With its focus on personal development, mentorship and team spirit, sport offers an ideal platform for community building. This year, The Winnipeg Foundation partnered with the True Sport Foundation on a pilot project that supported summer sports programs in the Central Park neighbourhood.
The inner-city area was selected not only because of the socio-economic barriers its residents face, but for its assets: a newly refurbished park, a vibrant community of newcomers, and a strong network of charitable organizations. Foundation staff worked closely with residents and agencies to develop the granting program and select projects for support – all of which were proposed, planned and carried out by local community members.
Organized sports included basketball, soccer, and baseball, as well as Wiggle, Giggle and Munch, an early literacy and physical activity program for children. In addition to developing local leaders, encouraging volunteerism, and bringing cultural groups together, the initiative had important tangible outcomes. Wiggle, Giggle and Munch continues through the winter; the basketball league has plans to expand (some rising stars have been selected for elite teams) and hundreds of newcomer boys – prime targets for gang recruitment – have built self-esteem, personal resilience and a sense of belonging. Visit our Facebook photo album for photos from the program.
The Winnipeg Foundation launched its 2011 Annual Report, called Fresh Thinking, Inspiring Action, today; highlights include:
The Foundation invested $22.1 million in the community in 2011.
During the past 90 years, the Foundation has distributed more than $280 million in grants to local charities working in the areas of: community service, education and employment, health, environment, heritage, arts and culture, and recreation.
238 new funds, a record number, were established in 2011 (compared with 150 in 2010).
The Foundation received spectacular community support, with total contributions of $22 million through more than 6,000 individual gifts.
Here are some new Foundation projects started in 2011:
Through a partnership with True Sport, 15 community-led recreation projects took place in Central Park during the summer.
Our 90-Hour Giving Challenge, in honour of the Foundation’s 90th anniversary, helped raise awareness and support for local charities with agency funds at the Foundation. The Challenge drew nearly 2,500 contributions totaling more than $400,000.
The Foundation is partnering with the Winnipeg Free Press, Red River College and Winnipeg Public Library to launch Community News Commons, a citizen journalists’ hub.
The Foundation invested in Assiniboine Credit Union’s north end branch, helping improve financial services in the area.
Read the full, interactive version of The Winnipeg Foundation’s Annual Report on our website for stories of fresh thinking and inspiring action, as well as a list of donors, funds and grants.
The year 2011 was a time of fresh thinking and inspiring action for The Winnipeg Foundation. We launched several new initiatives, many in honour of the Foundation’s 90th anniversary, all aimed to further our vision of “a Winnipeg where community life flourishes.”
We kicked off our True Sport pilot project in the Central Park community. The True Sport movement uses sport to strengthen neighbourhoods. Fifteen community-led projects resulted, including Wiggle, Giggle, and Munch, an early literacy and physical activity program for children (pictured below).
The Winnipeg Foundation worked with a number of partners and private donors to establish the You Can Do It Awards. The Awards offer annual scholarships of $1,000 each to kids at six inner-city schools based on academics, attendance and leadership.
The Nourishing Potential Fund was also launched in 2011. The Fund is planned to be a $5 million investment built over five years. It supports nutritious snacks and meals at local after-school, drop-in and summer programs.
These new initiatives were possible because of the generous gifts the Foundation has received over its 90-year history. On January 12, The Winnipeg Foundation will launch its 2011 annual report. Watch for the report online to learn about the Foundation’s 2011 gifts, grants, partnerships, projects and much more!
At its previous address, Resource Assistance for Youth (RaY) – which works with Winnipeg’s street-entrenched and homeless youth – didn’t have the capacity to provide its clients with regular, nutritious meals. Youth often relied on scavenging from garbage in the alley behind the organization to meet basic nutrition needs.
After a move to a larger location on Sherbrook Street, the dumpster days are gone. Now, the organization provides hot meals to approximately 30 youth every weekday. RaY also offers hands-on cooking workshops that help young people living in poverty learn how to prepare healthy meals on a tight budget and use ingredients available at food banks. The cooking program was one of 14 local nutrition initiatives to receive support from the Nourishing Potential Fund’s first round of grants in June 2011.
The goal of the Nourishing Potential Fund is to grow a $5 million endowment over the next five years, through contributions by people from all walks of life. It will support nutrition initiatives at after-school, drop-in and summer programs at local community organizations, with a goal to help children and youth access the nutritious food they require to thrive.
The Winnipeg Foundation’s Nourishing Potential Advisory Committee recently approved the second round of Nourishing Potential grants. This round of projects includes cooking lessons, menu planning workshops, appliances, meals, snacks and more. Grant recipients and amounts will be announced at a news event December 2. Find out more about Nourishing Potential, including how you can help grow the fund, by visiting our website.
The Winnipeg Foundation’s Grants Committee recently approved more than $1.5 million in grants to a broad range of local charities. Our grants team works with grant applicants, researches all requests, and provides thoughtful recommendations to aid the committee in its decision-making.
Jennifer Partridge, Community Grants Coordinator, shares the story of a small grant with big impact. Nine Circles Community Health Centre recently started a cooking program for those living with HIV. The program promotes nutritious eating and community. The Foundation made a $9,075 grant to support the cooking program.
The Winnipeg Foundation
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