Vital Signs uses local knowledge to measure the vitality of a community and support action towards improving collective quality of life. Local data gathered through the program is used to support evidence-based, locally-relevant solutions to improve the quality of life at the community level. Vital Signs aims to inspire civic engagement, to provide focus for public debate, and to help a range of actors take action and direct resources where they will have the greatest impact.
CFC’s role in the program, among other things, is to provide Canadian community foundations access to national data sets, which foundations typically complement with local surveys, public programming and events that mobilize community knowledge and help identify local priorities. From housing, to transit, to safety, the environment, the arts and gender equality, the reports offer invaluable insights across more than 70 indicators of quality of life at the community level.
Since 2017, we have also begun to align our national data sets with Agenda 2030, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDG framework allows us as well as community foundations to measure local Canadian data against common global indicators and that of communities around the world.
Vital Signs is locally led by community foundations and used by residents, businesses, community organizations, universities and colleges and government leaders to learn about community needs, take action and direct resources where they will have the greatest impact.
CFC's national Vital Signs reports shine a spotlight on themes and issues that matter. From belonging, to youth, we use compelling data and stories to dive deep into issues and trends affecting communities across Canada and the world.
Vital Signs is now a global program that has engaged more than 100 communities in Canada and around the world. Nine countries from abroad are currently running Vital Signs programs, mobilizing the power of community knowledge for greater local impact.
Looking for past Vital Signs reports? We have catalogued reports dating back to 2014 in our online archives.
Browse the archives
Engaging your community in Vital Signs is one of the most important pieces of your Vital Signs strategy. It is an important first step, and ongoing engagement can ensure the program is successfully received by your community. This webinar will go over best practices and how you can engage your community through all phases of…
Engaging in the Vital Signs program (through reports and/or Conversations) teaches us a lot about our communities — how do we use that knowledge to affect change and lead to impact? In this webinar, we will discuss the many ways foundations can use their Vital Signs for impact. We will hear from a few experienced…
Since 2015, a growing number of community foundations have aligned their Vital Signs to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the associated targets and indicators. In this webinar we will explore how to align your Vital Signs data collection to the SDGs, looking at indicator selection and identifying new data sources.
At CFC, we are focusing this year's three-part Vital Signs report series on gender equality in Canada. Each report deals with one of the three themes of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development namely Power, Peace and Planet. Vital Signs reflects the integration of the economic, social and environmental elements that are key to sustainable…
Contact the Vital Signs team at vitalsigns@communityfoundations.ca for additional information about the program and ways you or your foundation can get involved.
