Impact Report – Makerspace YK – Shop Skills Development Initiative
In 2024/25, the Yellowknife Community Fund issued a grant to the Shop Skills Development Initiative, a project of Makerspace YK, implemented over that summer.
As an organization, Makerspace is all about reducing barriers. They offer shared workspaces, knowledge, and tools that many of us do not have access to on our own. That ethos of access came through in the skills initiative, and perfectly reflects what the nonprofit means to the community overall.
The basic idea was to expand their available Woodshop and Trades programming, and it grew in every sense: number, type, structure… The end product was a mix of one-off classes and multi-week workshops.
The longer courses allowed beginners to literally build confidence through a series of projects. With each session, you could see your skills manifest into completed objects. Participants came away with a foundation of skill and comfort, which empowered them to return to the space and continue to create on their own.
Beyond beginner makers, the initiative also focused on the inclusion of youth, women, and gender-diverse participants. The standout highlight was their youth STTEM Camp, which included an entire day just in the Woodshop.
Through the Yellowknife Community Fund, Makerspace was able to hire multiple instructors and draw from their different skillsets. As a result of this increased capacity, the initiative saw over one hundred and fifty different makers partake in ten new workshops, including: “Building with 2x4s”, “Techniques and Confidence”, and the “Raised Planter Bed” workshop.
This last program was so successful, it literally produced a successor workshop in collaboration with Northern Roots, a market gardening and food education enterprise. Learning directly from a Red Seal carpenter, budding students became bona fide makers. The participants created fifteen planters for a community garden downtown, as well as some composters for Northern Roots’ new gardening site.
One student went from having zero experience with tools to designing and building two planters by themselves. As if that weren’t reward enough, everyone got to eat delicious locally-produced from the very garden they had been working in.
- Community Impact, In Action
2025 Grantees
In 2025, the Yellowknife Community Foundation disbursed over $200,000 in 33 grants from 19 funds, as follows:
| Fund | Grantee | Website | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 Knifers Flow-Through Fund | MakeWay Charitable Society - Northern Journalism Training Initiative | https://www.njti.ca/ | Journalism training opportunities for Indigenous and northern people | $6,700.00 |
| 100 Knifers Flow-Through Fund | YWCA NWT | https://www.ywcanwt.ca/ | GirlSpace and Dudes Club Summer Programming | $6,450.00 |
| 100 Knifers Flow-Through Fund | Western Arctic Moving Pictures | https://wamp.ca/ | YKids Year-Round Programming | $5,800.00 |
| 100 Knifers Flow-Through Fund | Yellowknife Day Care Association | https://www.yellowknifedaycare.com/ | Food Program Expansions | $8,800.00 |
| Albert and Hilya Hall Seniors Enhancement Fund | Avens - A Community for Seniors | http://www.AvensSeniors.com | Revitalizing school visits to AVENS | $3,000.00 |
| Barb Bromley Fund for Seniors and Elders | Western Arctic Moving Pictures | http://www.wamp.ca | Senior Filmmaking Workshop & Screening Event | $3,200.00 |
| Barb Bromley Fund for Seniors and Elders | Avens - A Community for Seniors | http://www.AvensSeniors.com | Let's Sing with Kerry Wheler | $4,800.00 |
| Chris Argue Memorial Fund | NWT Literacy Council | https://www.nwtliteracy.ca/ | Canoe Lessons for Newcomers | $1,500.00 |
| Community Enrichment - Yellowknife Community Fund | Yellowknife Seniors Society | https://yksenior.ca/ | Lunch with a Bunch and Special Events | $8,000.00 |
| Community Enrichment - Yellowknife Community Fund | MakeWay Charitable Society - Northern Youth Leadership | https://www.northernyouth.ca/ | Wages and administrative funding | $11,500.00 |
| Community Enrichment - Yellowknife Community Fund | Yellowknife Education District #1 (École Sir John Franklin High School) | https://www.yk1.nt.ca/sjf | Fiddle and Rock Band Program | $17,000.00 |
| Community Enrichment - Yellowknife Community Fund | Yellowknife Curling Club | https://yellowknifecurling.com/ | Introductory programs for marginalized communities | $3,500.00 |
