Foundation Guidelines

The Werklund Foundation is built upon a family's values and beliefs. The Werklund Family recognize the value of leadership education and consider investing in our youth a responsibility.

Werklund Foundation Funding Guidelines

The Foundation’s current focus is to support charities to reduce barriers and create opportunities for youth (ages 9 to 22) to obtain skills they need for their future including:

• practical skills for jobs
• life skills to prepare youth for independent living
• social and emotional learning
• leadership skills
• skills in civic and community engagement

"Youth" is best understood as a period of transition from the dependence of childhood to the independence of adulthood. We recognize that youth is therefore a more fluid category than a fixed age-group. However, age is the easiest way to define this group.  As a Foundation, we hope to inspire youth to realize their full potential at an early stage in their development and are therefore focused on young people between the ages of 9 and 22 years.

Grant Streams

Due to an increase in applications, grant streams are closed to new applications for 2025. Please check back in 2026 for updated guidance. 

 We currently offer three grant streams within our area of focus.

1. One-Year Program Grants up to $25k for existing programs working directly with youth with demonstrable outcomes.
2. One-Year Innovation Grants up to $25k for charities trying a new approach. Charities will be able to: show evidence of the need for the innovation; demonstrate the innovation is not duplicating existing work; and demonstrate the predicted outcomes of the new approach.
3. Multi-Year Grants are only for organizations who have received a program or innovation grant previously from the Foundation. These grants are for existing programs working directly with youth with demonstrable outcomes. 

Eligibility Criteria

All applicants for each grant stream must meet the eligibility criteria; please read through this carefully before applying.

1. Registered Charity with a CRA charitable number.
2. Work is in Alberta or, in the case of regional/national charities, offers programs in Alberta.
3. Work must meet the Foundation’s current funding priority to reduce barriers and create opportunities for youth (ages 9 to 22) to obtain skills they need for their future including: practical skills for jobs; life skills to prepare youth for independent living; social and emotional learning; leadership skills; skills in civic and community engagement.
4. Charities must be able to demonstrate social impact.

Once you have established your charity meets the eligibility criteria, please follow the application guidelines for the grant stream to which you are applying.