Grant and Funding Programs Offered by The University of Winnipeg Foundation (UWF)

The University of Winnipeg Foundation is a charitable foundation dedicated to strengthening, deepening, and advancing The University of Winnipeg and its Collegiate. As the university’s official fundraising and development arm, it builds and manages long-term income streams that finance student awards, community outreach, academic excellence, and campus infrastructure. Development efforts are organized through Major Gifts, Annual Giving, Planned Giving, Collegiate Engagement, and Stewardship programs.

The Foundation channels donations into priority funds that align with institutional goals. Key funding areas include community programming such as the Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre and Merchants Corner, access-to-education initiatives like the General Bursary Fund and the Opportunity Fund, academic excellence via entrance and continuing scholarships, and infrastructure projects such as library upgrades and enhanced learning spaces.

A central part of the Foundation’s impact is the support of bursaries and scholarships that reduce financial barriers for current and prospective students. Through funds like the Opportunity Fund, the General Bursary Fund, the Dean’s Continuing Scholarship Fund and numerous named awards, the Foundation directs resources to students from under-represented and at‑risk communities, including Indigenous students, newcomers, refugees, and youth from inner‑city neighbourhoods.

The Student Awards portfolio includes a wide range of Indigenous-focused scholarships and bursaries, memorial prizes, graduate fellowships, and discipline-specific awards. Donors can also work with the Foundation to establish new scholarships or bursaries tailored to their interests, helping to create lasting endowments that benefit generations of learners.

Beyond direct student aid, the Foundation supports community-facing programs that connect the university with surrounding neighbourhoods. This includes funding for the Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre’s cultural and educational programming, the Model School at The Collegiate, and initiatives such as Pathways to Education and various Indigenous wellness, literacy, and leadership programs. These investments foster reconciliation, inclusion, and improved educational outcomes for communities historically under-represented in higher education.

The Foundation also stewards gifts for capital and infrastructure projects that improve the learning and research environment. Library upgrade funds, enhanced accessibility measures, and modernized study and research spaces are examples of how donations are converted into tangible improvements that benefit students, faculty, and staff across campus.

The University of Winnipeg Foundation offers multiple giving mechanisms, including online donations, pledges, e‑transfers, share transfers, and cross‑border giving options for US donors. It issues charitable tax receipts, recognizes donors in annual reports, and, in some cases, leverages matching programs such as the Manitoba Scholarship and Bursary Initiative. Through professional stewardship and transparent management of endowed and expendable funds, the Foundation ensures that contributions are aligned with donor intent and deliver long-term impact for the University community.