Payworks Champions Folklorama Through Sponsorship and Volunteerism

Folklorama recently presented five Manitoban organizations with the Cultural Preservation Fund Award (CPFA). Launched in 2020, the CPFA program provides Folklorama members with an opportunity to access funds to help grow youth initiatives for projects that celebrate, educate, promote, and preserve culture. 

This year’s recipients include Ghana Union of Manitoba Inc., KEFI Manitoba Inc., Magdaragat Philippines Inc., Romanian Society of Manitoba Inc., and the Winnipeg Chinese Senior Association.

Heather Reid, who works in Events and Community Development at Payworks, serves as a jury member for the CPFA. “For Payworks, supporting initiatives like the Cultural Preservation Fund Awards is a natural extension of who we are as a Winnipeg-born and headquartered company. Winnipeg is one of Canada’s most culturally diverse cities, and Payworks has grown alongside that community for over two decades.

Heather goes on to say that investing in their community is one of Payworks’ core values, alongside promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The similarities between their values and Folklorama’s is one reason they’ve been a Festival sponsor for nearly ten years. “Just as we help organizations manage and protect their most important asset (their people), supporting cultural programs helps communities bolster their heritage and shared identity – which are foundational to a community’s well-being.”

Payworks has taken it one step further by volunteering their time in support of Folklorama’s CPFA program that gives back to the community and invests in long-term community growth. “Supporting Folklorama aligns with Payworks’ belief in showing up for the community in meaningful, lasting ways,” Heather explains. “The long-term impact of this kind of support goes beyond any single Festival season; it helps sustain the organizations, volunteers, and cultural communities that make Winnipeg’s social fabric so rich. For Payworks, that’s an investment in the kind of community where people genuinely want to live, work, and raise their families.”

We extend our sincere gratitude to Payworks for their longstanding support of the Folklorama Festival and to Heather for donating her time to serve on our Cultural Preservation Fund Awards jury. We’re proud to continue our partnership with Payworks as we look ahead to the 55th annual Folklorama Festival.