Belonging Doesn't End Here

We started Curiko to address social isolation, and demonstrate an alternative to segregated disability day programming and paid supports. We envisioned a world where people with and without disabilities could connect and contribute based on their shared interests and passions, not their deficits or diagnoses. Over 12 years, we brought that world to life.

Last year, our primary operational funder, Community Living British Columbia (CLBC) notified us of their intent to withdraw funding, citing budgetary pressures and a need to return to 'core' services.

Despite passionate advocacy from our community to reinstate funding, CLBC has confirmed that their decision is final. We explored alternative funding sources and business models, but were unable to come up with sustained resources to keep the platform and team going -- with its values intact. The platform's last operating day is July 31, 2026.

For us, Curiko has always been core to the very purpose of CLBC and the community living movement: good lives in welcoming communities. Welcoming communities don't just happen. They are co-created. Good lives are not simply the product of caring for people's bodies, but their minds and souls. Connection, purpose, and contribution are core to human flourishing. Research consistently shows that connection, purpose, and contribution are some of the strongest protective factors for safety, health, and wellbeing. For people with disabilities, who experience significantly higher rates of loneliness, depression, and abuse, connection, purpose and contribution are not nice-to-haves. They are must-haves.

For more than a decade, we worked alongside thousands of community members to nourish our sense of connection, purpose, and contribution. We're incredibly proud of what we enabled. It's been beautiful, messy, and magical.

While this closure is heartbreaking, we believe what we've collectively built extends far beyond the platform itself. The relationships, creativity, learning, and sense of belonging that emerged through Curiko will continue to ripple outward. As our closing act, we are offering low-barrier grants to community members who want to keep creating opportunities for connection together. And, we are developing a website and series of workshops to share what we've learned about how to bridge people across lines of difference and co-create truly inclusive communities. We hope Curiko can continue to serve as a bright spot. We want to help other disability service systems recognize the need for community-led platforms, not just paid professional services.

Thank you for believing in Curiko, for shaping it with your ideas, courage, and generosity, and for showing what's possible when communities are built on belonging.

Love,
The Curiko Team