Frequently Asked Questions

To be eligible for a Winnipeg Foundation grant, your organization must be a registered charity or other qualified donee, and your project must primarily benefit the people of Winnipeg.
Each grant has its own purpose, criteria, and requirements, so we encourage you to visit the specific grant’s web page to review eligibility details. If you still have questions after reviewing that information, please contact our Community Impact team (grants@wpgfdn.org).

The Foundation does not make grants or loans to individuals. As a community foundation, it can only provide grants to organizations that are registered charities.

Winnipeg Foundation supports a wide range of projects across our community. Grants can cover a variety of expenses, including staffing, administration, materials, renovations and more. Please visit our Granting page to learn more.

A qualified donee is an organization that can issue official donation receipts for gifts it receives from individuals and corporations. Under the Income Tax Act in Canada, qualified donees include registered charities, municipalities, provinces or territories, and certain international organizations such as the United Nations. These organizations can also receive gifts from registered charities, broadening the scope of charitable giving.

No. We can’t provide grants to cover expenses made before the grant decision date.

You can submit a new grant application only after receiving a satisfactory final report from your previous grant in the same granting program. If you have an outstanding grant in one program, you may apply for grants in other programs. Check the specific grant program page for more details.

You may submit one application per calendar year to our Community Grants program. In the case of a collaboration between a registered charity and a non-profit, or two registered charities, we will consider a second Community Grant request. You can apply to any of our Special Program Grants once per calendar year. However, you cannot apply for a Community Grant and a Special Program Grant for the same project.

Collaboration means either two or more registered charities, or a registered charity and a non-profit organization, jointly planning and implementing a project.

All collaborative partners must work toward a common goal to increase organizational or program efficiency/effectiveness or to tackle a community issue. For the project, all partners must have a shared vision and defined roles and responsibilities, share expertise and resources, and maintain frequent communication from planning through completion.

Examples of collaboration are: administrative alliances, organizational mergers, and projects that combine strengths/perspectives to tackle the root cause of pressing issues.

We encourage coalitions, networks, and organizations considering mergers to discuss their proposal with a Community Grants Reviewer prior to applying.

Collaboration applicants must describe the problem or community issue the partners aim to solve. Identify your application as a collaboration and list all your partners and their involvement from planning through completion.

Your application must include a signed letter of agreement that outlines specific roles and responsibilities for each partner. The project budget form must identify in-kind and cash contributions from each partner.

Connect with your Program Officer. They will work with you to find a solution. If you’re not sure who your Program Officer is, please email our Grants Team.

We will inform you of your next steps in detail if we approve your grant. In short we ask you to review your award details, acknowledge our support, stay in touch if plans change, and submit your final report when your project is complete.

Community foundations are charitable organizations that consult and engage with community members to build better lives for everyone. They accept and manage gifts from individuals, families, and other organizations to support an endowment fund that grows over time. They use the interest from the endowment fund to support charities through grants. There are more than 200 community foundations across Canada.

Winnipeg Foundation values your privacy and uses a variety of security measures to protect your personal information. Please see our Privacy Policy for more details. If you have any questions, please contact us at 204-944-9474 (toll-free 1-877-974-3631) or email.

After we process your gift, we will send your tax receipt to you by email. To ensure your electronic charitable receipt is delivered to your email address, add our email address – info@wpgfdn.org – to your “safe senders” list.

You can make a gift to Winnipeg Foundation with a credit card online. The amount will be in Canadian dollars, and you will receive a Canadian tax receipt.

We can also accept gifts in U.S. dollars. If you would like to make a gift in U.S. funds and receive an American tax receipt, please see Winnipeg Foundation USA [PDF].

We respect our donors regarding the collection, use and disclosure of their personal information. We may list your name in online and printed publications, unless you advise us that you prefer to remain anonymous.
You can tell us your preference to remain anonymous when you make your gift by selecting either the “Yes” or “No” option below the statement “I would like my gift to be anonymous.”” For more information about how we protect your personal information,  please see our Privacy Policy.

As part of our commitment to be transparent, we send our publications to our donors annually. Donors can also expect to receive E-veryday Philanthropy, the Foundation’s e-newsletter, throughout the year with information on recent projects, grants, special events and opportunities related to The Foundation.

Donors can choose not to receive these publications and emails. When you make your gift, select either the “Yes” or “No” option below the statement “I would like to receive periodic communications from Winnipeg Foundation, including but not limited to our publications, email updates, special notifications (ie, invitations to events).”

