The Morden Area Foundation handed out $56,000 in spring grants last week.
The grant distribution celebration held June 15 at the Morden Legion also officially presented $17,000 in funding from the Power of the Purse event as well as $25,500 in Learn & Return health care bursaries. The Power of the Purse funds included $6,257 to Genesis House for its backyard refresh project, $5,737 for Morden Caring and Sharing for its school lunch program, and $5,0006 for École Discovery Trails for its play structure project.
The Morden Area Foundation’s Sasha Oleksandra presented a $10,000 grant to the Morden Legion’s Deanna Douglas, Bob Frost, and Jason Evert last week. It’s one of nine new grants the agency handed out this spring
Chairperson Brad Ritchie said it’s always a special time for the foundation when they are able to give out money to support organizations and projects in the community.
“It’s ultimately what we do, and absolutely it’s special, and it reminds us of the power of an endowment fund and what the foundation is here for,” he said, noting the foundation had been able to hand out a total of $316,000 in its 2025-26 fiscal year.
In terms of choosing which organizations and projects to support, Ritchie noted the grant committee reviews all applications and conducts a short interview with applicants in the later stages of the process.
“We find that to be very valuable to really understand the impact of their project,” he said. “And then we see how it fits into our key criteria as well as the overall impact it will have on the entire community.”
They also generally like to be supporting a broad range of organizations and projects.
“And we track it over the years to make sure we’re staying balanced. But over time, what we’ve learned through our own due diligence and our community outreach is that needs and opportunities are always changing, and we’re doing our very best to stay aware of what’s needed through diversity in our granting … as well as our own external research.
“We think we’re able to capture more opportunities and be more reflective of the needs of the community by having a two semi-annual granting process rather than just once a year,” Ritchie added. “For example, an organization may not know in September what their project is going to look like, and that’s why, by having two different granting cycles, we’re able to really be more available to opportunities.”
Receiving grants last week were:
• Morden Minor Soccer, $9,200 for its Safe Net, Safe Game project.
• Morden Branch 11 Royal Canadian Legion, $10,000 for washroom renovations.
• Morden Community Handi-Van, $3,500 for a van replacement.
• Youth For Christ, $8,000 towards its recreational backyard space.
• 500 Stephen Community Centre, $5,500 for its Community Collaborate and Connect Project.
• Habitat for Humanity, $5,000 towards its Hanover Dr. house build.
• Katie Cares, $2,000 for new linens.
• Kidsport Manitoba, $1,500 for youth sport registration support in Morden.
• Pembina Valley Snowkickers, $10,000 towards the purchase of newer grooming equipment.
