Brandon residents can stretch the impact of their donations to local causes this November during the Endow Manitoba Giving Challenge, running November 9 to 15.
The Brandon Area Community Foundation is inviting people to give to its unrestricted Community Fund during that week, when every $5 donation will be matched with $2 — $1 each from The Winnipeg Foundation and the Manitoba government — up to $2,000 from each organization.
The fund supports a broad range of projects in Brandon and southwestern Manitoba, including arts and culture, education, health and wellness, environment and recreation, youth and senior programs, and social services. Since 1965, the foundation has returned more than $10 million in grants to the community and now manages over $15 million in assets.
Last year, the foundation granted more than $1.9 million to 47 local charities. Executive Director Tanis Chalmers said “every project we fund is chosen because it adds real meaning and purpose to the people who live here.”
The Endow Manitoba Giving Challenge has added almost $9 million to community foundations’ undesignated funds over its nine years. Manitoba has more community foundations per capita than anywhere in North America, with 57 foundations outside Winnipeg. The province has committed to the matching program through 2026, after first participating in 2017, which led to a 46 percent increase in the number of private gifts and a 67 percent increase in their value.
