ManitobaOverwhelming community response has ensured that a core piece of Winnipeg’s live music and arts scene will remain in a better short-term financial situation.Funds represent 500 per cent increase in facility’s annual donations: releaseCBC News · Posted: Dec 08, 2025 8:23 PM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The West End Cultural Centre, a staple in Winnipeg’s arts and live music scene, announced Monday it’s received nearly $70,000 in donations less than a week after appealing to the public for financial support before the end of the year. (CBC)Overwhelming community response has ensured that a core piece of Winnipeg’s live music and arts scene will remain in a better short-term financial situation.Donations totalling nearly $70,000 have been raised by the West End Cultural Centre, less than one week after pleading with the community for help, according to a Monday news release.“What we thought would take a month, you did in a week,” Jorge Requena Ramos, the centre’s executive and artistic director said in the release.The plea — the result of a “severe cash-flow issue” — asked for $50,000 by the end of the month in order to keep programming at the WECC going, but the donations received represent a 500 per cent increase in the centre’s annual donations.West End Cultural Centre in ‘severe cash-flow’ situation, needs $50K by end of yearThe centre hopes the generosity from the arts community marks the first step in building a foundation of donors, which will help to launch long-term sustainability. A problematic HVAC system that has persisted for the past couple of years is among the things that need upgrades inside the centre.Ramos’s appeal to the public is part of a multi-step approach the centre is taking to evaluate programming, partnerships, grants and funding opportunities, the release said.West End Cultural Centre executive and artistic director Jorge Requena Ramos didn’t foresee such a windfall of donations as quickly as they came in. (Felisha Adam/CBC)The facility at the corner of Ellice Avenue and Sherbrook Street opened as a music venue in 1987 inside a former church. It expanded with an addition on the back in 2009 and has a performance capacity of 380 people.It also has a secondary multipurpose space used for smaller concerts, meetings, dance classes and other events, which can accommodate 80 people.Many of the things that happen in that space are offered for free, such as a music school in partnership with the Manitoba Conservatory of Music and Arts and a holiday dinner.
West End Cultural Centre exceeds fundraising target with nearly $70K in community donations
