Giving

Leave a Legacy

Grants

Scholarships

Benefits of the Winkler Community Foundation

The Winkler Community is invested in community. We build endowment funds, provide ongoing funding to local non-profit and charitable organizations through grants, support young people pursuing post-secondary education through education awards, and invest in leadership initiatives. We believe our community is stronger together.

Endow Manitoba Giving Challenge

Every November, a provincial campaign is conducted to promote the growth of the community fund. The Winnipeg Foundation and the Manitoba Government have pledged to contribute $1 for every $5 donated by generous contributors. To maximize this matching amount, the Winkler Community Foundation (WCF) aims to receive $10,000. Each year, the WCF collaborates with the City of Winkler and local businesses to enhance the matching funds, enabling donors’ contributions to have an even greater impact. Donations made to the Community Fund directly affect the annual grants allocated to support charitable initiatives within our community.

“Community foundations exist to improve the quality of life in our community today and forever.”

In Canada, there are a total of 191 community foundations, with 56 of them situated in Manitoba. The Winnipeg Foundation is the oldest community foundation in the country and provides significant support to all community foundations in Manitoba. As a Community Foundations of Canada member, the Winkler Community Foundation takes great pride in its affiliation. It’s important to note that community foundations are registered charities and function as independent public foundations.

Ways to Give, Tailored to Your Needs

The Winkler Community Foundation offers a range of options tailored to your needs, your charitable interests, your impact timeline, and your desired degree of involvement:

1. Gift to an unrestricted community fund
The community foundation makes decisions about how to allocate distributions from the fund towards the greatest needs and priorities.

2. Establish your fund
Set up a fund in your name or the name of someone you wish to honour, similar to a family foundation. Assets are pooled alongside others at the community foundation and invested professionally. Donors can choose to distribute grants to any registered Canadian charity or seek assistance from the community foundation for more giving ideas.

3. Contribute to an existing fund
There are a number of existing charitable funds already set up at the Winkler community foundation that you can contribute to at any time. Proceeds from the fund are used to support the area of need outlined in the particular fund chosen.

“Endowments allow for continuous growth and giving, year after year, from the original gift.”

How Endowed Giving Works

People with a philanthropic desire to give back to their community contribute to a community foundation. Contributions are pooled and invested.

The pooled investment grows through careful stewardship
Income is generated and used to make grants, as directed by the donor
Community foundations make sure donor wishes are fulfilled every year, now and forever
Endowments allow for continuous growth and giving
Since the profit on the original investment is granted out to charities, it allows for continuous growth and giving, year after year from the original gift

Legacy Gifts

Plan now to create a legacy that reflects your life and helps your community thrive, forever.

A legacy gift can support the focus, project, or charity you are passionate about. You can make an impact in your community and honour your values while supporting others. Choose your focus, and how you want to help, and a legacy gift will fulfill your future wishes.

Legacy gifts to The Winkler Community Foundation can be directed to an existing fund, or you can create your own endowment fund.

The most common legacy gift is a charitable gift through a Will (bequest). To learn more about types of bequests and how to include The Foundation, download Create your legacy [PDF].

Memorials and Tribute Gifts

You can honour, remember, or celebrate those you care about by supporting a Cause that reflects their accomplishments and passions.

Either in Memorium or to honour life milestones, the Winkler Community Foundation has options to help you support the community in the name of someone you love.

These funds may also provide others with a meaningful way to show their appreciation for your loved one. You can provide them with the opportunity to make memorial or tribute gifts. The Winkler Community Foundation can create a temporary Memorial or Tribute fund and accept the gifts on your behalf. Creating the temporary fund is simple and can be done quickly. To get started, just let us know your wishes and a name for the fund. Within 24 hours, we can accept gifts to the fund. We will notify you of all gifts to the temporary fund, thank each donor individually, and provide a tax receipt for each gift.

When you are ready, you can decide how your temporary fund will help our community. We will work with you to explain your options and help you determine where to place the gift. You may choose to:

Establish a permanent endowment fund at the foundation to support a cause that reflects your loved one’s accomplishments and passions.
Contribute to an existing fund at the Winkler Community Foundation.
Give a one-time grant to your or your loved one’s favourite charity.

If you have any questions about legacy or memorial gifts, contact Myra Peters by calling 204-362-9292 or sending us an email.

Make a Donation

Types of Charitable Funds

Donor Advised Funds

You or your named successor, donor, or advisor make choices about which charities you wish to support annually. You may support any registered Canadian charity or other qualified recipient as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency.

Examples:

Kalansky Family Fund
MAP Fund
Mend the Gap Fund
Falk Fehr Foundation Fund

Designated Funds

You recommend specific charities you wish to support when you set up your fund. A community foundation manages the annual distribution to those charities.

Examples:

Katie Cares Fund
Frank & Vi Wiebe Cheerboard Fund

Field of Interest Funds

You identify your area(s) of interest when establishing your fund. A community foundation decides which organizations to support, considering your interests.

Example:

2014 Manitoba Winter Games Sport Legacy
CW Wiebe Medical

Memorial Funds

Creating an endowment fund in honour of a loved one or to celebrate a special occasion establishes a permanent legacy.

Scholarship Funds

A fund in your name or a loved one’s name can provide student scholarships that benefit youth in your area(s) of interest. A community foundation helps you define the scholarship criteria, handles all administrative details, and awards scholarships to deserving students in the name of the Fund you establish.

Examples:

Gordon Wiebe Fund
Kaitlyn Marie Reimer Scholarship

Unrestricted Funds

Your gift meets ever-changing community needs and priorities, including those that may not even have been known when you made it. A community foundation evaluates all aspects of community well-being—arts and culture, environment, health and social services, youth, and more. Your trust in a community foundation makes it possible for us to make decisions responding to our community’s most pressing needs and priorities.

Examples:

Community Fund
Thomas Sill Fund
Youth in Philanthropy

Charitable Funds for Charities

Charitable organizations can establish an endowment with a community foundation to provide a permanent funding source for their organization. Donors who wish to leave a legacy to their favourite charity benefit from knowing a trusted organization is managing their fund so the charity can concentrate on its community mission.

Examples:

Gateway Resources Fund
Winkler Fire Rescue Fund
Winkler Heritage Museum Fund

Learn More about our Current Funds