of the BC Government’s actions (1942 -1949). The JCSHWFS has a Canada-wide, regionally representative Board that includes community members who work with seniors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for this Fund?
The Japanese Canadian Survivor Health and Wellness Fund (JCSHWF) provides individual health support grants for Japanese Canadian Survivors. To meet the eligibility criteria, applicants must:
- be of Japanese descent
- be born before April 1, 1949
- have lived in BC before April 1, 1949 OR had parents or grandparents who lived in BC before April 1, 1949
- have been directly impacted by the actions of the BC government between 1942-1949
Additionally, for Grant 2:
- On or after February 1st, 2024, the Survivor must be alive at the time of submitting the application (online or through an Outreach Worker)
When and how can I apply for these grants?
We thank you for your patience. Grant applications will be accepted as of February 1, 2024 until March 31, 2025. Please visit our Apply page for more information on how to apply.
I was not forcibly displaced to an internment camp during the 1940s, am I still eligible to apply?
According to our Survivor definition, Survivors do not have to have been in an internment camp to qualify. They may have been sent to self-supporting camps, road camps, or POW camps, already lived somewhere else in BC outside the 100-mile radius, were sent to sugar beets farms out of province, were born outside of BC after their family left BC, or repatriated to Japan, etc.
Who is a Survivor?
A living person of Japanese descent born prior to April 1, 1949 who was directly impacted by BC Government actions in the 1940s. Survivors include persons who were not displaced but were living in BC, and persons who, after their families left BC, were born prior to April 1, 1949, which was the day Japanese Canadians were given full voting rights and the legal restrictions used to control the movement of Japanese Canadians were removed.
Can I mail in my application?
No, applications by mail are not available. All applications need to be made online on our Apply page.
If you need support making an online application, Outreach Workers are available to help you over the phone, through a video call or at one of the in-person events they will be hosting.
To find an Outreach Worker in your region and their contact information, please visit our Outreach Workers page and click on your region.
How much money can I expect from the two grants?
Grant 1 is $650 and is intended for those who did not receive the grant in 2021. Grant 2 is $4,500 to help with individual health support needs.
I received a grant in 2021. Do I have to reapply for Grant 2?
You will need to complete a new application and reapply for Grant 2. Thank you for your understanding.
I received an amount less than $650 from the 2021 JCSHWF initiative. Am I entitled to receive the difference?
Yes, however you will not need to apply for the balance. The balance owing will be topped up by our staff.
I’m not a Survivor but am a Japanese Canadian. Are there any grants available that I may be eligible for?
There are no other grants available from the Japanese Canadian Survivors Health and Wellness Fund Society.
Please visit www.jclegacies.com to find information about the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society, who have several grants available to the Japanese Canadian community including grants for community organizations, intergenerational wellness, artists, students and more.
My friend does not know how to use a computer. Can I put an application in for them?
A representative of the Survivor may be used if the Survivor has provided consent. The representative may have Power of Attorney (with proper documentation), may be a designated family member, or a trusted friend. The representative will be asked to provide their information in case the Outreach Worker needs to follow up.
How do I know my information is kept safe?
To keep the information you give us safe, JCSHWFS must comply with privacy laws. These privacy laws are enforced by regulators. Anyone who handles your information must follow our privacy policy and related procedures. We will also let you know if anything happens to your information, what steps we have taken and what you may need to do. Keeping your information safe is a high priority at JCSHWFS. If you want more information, please contact us at : help@jcwellness.org . You can also read our website privacy statement here Privacy Policy – Japanese Canadian Survivors Health & Wellness Fund (jcwellness.org)