Building a Lasting Legacy
Your community foundation plays a vital, lasting role in your hometown by supporting charitable projects that improve life for individuals, families and the entire community.
Why Donate?
If you’ve visited a library, received care at a hospital, toured a heritage site, strolled around a public park, attended a theatre or music performance, or been to a playground in Manitoba, chances are your life has been touched by a community foundation. These organizations support all aspects of community life, making grants to a wide variety of worthy causes – from daycares to seniors’ homes, scholarships to school improvements, food banks to fitness, and much, much more.
These grants are possible thanks to generous gifts from local donors from all walks of life. Community foundations pool and endow (permanently invest) all gifts and the income earned supports a variety of projects within the foundation’s catchment area. The original contributions are never spent, ensuring a lasting legacy for donors and a permanent source of support for the community.
Canada’s community foundation movement started in 1921 with the establishment of The Winnipeg Foundation. One hundred years later, there are 50 community foundations in our province – nearly a third of Canada’s total. These foundations are part of Manitoba’s history of generosity, a tradition in which we can all participate and take pride.

Thank You MANITOBA!
Donor Funds
The Westshore Community Foundation a wide variety of endowment funds available to meet your charitable goals. Perhaps one of the below endowment funds suits your charitable goals or perhaps you would like to discuss establishing your own endowment fund tailored specifically to your goals. In either case, contact the Westshore Foundation for assistance &/or information.
Established in 2005, provides scholarships to assist students within our mandate to pursue post-secondary education.
Established in 2011, this fund provides a bursary annually to assist a Gimli High School student who has good potential and needs financial assistance to pursue a post-secondary education goal.
Established in 2018 by Barrie & Ardith Sigurdson, along with Barrie’s parents Alma & Raymond in memory of their beloved sister and daughter, the late Dr. Elaine Sigurdson. This Fund supports students who have graduated from the Evergreen School Division to pursue studies in the Undergraduate Medical Education Program and the Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program at the University of Manitoba.
This is an Agency Fund established in 2018 by the New Iceland Heritage Museum under the Manitoba Heritage Trust Program. In 2021, the Museum’s agency fund established in 2008 was transferred into this Fund .The annual income from this Fund is used at the sole discretion of the museum in pursuit of its particular goals and in a manner consistent with its mandate.
An Agency Fund established in 2020 to support the Gimli Film Festival’s mandate to educate, engage, inspire and empower through the medium of film.
An Agency Fund established in 2020 with earnings to be used at their discretion to meet their charitable mandate of promoting & sustaining interest in Icelandic Culture and Heritage.
This designated fund was established in 2020 by the Government of Manitoba to provide a long term sustainable revenue stream for the purpose of operating the Museum. Specifically, to support development activities in the following areas of governance & management, museum standards, and visitor experience.
An agency fund established in 2021 under the Manitoba Heritage Trust Program. The income from this Fund is used at the sole discretion of the Museum in pursuit of its particular goals “To Educate, Enlighten & Entertain” and in a manner consistent with its mandate to tell the heroic story of Air Canada Flight 143 on July 23, 1983.
An initiative of Marj & Oli Narfason to support musical and visual arts education by assisting musical and visual arts programs and their supporting organizations maintained by schools within the Westshore catchment area. They hope the community will use this Fund to rally in support of educating our young people in these essential arts to strengthen their personal development and to build a healthy and vibrant community.
This fund was created in 2022 by the Board of Directors of the Westshore Community Foundation. The purpose of this Fund will be to conserve our natural environment, to support climate change initiatives, to assist projects related to the improvement of water, air and food supply, including related education and citizen engagement, and to build the capacity of the local environmental sector. It is intended that this Fund will focus efforts to meet these objectives primarily but not exclusively on improving the health and sustainability of Lake Winnipeg.
Established by Robert’s family in 2022, in loving memory of a community leader and dedicated educator, to provide an annual post-secondary scholarship to a Gimli High School graduate who has demonstrated a commitment to community service.
In remembrance of Sigurlin Roed (nee Danielson), a beloved mother, a dedicated teacher and an ardent supporter of her Icelandic heritage, this Fund was established in 2023 to assist a graduating student of Gimli High School pursuing post-secondary university education who has demonstrated service and leadership both at school and in their community, and who has shown aptitude for and commitment to their chosen career or area of post-secondary study.
Established by Anna Stevens in 2024 to assist graduating Gimli High School students pursuing a career in teaching. Anna is a believer that if you devote your life to a cause, you can make a difference in your community and people’s lives. Education and community service are dear to Anna’s heart.
