CommunityOrganizational Development Grants respond to needs identified by local charitable organizations.
Stable charities deliver reliable community services. The Winnipeg Foundation’s new Organizational Development Grants program helps local charities build capacity for stability today, and sustainability in the future.
“Within the past few years, The Foundation has focused on supporting the capacity of organizations through our Multi-Year Community Grants program and Professional Development Grants,” says Megan Tate, The Foundation’s Director of Community Grants.
Organizational Development Grants are the next step.
The two-year pilot program has a continuous intake and supports a wide range of capacity building activities up to $10,000, including group mentorship, job shadowing, strategic planning, feasibility studies, governance or board development, evaluation, and Imagine Canada accreditation. Imagine Canada is a national charity that supports and advocates for the charitable sector, in part by offering a Standards Program for organizational excellence.
The Foundation’s 2018 report about Winnipeg’s charitable sector, Stressed, Stretched and Still Standing, found that while commitment and passion are strong, the sector is challenged.
We developed this initiative in response to what we heard.
Megan Tate
The Winnipeg Foundation’s Director of Community Grants
“In response to Stressed, Stretched and Still Standing, we’ve been looking to find additional ways to provide support (to the sector) knowing that strong, healthy organizations are those that are able to deliver on their mission to support community,” Tate says.
Community leadership and strengthening the charitable sector are key components of The Winnipeg Foundation’s 2019-2021 Strategic Plan. Responses to The Foundation’s Perspectives report, which was published in April 2019 and surveyed recent grant recipients, also influenced the types of projects included as part of the program.
“Through Stressed, Stretched and Still Standing and Perspectives, we wanted to report on the pulse of the charitable sector in Winnipeg,” Tate says. “We developed this initiative in response to what we heard.”
For more information, visit wpgfdn.org/grants
This story is featured in the Summer 2019 issue of our Working Together magazine. Download or view the full issue on our Publications page.