Grant and Funding Programs Offered by The Balmoral Hall School Foundation (BH)

The Balmoral Hall School Foundation is a dedicated charitable foundation created to strengthen the long-term financial sustainability of Balmoral Hall School, an independent all-girls day and boarding school in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Foundation builds and manages an endowment made up of class endowments, named funds, and tribute funds. Its core role is to invest donated capital and distribute a portion of the annual investment income as grants to Balmoral Hall School.

These annual grants support three main areas: student bursaries for girls whose families need financial assistance, innovative educational programming across departments, and capital or campus enhancement projects. By directing endowed income toward these priorities, the Foundation helps ensure that a Balmoral Hall education remains both accessible and enriched for generations of students.

The Foundation oversees a portfolio of endowed and restricted funds with specific criteria. Class endowment funds, established by graduating classes and their families, culminate in the graduating year and create bursaries for girls of promise. Numerous named funds honour former teachers, families, and alumnae, each with criteria tailored to particular student needs, academic areas, or co-curricular interests.

Through these funds, the Foundation supports bursary programs, technology and innovation initiatives, arts and design activities, and broader campus improvements. The Tribute Fund, for example, pools endowed donations made in honour or memory of individuals and generates an annual grant that helps girls of promise participate fully in co-curricular experiences at the school.

The Foundation follows a classic endowment model: donor principal remains invested in perpetuity, while only a portion of the annual income is made available as a grant to Balmoral Hall School. Each fund has defined parameters, and the school uses granted funds within those criteria, whether for bursaries, specific programs, or physical improvements.

Donors can contribute in flexible ways, including unrestricted gifts to the endowment, the creation of new named funds (typically at a $50,000 level over up to five years), or estate gifts recognized through the Meliora Petens Legacy Society. Securities, flow-through donations, and gifts routed via The Winnipeg Foundation are also used to build endowed assets that will generate future grants.

The Foundation is overseen by a Board of Directors, chaired by community volunteers and alumnae, and supported by Balmoral Hall School’s Philanthropy team. The Interim Director, Philanthropy & BH Foundation, works closely with major gifts and annual fund officers to cultivate donations, steward funds, and align granting with the school’s strategic priorities.

While the school itself runs annual and capital campaigns, the Foundation takes a “front seat” in the strategy for long-term endowment growth, with milestones such as building a $5 million endowment and setting new targets toward $10 million. This governance structure is intended to safeguard donor intent, manage investments prudently, and ensure transparent, mission-aligned deployment of endowment income.