Grants to help your nonprofit grow
We offer grants to help strengthen and grow your nonprofit organization.
Grants to help your nonprofit grow.
We offer grants to help strengthen and grow your organization and encourage youth-led volunteer projects.
United Way Winnipeg's Organizational Development Grant
We believe we can create a better future for our city and everyone that lives here by investing in local organizations and communities. We do this with sustained funding to a network of agencies that support people in need in many different ways.
We also invest directly in community organizations across Winnipeg through our Organizational Development Grant Program so they can offer effective, high-quality programs and services.
The Organizational Development Grant is a small grant offered through three different streams: United Way Winnipeg funded agencies, non-United Way Winnipeg funded agencies, and Indigenous-led agencies. Nonprofits can apply for up to $7500.
For United Way Winnipeg, capacity building for organizational effectiveness means supporting organizations to strengthen the following six core capacities, in order of priority:
1. Governance and Leadership
Improvements to Board of Directors processes and structures, such as:
- development or revision to bylaws, policies, procedure documents, terms of reference, roles/responsibilities of the board, board review & assessment
- research and assessment associated with applying for charitable status, accreditation through Imagine Canada.
2. Financial Management
Fostering agency abilities to effectively manage and deploy organizational revenues and assets, such as:
- development of process and procedures to ensure financial accountability and transparency
- development of fundraising strategy, plan, and policies.
3. Human Resources
Enhancing systems, policies, and procedures to ensure effective functioning of an agency’s human resources that comply with employment, health and safety and other legislation and good practice standards, such as:
- development of HR policies
- succession planning
- development of job descriptions
- conflict resolution policy
- volunteer management policies & procedures.
4. Research
Research focusing on effectively & appropriately serving diverse communities, such as:
- Indigenous
- immigrant & refugee
- 2SLGBQ+
- disabilities
5. Strategic Alliances and Partnerships
Building strategic alliances, collaborations & partnerships that significantly advance an organization’s goals and expand its influence, in areas such as:
- restructuring
- mergers
- advancing a common agenda
6. Strategy and Business Planning
Enhancing agency capacity for stronger decision making, strategy development and planning processes, such as:
- development of strategic plans, needs assessments
- communications and social media plan
- environmental scan to gauge changing client need,
- information and technology planning
- diversity, equity, inclusion & accessibility action planning
Eligibility
To apply for United Way Winnipeg’s Organizational Development Grant, your organization must meet all the following eligibility criteria.
Your organization must be:
- A registered nonprofit organization, and
- An organization working in the health and social service sector, and
- Based in Winnipeg, and
- Primarily providing programs and services for Winnipeggers, and
- An agency whose programs and services align with United Way Winnipeg focus areas:
- Education: All That Kids Can Be
- Income: From Poverty to Possibility
- Health: Healthy People, Strong Communities
In addition to the above eligibility criteria, the below points will be considered in the evaluation process:
- United Way Winnipeg recognizes the importance of agencies that provide front-line service delivery in meeting the needs of individuals and families in our community.
- Your organization demonstrates a clear alignment with United Way Winnipeg’s strategic investment priorities. United Way Winnipeg’s current strategic investment priorities include:
- Mental health and addiction supports
- Job readiness and training
- Family supports
The organizations types listed below are not eligible for an Organizational Development Grant:
- Agencies whose primary mission is of a political or religious nature
- Organizations primarily involved in medical research
- Daycares
- Libraries
Agencies are eligible for one project per fiscal year (April 1 – March 31). A project funded by an Organizational Development Grant must be completed and an invoice submitted to United Way Winnipeg before another application to the fund can be approved.
Criteria
Preference will be given to projects which demonstrate all of the following:
- Clear alignment with the above noted eligibility criteria.
- Urgency or timeliness for the organization to minimize risks, address organizational challenges, enhance sustainability of the organization, etc.
- Evidence that it will contribute to building the overall capacity and effectiveness of the organization through one or more of the six core capacities noted above.
- Encouraged by Agency Liaison Volunteers Teams – this point is specific to United Way Winnipeg agency partners.
Grants will not be approved to support costs associated with:
- Staff costs or salaries
- Staff professional development and training
- Programming, service delivery, and events
- Capital purchases
- Financial audits
- Transportation, space rental, or food
- Implementation of operating plans or strategic plans
- Conference registration, workshop registration and travel
- Projects/activities already completed before the application is reviewed and approved by the review committee
- Printing, distribution and promotion of materials developed as a result of the project
- Software
Application Process
United Way Winnipeg will accept applications for a window of four weeks during two intake periods.
The review committee will review all applications against the criteria to make final funding decisions. Details of the next intake period will be listed below when available.
Fall Intake 2025
Applications will be accepted starting October 6, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. to October 31, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions in December.
How an Organizational Development Grant can help your nonprofit
“Thanks to an Organizational Development Grant from United Way Winnipeg, Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba (LDAM) now has a robust fundraising strategy to sustain its programming and operations into the future. With the help of a consultant, LDAM has implemented techniques to engage with new and existing donors. One of the organization’s biggest success stories was attracting a significant donation of $25,000—its highest contribution from a single donor to date.”
“North Point Douglas Women’s Centre (NPDWC) has developed new language to express the importance of Indigenous traditional knowledge in its everyday practice. With support provided by United Way’s Organizational Development Grant, the staff and board of NPDWC gathered on the banks of the Assiniboine River, at Camp Manitou, to offer tobacco and seek knowledge about traditional ways of governance. Now, NPDWC’s guiding principles have been revised to align with the wisdom of community grandmothers and the Seven Sacred Teachings.”