Founded in 1965, United Way of Winnipeg (UWWIN) grants funds to local charities to improve lives and build a stronger community in Winnipeg.  UWWIN’s three granting programs are: All That Kids Can Be, Poverty to Possibility, and Healthy People, Strong Communities. In F2020, UWWIN granted $20.5m to over 100 non-profit organizations plus an additional $1.1m in donor-designated grants.

The charity reports that one in four children in Winnipeg lives in poverty, and in Winnipeg’s poorest neighbourhoods, up to 40% of students are not graduating. According to the charity, programs funded under the organization’s All That Kids Can Be program affected the lives of more than 80,000 youth at 36 partner agencies in F2020. Programs funded include 12 counselling and crisis intervention programs, 41 out-of-school and summer programs, and 28 leadership and mentoring programs. 

According to UWWIN, 50% of people have said that low income is a barrier to finding housing. In F2020, UWWIN’s Poverty to Possibility program funded a total of 22 agencies, 13 life and employment skills/social enterprise programs, and 12 asset building, money management and financial inclusion programs. The charity reports that these programs affected the lives of 30,000 Winnipeg residents in F2020.

UWWIN reports that more families are struggling both socially and economically. These families rely on services such as family resource centres to provide them with necessities so they can focus on long-term success. In F2020, UWWIN’s Healthy People, Strong Communities program funded 61 agencies, 39 community development programs, ten development programs, 29 life-skills and access-to-resources programs, and 62 counselling, wellness and education programs. The charity reports that these programs helped more than 225,000 people in F2020.

United Way Winnipeg is a Major 100 charity, meaning it is one of Canada’s largest charities in terms of donations. The charity received $27.9m in donations and $4.5m in government funding. Administrative costs are 3% of revenues and fundraising costs are 17% of donations. For every dollar donated, 80 cents go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

United Way Winnipeg’s total funding reserves of $37.4m can cover 1.5 years of annual program costs.

Some of United Way Winnipeg’s largest grants, as reported in its most recent F2019 T3010 CRA filing, are as follows: $1.0m to Family Dynamics, $990k to SMD, $840k to Seed Winnipeg, $811k to Norwest Co-op Community Health, and $739k to Boys and Girls Club of Winnipeg.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to United Way Winnipeg for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 6, 2020 by Tenzin Shomar.