| Community Enrichment - Yellowknife Community Fund | We Always Remember (WAR): Circle for Northern Residential School Survivors (A Project of Makeway) | https://makeway.org/where-we-work/the-north/ | Overseeing the construction of a Residential School Survivor Monument | $25,000.00 |
| Community Enrichment - Yellowknife Community Fund | Territorial Agrifood Association | https://www.nwtagrifood.ca/ | Tents for Year 4 of the NWT Culinary Festival | $6,825.00 |
| Community Enrichment - Yellowknife Community Fund | Food Rescue Yellowknife | https://foodrescueyellowknife.ca/ | New freezers to expand operations | $5,000.00 |
| Community Enrichment - Yellowknife Community Fund | NWT Literacy Council | https://www.nwtliteracy.ca/ | Building Upgrades | $9,675.00 |
| Elliot Michael Brown Fund | Kristielyn Jones | https://sweetgrasshealing.net/ | Sweetgrass Healing Centre Inc. | $5,000.00 |
| Eva Henderson Memorial Fund | Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories | https://alzheimer.ca/ab/en | Support Sessions for Persons Living With Dementia (PLWD) and their Caregivers | $1,500.00 |
| Gary Robinson Memorial Fund | Yellowknife Search and Rescue | https://www.yksar.ca/ | Searcher Training, Wilderness First Aid Training | $11,000.00 |
| Gladys and Albert Eggenberger Agricultural Fund | The Tahiuqtiit Women's Society | The Tahiuqtiit Women's Society (Facebook Page) | Traditional Cooking Classes and Food Hampers | $14,000.00 |
| Helen and John Parker Community Fund | Tin Can Collective | https://www.tincancollective.ca/ | Stage adaptation of graphic novel "Degrees of Separation" by local artist Alison McCreesh | $17,500.00 |
| Holy Family Lutheran Legacy Fund | Yellowknife Women's Society | https://www.ykws.ca/ | Spruce Bough Resident Decision-Making Initiative | $10,000.00 |
| Luke Charpentier Memorial Fund | Old Town Community Association | Old Town Ramble and Ride | Equipment for Ramble & Ride | $3,500.00 |
| Mary Beth Miller Memorial Fund | Special Olympics NWT | sonwt.ca | 2025-26 Speed Skating Season | $1,000.00 |
| NWT Mining Heritage Trust Fund | Yellowknife Historical Society | https://www.yellowknifehistory.com/ | 2025 Grant from the NWT Mining Heritage Trust Fund | $1,000.00 |
| Organizational Capacity - Yellowknife Community Fund | MakeWay Charitable Society - Northern Journalism Training Initiative | https://www.njti.ca/ | First Aid, group facilitation, and curriculum design certifications | $5,000.00 |
| Organizational Capacity - Yellowknife Community Fund | Yellowknife Women's Society | https://www.ykws.ca/ | Nonprofit management course for new Executive Director of standalone daycare agency | $3,375.00 |
| Organizational Capacity - Yellowknife Community Fund | Food Rescue Yellowknife | https://foodrescueyellowknife.ca/ | Governance and management courses for board members and coordinator | $2,000.00 |
| Organizational Capacity - Yellowknife Community Fund | Yellowknife Ski Club | https://skiyellowknife.com/ | Train the Trainer and coaching certifications | $4,625.00 |
| Resilient Communities Fund | Community Government of Whatì | https://www.tlicho.ca/community/whati | Whatì Resilience and Preparedness Initiative | $15,000.00 |
| Sharon Morrison Memorial Indigenous Education Fund | We Always Remember (WAR): Circle for Northern Residential School Survivors (A Project of Makeway) | https://makeway.org/where-we-work/the-north/ | Healing Workshop and Sharing Circle for Residential School Survivors in Fort Providence | $2,000.00 |
| Women's Leadership Fund | Equal Voice Foundation / Fondation À voix égales | https://www.equalvoice.ca/ | Workshops on how to run for election | $5,000.00 |
| Walter Gibbins Memorial Fund | Yellowknife Historical Society | https://www.yellowknifehistory.com/ | Maintenance of the Walter Gibbins Mineral Collection at the Yellowknife Historical Museum | $1,500.00 |
- Grants
Impact Report – Dene Nahjo – Hide Tanning Mentorship Camps
In 2024/2025, the Yellowknife Community Foundation supported Dene Nahjo with a grant from the Sharon Morrison Memorial Indigenous Education Fund. The funding went towards Dene Nahjo’s Hide Tanning Mentorship Program: a ten day camp for Indigenous people to gather on the land to teach and learn traditional hide tanning skills.
