UNITED WAY WINNIPEG
In November 1922, the Federated Budget Board spawned the Community Chest of Winnipeg. Precursor to today’s United Way, it was a means to fundraise more efficiently on behalf of 30 constituent welfare organizations.
The Community Chest’s first campaign in 1923 was successful, as it was throughout the remaining 1920s. However, the stock market crash of 1929 led its campaign in 1930 to fall far short of its target. For the next two years, The Foundation increased its contributions to help make up the shortfall. That was the beginning of a long-term partnership and collaboration between the two organizations.
When it comes to serving the community, United Way Winnipeg has long been known for providing ongoing financial support to mainly social services agencies, while The Winnipeg Foundation in large part participates in the initiation of new or changing projects or services. Often these two goals intersect.
In 2017, The Foundation committed $1 million over six years in support of United Way’s For Every Family program. The $15 million, six-year initiative aims to keep 24 family resource centres across Winnipeg open a minimum of 40 hours per week. The program empowers people in need to learn useful life skills and serves as a means to socialize for individuals who might otherwise be isolated. The initiative also helps the 40 centres access additional programming resources and build networks to share best practices.
The For Every Family program is just one example of the collaborative efforts of The Winnipeg Foundation and United Way Winnipeg.
Source: Winnipeg Foundation scrapbook.