United Way of Winnipeg is a top-rated 5-star charity. Like most United Ways, it has a high results reporting grade, meaning it does a great job reporting information on its grants and their results. 

Founded in 1965, United Way Winnipeg (UWW) grants funds to local charities to improve lives and build a stronger community in Winnipeg. 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 from high school.

In F2021, UWW granted $17.9m to 103 non-profit organizations plus an additional $1.3m in donor-designated grants. UWW’s three granting programs are: All That Kids Can Be, Poverty to Possibility, and Healthy People, Strong Communities. According to the charity, programs funded under the All That Kids Can Be program affected the lives of more than 86,468 youth at 36 partner agencies in F2021. Programs funded include 12 counselling and crisis intervention programs and 28 leadership and mentoring programs.

According to UWW, 50% of people have said that low income is a barrier to finding housing. In F2021, UWW’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 35,043 Winnipeg residents in F2021.

UWW 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 F2021, UWW’s Healthy People, Strong Communities program funded 49 community 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 225,492 people in F2021. In F2021, UWW helped the community file 3,101 tax returns with over $11.7m in refunds and benefits.

In F2021, United Way Winnipeg received $27.3m in donations and $12.1m in government funding. Administrative costs are 2% of revenues and fundraising costs are 16% of donations. For every dollar donated, 82 cents go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

UWW reports it has a unique funding agreement with the province. Provincial funding of $4.4m offsets UWW's fundraising and administrative costs of $4.3m. Charity Intelligence's analysis takes a holistic approach.

United Way Winnipeg’s total funding reserves of $48.1m can cover 1.6 years of annual program costs.

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

Updated on June 3, 2022 by Lin Zhu. Following management comments, edits made on November 16, 2020 by Kate Bahen.