The Kimberley Foundation was created in 2003 by Dr. Hugh Morris in recognition of his late wife Pat.  Established as a not-for-profit charitable foundation under the BC Societies Act, the Kimberley Foundation was designed to embody her love of learning, her commitment to service and community, and her pursuit of excellence in all things. To mark her life, the Foundation began its activities with the creation of the Pat Morris Prize, an award provided to support a graduating student from South Delta Senior Secondary in Tsawwassen BC, with formal study toward a degree at a college or university, study abroad in a summer programme, or apprenticeship with a master artist, craftsperson or practitioner. After four years of recognizing amazing young students, in 2019, the Board of Directors decided to create a larger initiative that would recognize Pat’s dedication and lifelong passion of helping others in her community. A new “Community Matters” grant program has been established in place of the Prize to provide others with the opportunity to create and serve their own local communities.

With the passing of Dr. Hugh Morris in 2012, and a generous infusion into the Kimberley Foundation from his estate, the Directors of the Foundation have expanded the Foundation’s mandate and chosen to commemorate his life through the establishment of the Hugh C. Morris Experiential Learning Fellowship, a travel support award designed to replicate the South African Chamber of Mines Gold Medal and Research Travelling Scholarship which, in 1954, enabled Hugh to embark on a journey across North America and to visit nearly 65% of its mines while engaging with scholars at leading institutions in Canada and the United States. He would later credit this experience as the foundation of his future life of leadership and achievement. The Hugh C. Morris Experiential Learning Fellowship will support a graduate student to embark on their own journey and transformation.

In 2016, the Directors of the Kimberley Foundation decided to add to the memorial prizes in Pat and Hugh Morris’s name, and to breathe new life and a living future into the Foundation’s activities by creating initiatives aimed to support and impact the next generation of pioneers in the arts and sciences and to serve as a catalyst for change at the intersection of these fields. The first initiative in this direction was the  FOCUS! Climate Change Student Video Competition. Building on its success, the Board of Directors have created a substantially expanded program for 2019 and has re-branded the program Focus! Change Climate Change. The extended program now supports student filmmakers and changemakers in Grades 7-12, recognizes the important role teachers have in inspiring, educating and leading climate change understanding, and pays tribute to the innovative and impact making initiatives that entire schools have on their communities.

From its start in 2003, the Kimberley Foundation has now evolved into a charitable organization that actively works to promote a love of learning, to stimulate self-directed curiosity about the world, and to support activities and pursuits that inspire, impact, and facilitate positive, environmentally responsible change in the world.