Basketball for Life Fund
Supporting opportunities for children and youth across Manitoba to get involved — and stay involved — in the game of basketball.
Building Access to Basketball Across Manitoba
The Basketball for Life Fund supports opportunities for children and youth across Manitoba to get involved — and stay involved — in the game of basketball. The fund helps reduce financial barriers by assisting families with program and training costs, ensuring that every child, regardless of background or circumstance, can experience the benefits of sport.
Funds raised directly support inner-city youth, New Canadians, and members of Manitoba’s Provincial Team and high-performance development programs. In addition, the initiative invests in new coach education opportunities to help ensure that every young athlete in Manitoba is guided by knowledgeable, certified, and positive role models on the court.
The Basketball for Life Fund also supports capital projects and community infrastructure initiatives that improve access to safe, welcoming, and high-quality places to play basketball across Manitoba. These investments can include the development and renewal of outdoor basketball courts, replacement of aging hoops and backboards, new playing surfaces, fencing, lighting, seating, court painting, accessibility improvements, and other site enhancements. Working with schools, municipalities, community organizations, donors, and other partners, Basketball Manitoba helps direct funding toward projects that create long-term community benefit and expand opportunities for children, youth, families, and recreational players to enjoy the game in their own communities.
By making a financial contribution to the Basketball for Life Fund, individuals, groups, and corporate partners can make a lasting impact on the growth of basketball in our province. Every donation supports local athletes and coaches — 100% of funds raised go directly back into programming. Donors are recognized on the Basketball Manitoba website and receive an official tax receipt in appreciation of their support.
Donate Today
Online donations over $50 are eligible for an official tax receipt. When prompted, carefully select Basketball for Life Fund as the project. When donating, you can direct your donation to the fund to either the Program or Capital streams.
Select “Basketball Manitoba - Basketball for Life Fund” as the "Project" when prompted.
Basketball Specialty Licence Plates
A portion of every Basketball specialty licence plate sold in Manitoba directly supports the Basketball for Life Fund. Over $100,000 has been raised since the plates were launched in 2017, with 100% of those funds supporting the initiatives listed below.
Your purchase helps provide young athletes with opportunities to access programs, training, and quality coaching across the province — keeping more kids active, engaged, and connected through basketball.
Learn More About Basketball Specialty PlatesWhat the Basketball for Life Fund Supports
The Basketball for Life Fund provides direct financial and program support to ensure every Manitoban has access to quality basketball opportunities — regardless of background, location, or financial means. The fund supports a wide range of initiatives that help players, coaches, and communities across the province grow through basketball.
Inner-City and New Canadian Basketball Programs
The fund helps deliver free basketball programming such as the Todd MacCulloch Hoop School — a long-running inner-city development program for youth aged 12–14 — and other outreach initiatives offering skill-building sessions, community jamborees, and access to equipment.
Basketball for All Initiative Program
Through this initiative, Basketball Manitoba provides free basketballs to Manitoba-based schools, community groups, and youth-serving organizations to help expand access to the game.
Nothin’ But Nets Initiative Program
Partnering with Manitoba communities and supporters, this project provides free outdoor basketball nets to replace damaged or missing ones on public courts across the province.
Basketball Equipment Recycling Program
Funds support the ongoing Basketball Equipment Recycling Program, which collects, refurbishes, and redistributes gently used basketball equipment to schools, community centres, and programs in need.
Manitoba Provincial Team, Junior Academy and Targeted Athlete Programs
The fund supports athletes selected to represent Manitoba on its Provincial Teams and in the Junior Academy and Targeted Athlete Programs. Funds help reduce costs tied to training, travel, competition, equipment, and insurance.
Coach Education and Development Programs
Recognizing that quality coaching drives player growth, the fund invests in coach education programs and targeted grants to support young and female coaches earning certification.
