Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Sport Manitoba

Role of Sport Manitoba in the funding ecosystem

Sport Manitoba is the lead non-profit organization responsible for amateur sport development across the province of Manitoba. Guided by the Manitoba Action Plan for Sport (MAPS), it works with sport stakeholders to address key needs in participation, performance, safety and governance. The organization generates revenue through its clinic, fitness centre, performance services and facility rentals, and reinvests that revenue—along with support from the Province of Manitoba—back into the amateur sport system.

A central part of Sport Manitoba’s mandate is financial support. The organization distributes approximately $10 million in funding each year to more than 100 Provincial Sport Organizations (PSOs) and community organizations, helping them plan, recover and thrive. It also supports a wide range of grants, awards and recognition programs targeting athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers, alongside event-based initiatives such as the Manitoba Games and Team Manitoba’s participation in the Canada Games.

Supported audiences and funding priorities

Sport Manitoba’s funding and services target the full sport community: grassroots participants, high-performance athletes, coaches, officials, administrators, and sport partners. Its programs emphasize safe, inclusive and accessible sport environments, often linked with Safe Sport resources and policy templates. Funding supports capacity building for PSOs, community club development, coach education and certification, official development, and initiatives that expand participation, particularly for underrepresented groups.

Through partnerships with more than 75 sport-related organizations, Sport Manitoba also backs multi-sport games, physical literacy initiatives like Fit Kids Healthy Kids, and recognition programs such as coaching awards and athlete-focused grants. These investments are intended to strengthen the provincial sport pathway from introductory participation through to podium-level performance.

Governance, transparency and accountability

Sport Manitoba is governed by a volunteer board of directors representing major stakeholders in the provincial sport delivery system. The organization publishes annual reports, business plans, financial statements and key policies, which are available in its reports and plans section. This documentation outlines how public funds and self-generated revenues are allocated across programs, grants and services, and demonstrates accountability to government partners, sport organizations and the broader community.

Since launching its athlete-development work in 1996, Sport Manitoba has evolved into a central hub for funding, leadership and resources in Manitoba’s sport sector. By combining financial assistance with education, training and safe sport tools, it aims to create vibrant sport communities and enable all Manitobans to experience the benefits of sport for life.