Photo: The Moffat Family in 2011. |
DONOR-ADVISED FUNDS
In recent decades, donors have become increasingly interested in working together with The Foundation to select which charities receive support. Donor-Advised Funds allow this to happen.
While the first Donor-Advised Fund was created at The Foundation in 1980, it wasn’t until the early 2000s that this type of giving really began to gain popularity.
In 2001, The Moffat family made a $100 million gift; at the time it was the largest gift ever made to a community foundation in Canadian history. In 2017, the family made an additional gift of $50 million to its fund.
The family’s vision is “a Canadian society where all individuals have equal opportunities to develop their potential.” The Moffat family works closely with Foundation staff to select recipient charities by determining which are most consistent with its mandate. The family has also identified special areas of interest.
The family’s commitment has significantly impacted the quality of life in our city – from small grants at inner-city classrooms to a host of capital projects along Selkirk Avenue. And through innovative programs such as the Centennial Neighbourhood Project and Ma Mawi’s Family Group Conferencing program, the Moffat Family Fund has focused on leveling the playing field for our least advantaged citizens.
Numerous local charitable organizations serving our community benefit every year from the Moffat family’s grantmaking. Three generations of the family are now actively engaged in the decision-making process. The Moffat Family also works through community foundations across Canada, in 12 other communities where Moffat Communications did business. As of fiscal year-end 2020, the Moffat Family Fund has granted more than $74 million.
The Foundation works closely with all fundholders that have established Donor-Advised Funds, to help integrate their grantmaking with The Foundation’s Responsive Grants program. This means if The Foundation only has capacity to support a portion of a charity’s grant request, a donor’s fund may be able to ‘top up’ a request with additional funding.
Today, there are more than 200 Donor-Advised Funds held at The Winnipeg Foundation.