Founders Club
The Portage Foundation owes its existence to the Thomas Sill Foundation's commitment to rural philanthropy and to a few Portagers who foresaw the value of a community foundation to all the citizens of Portage and district.
By late 1993, the Thomas Sill Foundation was already acknowledged as the major nongovernmental funder in rural and northern Manitoba. To promote community self-sufficiency and to spread the burden of funding worthy charitable activities, they announced the assignment of $1 million to help create 10 new community foundations in rural and northern Manitoba. Portage and district was fortunate to be one of the first ten. The organization was incorporated on June 2, 1994 as the Portage and District Foundation incorporated.
The new Board of Directors finalized a fundraising strategy named the "Founders Club". Membership was open to all families, individuals, businesses and service organizations who contributed at least $1,000 by December 31,1995. The goal was to raise $200,000 in that time in order to ensure the maximum matching grant of $100,000 was received from the Thomas Sill Foundation. This campaign ensured a significant pool of capital in the endowment fund which would provide the basis for the income for grantmaking. The 159 Founders have their names commemorated on a plaque which is permanently housed in the Portage la Prairie Regional Library.
