The grant, provided through the Moffat Family Fund at The Winnipeg Foundation, is only the second single grant of such magnitude in the foundation's 82 year history.

"The Moffat Family Council's vision from the start has been focused on building hope and opportunities for children and families. Allocating resources from our fund to support this new and exciting initiative clearly reflects our commitment to innovative and proactive community building," says Christine Moffat, Chair of the Moffat Family Council.

"We are thrilled to think of the momentum and positive effect moving the Winnipeg Education Centre to a new facility on Selkirk Avenue will have on its students and in the area," she said.

The Moffat Family Fund, was established in December of 2001 at The Winnipeg Foundation, with a stunning gift of $100,000,000 – the largest gift ever made to a community foundation in Canada.

"We are confident the Foundation's investment in this new facility on Selkirk Avenue – in the heart of the inner city – conveys a strong message of hope, not only to the students but also to the wider community," said Richard Frost, the Foundation's CEO.

"It is rare the Foundation would consider a project of this magnitude. We traditionally support smaller projects – to spread our grants widely across the entire community. On occasion, however, we do invest significantly in a particular project when the Board is convinced that such an investment makes an important statement. We feel this project fits the vision of the Moffat Family Fund extremely well," he added.

Winnipeg Education Centre, a partnership between the Universities of Manitoba and Winnipeg, offers degree programs in Social Work, through the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba, and Education, through the Faculty of Education at the University of Winnipeg.

The programs at WEC, currently located in the former Sir Sam Steel School on Nairn Avenue, are ACCESS programs, providing opportunities for groups who have traditionally been under-represented in post-secondary education, including Aboriginal people, immigrants and people living in poverty. Graduates of ACCESS programs fulfill the same requirements for their degrees as those who are not in ACCESS programs.

The new location will allow for expanded partnerships between WEC and the community as Selkirk Avenue is closer to several institutions and programs which provide placements for students. It will be close to neighborhoods where many students live and where their children attend day care or school, and it will be more accessible by public transit.

The Selkirk Avenue location also provides easier access to library and other resources from the University of Manitoba Bannatyne campus and the University of Winnipeg, and shorter commutes to agencies or schools in which students are completing their degrees. The new building, designed for mature learners, will be available for community use after hours and on weekends.

Total cost of the project is estimated to be $2.5 Million. University funding is arranged for the balance of costs beyond the $1 Million grant from The Winnipeg Foundation.

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For more information, contact:

Richard Frost, CEO
The Winnipeg Foundation
204.944.9474
www.wpgfdn.org

The Winnipeg Foundation:

• Canada's first community foundation – founded in 1921.
• Community Foundations are the fastest growing vehicle for philanthropy in the country. Today there are more than 125 community foundations across Canada.
• The foundation is a collection of more than 1,400 permanent endowment funds, established by people from all walks of life.
• The funds are pooled and invested with the income distributed as grants.
• The grants support a wide range of community projects – from health, education and the environment to arts, culture and heritage.
• For more details on The Winnipeg Foundation, its services, programs and projects, visit our website at www.wpgfdn.org

The Moffat Family Fund at The Winnipeg Foundation

• One of more than 40 donor-advised funds established at the foundation.
• Established in late 2001 with an unprecedented gift of $100,000,000.
• Family council is directly involved in evaluating grant applications and making grant recommendations to the foundation's Board of Directors.
• Fund is focused on "building hope and opportunities for less-advantaged children and families".
• To date, the fund has made137 grants totaling $3.9 million, in addition to the $1 million grant for WEC.

Other Grant highlights from the Moffat Family Fund include:

• The Teacher's Discretionary Fund grant for 2002 of $150,000 (this is a 3 year commitment of $450,000) provided $300 each for 427 inner city school teachers and $1,000 each for 19 inner city principals.
• $150,000 for Nor,West Co-Op Community Health Centre's " Women's Place: Domestic Violence, Legal, and Support Services" pilot project.
• $15,000 (7,500 MFF) summer campership and day camp support for children and families attending Flora House and Anishinabe Fellowship Centre.
• $25,000 (7,500 MFF) Freight House Day Nursery located on Ross Avenue to create a infant toddler space and other renovations
• $35,600 (17,000 MFF) for Fish Futures' Fish Winnipeg Youth at Risk angling program
• $34,695 (20,000 MFF) Big Brothers/Big Sisters group mentoring program – Big Bunch
• $33,000 Art City's Building Peace Through Art project
• $27,000 Bookmates Reading Partners' Alphabet Soup project, a healthy eating/family literacy program.
• $100,000 for CNIB's That All May Read campaign to digitally convert books to audio format.

