CommunityPhoto: Manitoba 150 Co-Chair Monique LaCoste during the kickoff event.
Strengthening the foundation of our communities.
Manitoba is celebrating its 150th birthday in 2020, and community foundations are playing a pivotal role.
Build 150, a celebratory program announced by Manitoba 150, is supporting projects that will leave a lasting legacy in communities across the province. Applicants will submit ideas for infrastructure or “bricks and mortar” projects to their local community foundations. Each community foundation will decide which projects to fund, and the Build 150 program will provide $1.22 million in matching grants.
“Since we began work this past spring, we’ve been in touch with many groups and organizations that are excited to launch projects in their communities and just need some help to get their ideas off the ground,” says Monique LaCoste, Manitoba 150 Co-Chair. “By providing some co-funding, we can help make those projects happen.”
Examples of qualifying projects include public art or bike racks, community centre or medical facility equipment, and revitalization of items with historical significance.
Grant maximums per foundation will be based on the size of each foundation’s assets and will range from $5,000 to $300,000. Funding for the Build 150 program will be provided in part by James Richardson and Sons Limited and affiliated companies. Endow Manitoba, an initiative of The Winnipeg Foundation, is helping coordinate the program.
Two additional Manitoba 150 programs are Celebrate 150 and Honour 150. Celebrate 150 will provide support to communities and organizations to host celebratory events. The program will provide grants covering up to 70 per cent of total event costs, with a maximum grant amount of $300,000. Honour 150 invites Manitobans to nominate outstanding individuals who have made an impact in their community. This program, supported by Canada Life, will honour 150 volunteers.
“We hope Manitobans will take advantage of funding available through the Build 150 and Celebrate 150 programs and will think about who they’d like to nominate for Honour 150,” says Stuart Murray, Manitoba 150 Co-Chair. “We have more announcements coming up that we now will help instill a lasting pride in our home province.”
2020 officially marks the 150th anniversary of the Manitoba Act. Through this act, Manitoba became Canada’s fifth province.
Learn more: manitoba150.com.
This story is featured in the Fall 2019 issue of our Working Together magazine. Download or view the full issue on our Publications page.