We work alongside you to help your clients give in ways that reflect what matters most to them. As a community foundation, we offer local knowledge, connections, and ongoing support to build flexible, meaningful giving plans.

We also provide a simple, cost-effective alternative to private foundations by handling administration on your clients’ behalf.

Clients can give in a variety of ways, including cash, credit card, wire transfer, and U.S. funds. We also accept publicly traded securities, which can be a tax-efficient way to give. Private securities may be considered with internal approval.

We can help integrate charitable giving into estate plans, including gifts in wills, insurance, and registered funds, and support multi-generational giving strategies.

Clients can document their intentions now and refine details over time. We encourage early conversations to help ensure their wishes are clearly understood and carried out as intended. All discussions are confidential, and clients can remain anonymous.

Yes. A gift in a will is a simple way for clients to support their community.  Simply include the following words in your will: 

For an Undesignated / Community Fund Gift 

I give Winnipeg Foundation the sum of $ ____ or ____% or the residue of my estate to establish the _____ Fund. It is my wish that this gift be held in perpetuity and that the annual grantmaking therefrom, as determined by the Winnipeg Foundation’s Spending Policy, shall be used for general purposes at the discretion of the Foundation’s Directors. 

For a Designated Gift 

I give The Winnipeg Foundation the sum of $ ____ or ____% or the residue of my estate to establish the _____ Fund. It is my wish that this gift be held in perpetuity and that the annual grantmaking therefrom, as determined by the Winnipeg Foundation’s Spending Policy, shall be devoted to (area of specific interest, such as youth, or education, an established agency endowment fund or a specific charity).

Yes. We encourage family philanthropy and can help create a plan that brings families together around shared values and goals, at no cost or obligation.

No. We do not serve as executor or trustee, but we can work with you to document how the gift should be used. 

We recommend appointing a qualified organization or individual to administer your client’s estate or serve as their trustee. 

You can find more information and resources from the following: 

Family Law Manitoba 

Death in the Family

Community Legal Education Association 

Wills and Estates – Community Legal Education Association

Winnipeg Foundation does not accept applications or select recipients. Applications are managed by the school, post-secondary institution or organization that administers each award.

Contact your guidance counsellor, student services office, financial aid office or the sponsoring organization for application information.

Other awards, – such as sports scholarships, professional development support and music awards, – are generally publicized by the sponsoring organization or association.

Present your award letter to the student aid and awards office at your post-secondary school. It will apply the award amount towards your tuition and then invoice Winnipeg Foundation. The amount will go directly into your student account at your school. If you are having trouble, contact the Winnipeg Foundation Student Awards Team at 204-944-9474 (toll-free 1-877-974-3631) or email us at scholarships@wpgfdn.org.

We will work with your post-secondary school on your behalf to arrange payment. If we cannot arrange payment to the school, you will need to provide us with proof of registration, and we will issue a cheque to you directly. To arrange payment, contact the Winnipeg Foundation Student Awards Team at 204-944-9474 (toll-free 1-877-974-3631) or email us at scholarships@wpgfdn.org.

While you can defer some awards for up to a year through a written request, others won’t allow it. Contact our Student Awards Team to find out the conditions of your award at 204-944-9474 (toll-free 1-877-974-3631) or email us at scholarships@wpgfdn.org.

For part-time study, most awards will be prorated based on credit hours. This means you can still claim the award but not the full amount. For example, if you are taking 60% of a full course load, you will receive 60% of the award amount. The remainder will not be carried forward. For more information, contact the Student Awards Team at 204-944-9474 (toll-free 1-877-974-3631) or email us at scholarships@wpgfdn.org.

If your school is not registered for YiP, talk to a teacher, guidance counsellor, or school administrator about bringing the program to your school. Schools can contact us to learn more. For more information, they can contact the Student Awards Team at 204-944-9474 (toll-free 1-877-974-3631) or email youth@wpgfdn.org.

Please visit our contact page to find the email address of the Winnipeg Foundation team that can address your question. You can also find our phone numbers there. You can also call us at 204-944-9474  or 1-877-974-3631 (Outside Winnipeg)

There are currently no Donor-Advised Funds accepting applications directly. Many Donor-Advised Fund holders choose to grant through Winnipeg Foundation’s Community Grants. A summary of your application may be shared with donor advisors based on their fund circumstances, interest in your organization, or past granting history.