Previously, the camps had been held in late summer and autumn. However, the increased frequency and intensity of forest fires in recent years has caused Dene Nahjo to strategically restructure the timeline of the program. This year, the camp took place from May 14th to May 24th. It opened with a feed the fire celebration, featuring ceremonial contributions from the Yellowknives Dene First Nations drummers and Ndilǫ Chief Fred Sangris.
Over the course of ten days, the camp saw around 100 daily visitors and 50 tanning practitioners. People were excited to bring in their unfinished caribou and moose hides, which were in all different stages of the tanning process. Beyond the tanning itself, the success of the camp was seen in the exchange of language, mutual aid, and delicious food. Yellowknives Dene First Nation’s Wellness Division even provided a shuttle that transported Elders to and from the hide camp.
The camp garnered great interest and enthusiasm from participants, leading to instructors supporting large groups and the catering team working hard to meet the high level of demand. The popularity of the camp shows its importance to the community. With so many new learners, Dene Nahjo recognized there would be a greater need for caribou bone scrapers and other tools for next year. So, they plan to host tool-making workshops in February 2026 to support that demand and the continued growth of the camp.
Indigenous revitalization initiatives, by their nature, are full circles of self-sustaining growth. The Sharon Morrison Memorial Indigenous Education Fund is dedicated to supporting this focus area. Get involved today by making a donation to the fund!
- Community Impact, In Action
2024 Annual Report
Our 2024 Annual Report is now live! Click below to read about the year’s key events, the impact of our grantees, and the generosity of our donors.
To look through previous years, check out our archive here: https://www.ykcf.ca/annual-reports/
- In Action
Establishment of the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society Fund
The Yellowknife Community Foundation and the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society are excited to announce the establishment of the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society Fund, a new endowment fund at the Yellowknife Community Foundation that will provide a grant every single year to the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society. Starting in 2026, the fund will grant at least $6,000 per year, and that is expected to increase each year as the fund grows through investment income and with further donations from community members.
What is an endowment fund?
An endowment fund is a permanent fund where donations are invested, and the annual earnings are distributed as grants. The original donations (the capital) are generally not spent, allowing the fund to grow over time and provide a stable, sustainable source of support year after year. This makes it a great solution to the challenge many charities face of not having reliable, long-term operating funds. As endowment funds grow, so do the annual grants.
How was the fund established?
Funds at the Yellowknife Community Foundation are established by generous donors. The Yellowknife Seniors’ Society Fund was created with an initial donation from Wendy Bisaro. Wendy was an active Yellowknifer, having spent time as a city counsellor, an MLA, and president of the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society during her over 50 years in Yellowknife. Having recently moved South to be closer to family, Wendy has made this donation to make a lasting impact for seniors in Yellowknife.
Wendy shared: “I am so very happy that my donation can have an impact for years to come. As I have aged the realization of the importance of the YKSS as an organization, and the programs it offers, has become apparent. This new fund will allow the YKSS to continue to serve YK seniors for many, many years to come.
The work of YKCF in assisting charitable organizations like YKSS is invaluable and I am grateful to them for the work they do.
Thanks to them for ensuring any donation has a maximum impact.”
Anyone can contribute to the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society Fund at any time. Every donation helps the fund grow, and the bigger it gets, the more support it can provide to seniors in our community each year. You can even leave a gift in your will, creating a lasting legacy that will continue to support seniors for generations to come. Connect with the Yellowknife Community Foundation to discuss. To give today, head to: https://yellowknifecf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=1693
How will this fund support the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society?
