About Us
Foundation History
The Armstrong Family Foundation (AFF) is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and was founded in 2003. Since then, the Foundation has donated over $6 million to support community well-being, education, and environmental conservation.
The AFF also proudly supports the charitable efforts of the Major Rock family of companies, which include Rocky Mountaineer, Invictus Properties, and Alder Bay Equity Partners.
Below is a snapshot of some of the Foundation’s activities over the years.
This timeline is a look back at some of the Foundation's work over the years.
2000’s
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The AFF makes its first donation to Covenant House Vancouver, beginning a relationship which continues to this day to help support youth experiencing homelessness with dignity and respect.
2004
Grants to the BC Cancer Foundation, another of the Foundation's longest grantee relationships.
2006
In partnership with Rocky Mountaineer, the AFF made a multi-year pledge to the Pacific Salmon Foundation to aid salmon conservation and restoration on the Fraser River. This support funded a project to determine where Fraser River Sockeye salmon were dying during their migration through the Fraser River and the Strait of Georgia.
2008
Peter Armstrong wins the 50/50 raffle at a Vancouver Canucks game and donates the entire winnings to Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. Canuck Place, based in Vancouver, is British Columbia's only pediatric palliative care provider for children with life-threatening illnesses.
2009
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The Foundation begins a new multi-year commitment to the BC Cancer Foundation, which raises funds to support world-leading scientists and clinicians across British Columbia, providing residents with cutting-edge cancer care.
2023
The Foundation matches fundraising for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank by the Rocky Mountaineer team. The Vancouver Food Bank assists approximately 16,000 individuals each month, 25% of whom are children
2021
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In this new decade, the Foundation has continued its multi-year commitments while exploring new grantee relationships, expanding further beyond British Columbia and including our communities in Ontario, Alberta, and the United States.
2020’s
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As of 2024, the Foundation has committed $3 million in donations to educational institutions and has sponsored a total of four university scholarships. These scholarships are at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Thompson Rivers University, and Queen's University.
2024
The Foundation begins a multi-year commitment to support the Duke of Edinburgh Award, a program that challenges and empowers young people aged 14-24 through non-formal education. Today, the Canadian portion of the award engages 11,000 young people and over 1,400 adult volunteers annually.
2012
The Foundation provides grants to BC Children's Hospital to support both equipment for the Neurosurgery program and art for the Children's Healing Experience Project in the newly built 8-story Teck Acute Care Center, which opened in late 2017. This grant funded the inclusion of purposeful art designed to provide positive distraction, inspire, educate, and ultimately, promote healing. It also funded the purchase of a surgical headframe, expected to be used on 50-75 children annually, some as young as 2.5 years old.
Funding was allocated to Ocean Wise (which at the time was affiliated with the Vancouver Aquarium), aiding the AquaVan 150 project—a mobile aquarium that toured 150 locations nationwide, educating communities about ocean conservation. Additionally, funding supported the 'Vortex' exhibit by Douglas Coupland at the aquarium, an immersive display illustrating the harmful effects of plastics on the oceans.
2017
2018
A $1million pledge to help the Nature Trust of BC purchase and protect 350 acres of undeveloped land in Desolation Sound, British Columbia. The conservation area features one of the best examples of coastal and sand dunes in Canada and is home to some forests that are over 250 years old.
2019
For the second year in a row, the Foundation matched fundraising by the Rocky Mountaineer team for the Boys and Girls Club of South Coast BC. The Boys and Girls Club is dedicated to providing children and youth with a safe space that fosters a sense of belonging, success, and positive relationships.
2016
2010’s
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During this decade, the Foundation began to focus on giving more funding to a smaller number of charities, often with multi-year commitments. Here are a few of the grantees we supported.