In short, the Basketball for Life Fund fuels programs that:
- Make basketball more accessible for inner-city youth and New Canadians
- Provide free basketballs and nets to communities and schools
- Support Manitoba’s Provincial and Targeted Athlete programs
- Strengthen grassroots and high-performance coaching development
Capital Development Programs
The Basketball for Life Fund is connected to a number of capital development initiatives designed to improve access to safe, modern and sustainable basketball facilities across Manitoba. These projects may include both indoor and outdoor facilities and can range from the construction of new basketball spaces to the renovation, redevelopment and enhancement of existing courts and gymnasiums.
Capital support may be directed toward projects such as court resurfacing or replacement, concrete and playing-surface improvements, new basketball standards and backboards, lighting, fencing, seating, accessibility improvements, site preparation, landscaping, signage and other infrastructure required to create functional and welcoming basketball environments. Where appropriate, projects may also include the conversion or improvement of existing recreational spaces to better accommodate basketball programming.
Basketball Manitoba works with community organizations, schools, municipalities, charitable foundations, corporate partners and other stakeholders to identify projects where investment can provide a meaningful and lasting benefit. Priority is placed on facilities that increase opportunities for children and youth, serve communities where quality basketball infrastructure may be limited, and provide broad public or community access.
A key example of this work is Basketball Manitoba's partnership with Buckets & Borders, which has supported the redevelopment of outdoor basketball courts in communities across Manitoba. These projects have included substantial improvements to existing public courts, including new playing surfaces, commercial-grade basketball equipment, fencing, lighting, seating and surrounding site enhancements. Completed initiatives have supported communities including St. John's Park, Mayfair Park, Northwood Community Centre, RB Russell School, Godron Bell High School, Killarney and Dauphin, with additional projects continuing to be developed.
Capital investments made through the Basketball for Life Fund are intended to provide benefits well beyond a single program or season. Improved facilities create additional spaces for Basketball Manitoba programming and athlete development while also providing schools, community organizations and the general public with accessible places to play. In this way, capital development supports both organized amateur sport and informal recreational participation while helping strengthen basketball infrastructure throughout the province.
The overall objective is to leverage charitable donations and community partnerships to create lasting basketball assets that increase participation, remove barriers to access and provide Manitoba athletes and communities with quality environments in which to learn, train, compete and enjoy the game.
All donations to the Basketball for Life Fund directly impact Manitobans — keeping the game growing for life.
This Is Where You Come In
Your support helps keep more young Manitobans connected to basketball through accessible programs, equipment, training, and coaching support.
Basketball for Life Fund Levels of Support
How to Make Your Donation
Basketball Manitoba has partnered with Sport Manitoba and the National Sport Trust Fund to manage monetary donations and provide charitable tax receipts where eligible.
1. Online — Over $50
Online donations over $50 are eligible for an official tax receipt.
- Click the donation button below.
- Important: Carefully select Basketball for Life Fund as the project when prompted.
2. Online — Under $50
Donations under $50 can be made using the PayPal button below. No tax receipt will be provided. Only donations over $50 are eligible for a tax receipt.
3. By Mail or In Person
- Print the donor form.
- Include the completed donor form and make a cheque payable to CCPTSF - MB.
- Mail or deliver the form and cheque to Basketball Manitoba.
Room 324
145 Pacific Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3B 2Z6
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Friends of the Basketball for Life Fund
- Sport Manitoba
- Toronto Raptors
- Asper Foundation
- Winnipeg Foundation
- Winnipeg Sea Bears Foundation
- Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries
- Estelle Meyers
- Duncan Inglis
- Joe Di Curzio
- John A. Brown
- Ken Kelsch
- Jaime Taggart
- Marlene & Ralph Wagner
- Think Shift
- Rick Watts
- Marg Wilson
- Bison Basketball Alumni
- Access Credit Union
- Winnipeg Police Endowment Fund
- She's Got Game Basketball Camp
- Everyone who has a basketball specialty licence plate on their vehicle.
Confidentiality and Your Contact Information
The National Sport Trust Fund protects the privacy of your information. Names and addresses are never traded or sold in lists, and your financial information is never divulged or maintained for any purpose other than that required by the Canada Revenue Agency. Donor personal contact information will only be shared with the recipient project selected by the donor.