CommunityFor Immediate Release – The Winnipeg Foundation is pleased to announce 18 local charities will receive capital support totaling $5.883 million.
The charities receiving funding through The Foundation’s Major Capital Grants program offer diverse programming and community-led solutions across many areas of the sector. Capital grants allow charities to acquire, build, or update facilities to better meet the needs of those they serve. The grants will support organizations addressing key issues in our city including housing and providing resources for families.
The Major Capital Grants announced today range in size from $100,000 to $550,000. To view the complete list of grant recipients and their funded projects see the attached Backgrounder file.
“Charities provide valuable programming that helps build community and create solutions as we face major issues from food security to the opioid crisis,” says Sky Bridges, CEO, The Winnipeg Foundation. “The Major Capital Grants announced today will help charities meet their goals, so they can continue to offer vital services to our community.”
Main Street Project Inc. (MSP) is one of the 18 charities receiving support. MSP focuses on addressing the underlying social factors that contribute to addiction, mental health issues, chronic health conditions, and homelessness. MSP plans to renovate 637 Main Street (the former Mitchell Fabrics building), which is in The Winnipeg Foundation’s Community Area for Revitalization and Equity (C.A.R.E.), to create transitional housing units. The construction plan includes repairing the basement, replacing the roof, and adding three new floors, allowing MSP to create 73 new transitional housing units.
Ndinawemaaganag Endaawaad Inc. (Ndinawe), another grant recipient, is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to assisting Indigenous youth facing significant challenges. It provides critical support and various programs, including 24/7 safe spaces, after-school assistance, education and employment training, and transitional supportive housing. Ndinawe has acquired two plots of land at 473 and 475 Flora Avenue, conveniently situated next to their Second Stage House and behind Tina’s Safe Haven, an afterschool 24/7 safe space. It plans to construct at least 22 new housing units on this property, which will provide supported housing opportunities for youth aging out of the child welfare system as they transition to living independently.
As a 360-degree grant maker, The Foundation is committed to supporting all areas of our community, including Winnipeg’s thriving arts and culture sector. Located in the heart of Osborne Village, the Gas Station Arts Centre (GSAC) is a hub for artists at all levels of their careers and a year-round performing arts venue. GSAC is also a community-centered space that runs programming with an emphasis on improved mental health for neighborhood residents and business owners and offers mentorship and support for different groups. GSAC’s capital project will see exterior upgrades, including adaptations to the courtyard to make it a more welcoming and safe space, lobby renovations, and replacement of their theatre seats.
The Foundation’s Major Capital Grants Program supports large capital projects and considers applications once per year. To be notified about the next intake for the program please subscribe to our Grants News e-wire.
The Winnipeg Foundation is For Good. Forever. We help people give back to our shared community by connecting generous donors with Causes they care about For Good. We are an endowment-based public foundation, so gifts are pooled and invested, and the annual earnings are distributed back to the community Forever. Formed in 1921, we are proud to be the first community foundation in Canada.
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Media inquiries and to arrange interviews, contact:
LuAnn Lovlin, CFRE
Vice President, Communications & Marketing
W: 431-444-1715 M: 204-781-9336
Email LuAnn
Download the Backgrounder: 2023 Winnipeg Foundation Major Capital Grants [PDF]