Quote from John Soderberg, President of the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society: “We are very grateful for the creation of this fund and our thanks go out to Wendy Bisaro for having the insight to initiate this opportunity. It is important to find ways to provide long-term sustainability for our work with seniors. Having a reliable source of annual funding helps us to focus on programs and services that improve the lives of older adults in Yellowknife. We encourage community members to consider donating, knowing that every contribution helps ensure seniors are supported for generations to come.”
Quote from Sara Brown, Chair of the Yellowknife Community Foundation: “We are thrilled to support the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society by establishing this fund which provides a permanent and sustainable source of funding for seniors in Yellowknife. By building and investing in endowment funds like this, we can ensure organizations have reliable support year after year.”
More about the Yellowknife Community Foundation
The Yellowknife Community Foundation works to inspire and support community connections, projects, and organizations that make Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories a better place to live. They build permanent endowment funds, invest them wisely, and use the income to provide financial support for charitable activities across the NWT which includes student awards for Northern students, and grants to organizations.
The Foundation is also excited to announce that until the end of 2026, if a Yellowknife-based charity establishes an endowment fund with the Foundation, it will receive a matching contribution for any donation made into the fund by the charity itself or by community members. The Foundation will match:
- $1,000 for the first $1,000 raised
- $2,500 for the next $5,000, repeated four times, until the fund reaches $32,000
To connect with the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society, call 867-446-9475 or email ykseniorsociety@gmail.com.
To connect with the Yellowknife Community Foundation, call 867-446-4527 or email information@ykcf.ca.
- In Action
2025 Grantee Ceremony and Appreciation BBQ
On September 18th, 2025, YKCF held its annual appreciation BBQ for fund holders, sponsors, volunteers, and community partners. This year, a new element was added to the event: a ceremony celebrating our newly-awarded grant recipients.
Through the evening, the room hummed with chatter, as everyone felt a mutual admiration for each other’s work and role in the community. They were especially appreciative, of course, to learn about each grant project and the work ahead:
- We Always Remember: Circle for Northern Residential School Survivors – Community Enrichment Stream – Overseeing the construction of a Residential School Survivor Monument, per Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action #82.
- AVENS – Albert and Hilya Hall Seniors Enhancement Fund – Elementary student visits to AVEN Manor and Pavilion.
- AVENS – Barb Bromley Fund for Seniors and Elders – Weekly choral lessons for Seniors living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
- Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories – Support sessions for Persons Living with Dementia and their caregivers.
- Yellowknife Search and Rescue – Gary Robinson Memorial Fund – Basic Searcher Training and Wilderness First Aid.
- Tin Can Collective – Helen and John Parker Community Fund – Staged adaptation of Alison McCreesh’s graphic novel Degrees of Separation.
- Yellowknife Women’s Society – Holy Family Lutheran Legacy Fund – Implementation of a tenant-led governance structure and decision-making model at YKWS’ Spruce Bough housing program.
- Equal Voice Foundation – Women’s Leadership Fund – Educational workshops on how to campaign in anticipation of local elections.
- Food Rescue Yellowknife – Community Enrichment Stream – Replacing 3 freezers and adding 2 more to expand operations
- Territorial Agrifood Association – Community Enrichment Stream – Acquisition of tents for year 4 of the NWT Culinary Festival.
- Yellowknife Curling Club – Community Enrichment Stream – Specialized introductory programming for marginalized communities
- Northern Journalism Training Initiative – Organizational Capacity Stream – Training and certifications in Curriculum Design, Group Facilitation, and Blended Intermediate First Aid
- Yellowknife Ski Club – Train the Trainer and Coach Certification Courses
- Yellowknife Women’s Society – Trent University Non-Profit Management Course for the new executive director of a standalone daycare agency
Congratulations once again to our grantees, and thank you to our fund advisors and sponsors. Check out the gallery below to celebrate them with us.
Photos by Tommy Jorge, Uplift Media: https://www.uplift-media.ca/
- In Action