Foundation’s historic philanthropy boosts a world-leading movement to conserve natural spaces in British Columbia
Vancouver, BC, Dec. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — One prominent Canadian foundation is today deepening its commitment to the health of people and the planet with a new $30 million gift to conserve globally significant natural areas in British Columbia.
The Wilson 5 Foundation—representing Lululemon Athletica founder Chip Wilson, designer Summer Wilson, and their five children—has now donated an incredible $134 million in total to BC Parks Foundation for the protection of high-priority conservation lands, in partnership with many other British Columbians.
The Wilson 5 Foundation made international headlines in 2021 when it donated $4 million to BC Parks Foundation to protect a suite of islands in BC. One year later, the foundation added an additional $100 million, the largest gift in Canadian conservation history. Today it doubled down with an additional $30 million donation.
“We’ve lived, worked, and raised our family in British Columbia for nearly 40 years. This is our home. From the beaches to the trails to the mountains, we’ve built our lives around the freedom to move through the incredible nature we have here in BC, and we feel a deep responsibility to protect it,” say Summer and Chip Wilson.
When Chip and Summer first came to BC, they were astonished by its natural beauty. That beauty was the inspiration for Lululemon—a brand built around people living longer and healthier lives through movement and time in nature.
“It was a natural fit for us to give back to the place that has inspired us from the beginning, and conserving natural places is all part of our commitment to people living longer and healthier lives,” say the Wilsons.
The Wilson 5 Foundation gifts—now totaling $134 million—also reflect its appreciation and support for BC Parks Foundation’s community-based approach.
“We wanted to produce large-scale impact and be shoulder to shoulder with other British Columbians. So, partnering with BC Parks Foundation makes sense on so many levels for us.”
Wilson 5 has joined BC Parks Foundation’s active and diverse community of businesses, donors, governments, First Nations, landowners, and volunteers working together to conserve areas important for wildlife, climate, and people.
The Foundation’s crowdfunding approach has meant the Wilson 5 Foundation gift has inspired a flood of matching gifts. From kids doing bake sales to people running marathons to landowners donating properties, the collective impact has been astounding.
Together, those organizations have raised $175 million alongside the Wilson 5 Foundation gifts, conserving a total of 72 beautiful places in BC in under five years. Those properties cover 163,128 hectares (403,097 acres) of land and waters in all corners of BC, from the Pacific Coast to the Rockies, to the boreal forests of the north and deserts and grasslands of the south. The lands are home to an incredible diversity of life, from small rare and endangered species to large mammals like moose, elk, cougars, bears, and bison.
This level and breadth of contribution may be one of the largest sustained public conservation efforts in the world.
“It’s natural that BC is leading the world, given that nature is such a central part of who we are,” says Andy Day, CEO of BC Parks Foundation.
“The Wilson 5 Foundation’s appreciation for this province and spirit of giving is shared by British Columbians in every corner of this land. It’s something that unites us, and when we are united, we can make a truly lasting impact.”
The Wilson 5 Foundation gifts to BC Parks Foundation have supported a vast diversity of projects and partnerships, including community groups and local land trusts seeking to preserve valuable areas, landowners who want to make partial donations of their land, Indigenous people looking to conserve large landscapes, and local governments creating new parks.
Less than 23% of the world’s land can still be classified as wilderness, compared with 33% only one generation ago.
But despite groups like the World Economic Forum recognizing biodiversity loss and global warming as two of the top threats facing the planet, less than 5% of charitable giving goes to the environment in most countries. Even in Canada, environmental charities receive less than 0.5% of the total revenue of all operating charities.
But BC seems to have a different ethos. The Foundation now has over 100,000 supporters and followers, including everyone from major donors like Chip and Summer Wilson to school groups and pensioners. They all believe that health—of both people and the planet—needs to be a top priority.
The Wilson 5 Foundation loves the model, and is announcing the new $30 million as a way to celebrate and inspire the community as well as draw more people to it.
“The Wilson 5 donations have been a game-changer in this province, and I can’t think of a more significant legacy, for their family and for everyone else, now and in the future. With this additional gift, we will be able to do even more to keep BC beautiful for all of us to enjoy, forever,” says Day.
“We’re proud to join all of the British Columbians who support BC Parks Foundation as they lead the charge in preserving the wild places that make BC so special,” say Chip and Summer Wilson. “We hope this gift will inspire others to join and do what they can.”
More information can be found at bcparksfoundation.ca.
About BC Parks Foundation
BC Parks Foundation proudly acts as the official charitable partner for British Columbia’s world-class system of parks and conservation areas. We inspire and empower you to enjoy and conserve areas in BC, so that they flourish for now, for all, forever.
bcparksfoundation.ca
About Wilson 5 Foundation
The Wilson 5 Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation established in 2012 by Chip and Summer Wilson. The foundation partners with world-class organizations and invests time, knowledge, and resources to create what otherwise might not occur. The Wilson 5 Foundation is focused on funding land conservancy, park creation and sharing public art in British Columbia.
wilson5foundation.org
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CONTACT: Chelsea Rooney BC Parks Foundation (236) 477-2554 x 130 chelsea.rooney@bcparksfoundation.ca
