Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Coldwell Lundar Community Foundation Inc. (CLCF)

Coldwell Lundar Community Foundation Inc. is a non-profit charitable community foundation incorporated in 2004 to serve the residents of the Rural Municipality of Coldwell, including the town of Lundar and surrounding rural and recreational areas. Its core role is to attract, receive and steward charitable gifts in a permanent endowment fund, and to distribute the annual investment income to strengthen quality of life in the community. Donations are invested in perpetuity and only the earnings are used for granting, ensuring a long-term source of local funding.

The foundation supports a broad range of community needs. It awards community grants to local charitable and non-profit organizations for projects such as upgrades to recreation facilities, museums, libraries, seniors’ housing, parks, churches and community spaces. It also administers several high school scholarships for graduating students from Lundar High School or home-schooled residents of the RM of Coldwell.

CLCF manages both unrestricted and designated (restricted) funds. Unrestricted endowed funds, such as the Coldwell Community Foundation Endowment Fund, the Paul & Ollie Johnson Endowment Fund, the Sweetland Family Memorial Fund and the David & Patricia Sigfusson Memorial Fund, generate income that is used for general community granting each year. Designated funds, including the Lundar Heritage Park Fund, Myrtle Smith Memorial Fund, Cal & Dorothy Bennett Memorial Fund, Diane Jacobs Walking Trail Fund, Lundar Museum Society Fund and the David & Patricia Sigfusson Lundar Memorial Arena Maintenance Fund, direct their annual interest to specific facilities, causes or scholarships.

Over time, the foundation has also administered flow-through grants from national initiatives such as the Emergency Community Support Fund and the Community Services Recovery Fund, helping channel federal and provincial pandemic and recovery support to local groups. CLCF partners closely with The Winnipeg Foundation and Endow Manitoba for investment management, matching challenges and capacity building, benefiting from professional financial oversight.

Community grants are typically offered on an annual cycle. Local charitable organizations and qualified donees can apply for funding to support community betterment projects, with grant applications made available as downloadable forms and an advertised deadline, currently February 28. Requests are reviewed by the volunteer Board of Directors, which assesses alignment with community priorities and the availability of endowment income. Scholarships are awarded annually at graduation ceremonies, based on criteria linked to residency and enrolment in Lundar High School or recognized home schooling.

The foundation is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors drawn from the community, serving without remuneration. As a member of Community Foundations of Canada, CLCF follows established community foundation practices around endowment management, grantmaking and reporting. Its website and annual reports highlight year-by-year grants and scholarship recipients, illustrating a growing portfolio of support for recreation facilities, cultural heritage, seniors, youth programming and local infrastructure.

By combining local philanthropy with professional investment management through The Winnipeg Foundation, Coldwell Lundar Community Foundation has built a sustainable funding base that will continue to benefit the RM of Coldwell. Through its mix of unrestricted and named funds, it enables donors to support both broad community priorities and specific causes, while ensuring that the capital remains intact for future generations.