Information on the Winnipeg Education Centre

A New Facility on Selkirk Avenue

• The presence of two universities in WEC on Selkirk Avenue will contribute substantially to the renewal of Winnipeg's North end, by providing a highly-visible, welcoming, accessible facility for those who have not traditionally considered post-secondary education.
• The presence of students and staff in the neighborhood will help stimulate business in this economically depressed area.
• The new location will allow for expanded partnerships between WEC and the community as Selkirk Avenue is closer to several institutions and programs which provide placements for students.
• A new facility on Selkirk Avenue will be close to neighborhoods where many students live and where their children attend day care or school, and it will be more accessible by public transit.
• The location provides easier access to library and other resources from the University of Manitoba Bannatyne campus and the University of Winnipeg, and shorter commutes to agencies or schools in which students are completing their degrees.
• The new building will be designed for mature learners, and assist in developing the sense of community that WEC has always tried to maintain. This community reinforces respect for difference and cultural diversity. In the comfort of their own building, students will feel comfortable using the food bank and clothing exchange which offer essential support for staying in school. Students will also have greater privacy when making use of the counselling services of the centre.
• The building will be available for community use after hours and on weekends.

Profile of the Winnipeg Education Centre

• The programs at Winnipeg Education Centre (WEC) are ACCESS programs, which provide opportunities to enhance accessibility and successful completion of post-secondary education for groups who have traditionally been under-represented in post-secondary education, including Aboriginal people, immigrants and people living in poverty. Graduates of ACCESS programs fulfill the same requirements for their degrees as those who are not in ACCESS programs.
• Winnipeg Education Centre offers degree programs in Social Work, through the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba, and Education, through the Bachelor of Education Program at the University of Winnipeg.
• The Inner City Social Work Program (ICSWP) began in 1981; September 2003 will be 23rd intake of students, this year doubling to 50.
• On May 1, 2003, the provincial government announced funding to the ICSWP to provide for doubling the intake of students. 25 additional students of Aboriginal descent are to be admitted. This enhanced enrollment plan has been designed to support the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry – Child Welfare Initiative.
• The Bachelor of Education program began under auspices of Brandon University in 1972, called the Winnipeg Centre Project. The program moved to University of Manitoba in 1978 and then to University of Winnipeg in 1997.
• Current enrolment in Education is 80 students over the five-year BEd program, but growing to 100 by September 2003.
• In 1981 when ICSWP started, both programs moved into the Sir Sam Steele School, which we call the Winnipeg Education Centre, under a rental agreement with Winnipeg School Division.
• Unique to social work in Canada: a Co-op Internship Program has been developed.

Profile of WEC Students and Graduates

• The population served by WEC includes inner city residents or those with life experience similar to that of the inner city – approximately 50% of students are of Aboriginal descent, 25% recent immigrants or refugees to Canada, and the other 25% are ‘survivors' – poverty, racism, childhood trauma, mental illness, violence, incarceration, etc.
• 80-90% are female, all mature students, majority single-parents, all living under the poverty line.
• Retention rate is approximately 70%, high for any university program.
• There are just under 250 graduates of the Social Work Program.
• Two graduates of the Social Work program have won University of Manitoba Gold Medals.
• The Education program is approaching 300 graduates.
• The rate of employment in the field of study after graduation is excellent. In the case of Social Work, at least 80% are employed full-time in social work occupations and another 10% pursue graduate studies.
• Graduates work in agencies and schools in Winnipeg and throughout the province. Several have assumed leadership roles in their places of employment, - principals, vice-principals, curriculum consultants, policy analysts, hold political office, are agency directors, some are employed in post-secondary institutions.

Community Development

• WEC students, graduates and staff are involved in community development initiatives in Winnipeg's Inner City, working to strengthen the fabric of the inner city.
• Students, staff and graduates work in partnership with such organizations as Urban Circle Training Program, Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, Rossbrook House and the North Ed Women's Resource Centre.
• WEC graduates help promote community development by entering the workforce in sectors that offer salaries that can sustain family needs. As our graduates have demonstrated, when one person in a family pursues education, other family members, especially their children, observe positive role models. Parents completing degrees motivate the next generation to stay in school.

May 23, 2003.