About the Awards
We’re excited to announce that nominations are now open for the 2027 Bhayana Family Foundation Awards!
Across Peel, Toronto and York Region, United Way Greater Toronto’s network of community agencies is helping people meet immediate needs, navigate complex challenges and build stronger, more inclusive communities.
The Bhayana Family Foundation Awards are an opportunity to recognize the people behind this vital work, the individuals and teams whose commitment, leadership, innovation and collaboration help strengthen our organizations, communities and sector.
Know a colleague or team whose contribution deserves to be seen and celebrated?
This is your opportunity to shine a light on the difference they are making every day.
Nominations close Friday, October 23, 2026 at 5:00 pm
The awards are made possible by a generous donation from Madan and Raksha M. Bhayana and the Bhayana Family Foundation.
Award Categories
The Bhayana Family Foundation Awards recognize the extraordinary contributions of staff and teams working within United Way Greater Toronto-supported organizations.
Not sure which award to choose?
Review the descriptions below and select the category that best reflects the contribution you want to recognize.
For every nomination, we ask you to:
- Choose the qualities that best describe the nominee
- Share one specific story or example
- Tell us what difference it made.
You do not need to be a professional writer. Clear, specific examples are what matter most.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Individual award recipients receive a $3,000 monetary award.
EXTRAORDINARY COMMITMENT
Recognizing sustained dedication and meaningful contribution
Choose this award for someone whose commitment, care and reliability have made a meaningful difference to their colleagues, organization, the people they serve or the community.
A strong nomination may demonstrate:
- Sustained effort — consistently committed to the organization’s mission, community or people served.
- Going above and beyond — contributes meaningfully beyond what would normally be expected in their role.
- Supporting others — provides exceptional care, service, encouragement or support.
- Commitment through challenge — remains reliable and committed during difficult, complex or changing circumstances.
You will be asked to select 2–3 of these areas, share one strong example, and describe the impact.
LEADERSHIP & INFLUENCE
Recognizing leadership at any level
Choose this award for someone who inspires others, builds trust and uses their influence to contribute to positive change.
A strong nomination may demonstrate:
- Inspiring and mobilizing others — brings people together around a shared purpose or positive change.
- Building trust and relationships — listens, communicates respectfully and enables others to contribute.
- Influencing positive change -— uses their actions, voice or relationships to improve outcomes or experiences.
- Inclusive leadership — values diverse perspectives and creates space for others to participate and succeed.
You will be asked to select 2–3 of these areas, share one strong example, and describe the impact.
INNOVATION & IMPACT
Recognizing ideas that lead to meaningful improvement
Choose this award for someone who develops, adapts or applies new ideas, approaches or solutions that improve how their organization or community responds to opportunities and challenges.
A strong nomination may demonstrate:
- Creative problem-solving — finds new approaches to service, operational, organizational or community challenges.
- Challenging existing approaches — questions assumptions and explores better ways of working.
- Turning ideas into improvement — tests, adapts or implements ideas that improve programs, services, practices or outcomes.
- Enabling positive change — helps others adopt, build on or sustain new approaches.
You will be asked to select 2–3 of these areas, share one strong example, and describe the impact.
TEAM AWARDS
Winning teams receive a $7,000 award for professional development benefiting the recognized team.
TEAM EXCELLENCE
For teams working together within one organization
Choose this award for a team within one organization whose members have worked together in exceptional ways to achieve a shared goal and create meaningful impact.
A strong nomination may demonstrate:
- Shared purpose and contribution — members contribute meaningfully toward a common goal.
- Strong collaboration — members communicate, support one another, share responsibility and draw on different strengths.
- Collective achievement — the team accomplishes something significant that would have been difficult through individual effort alone.
- Meaningful impact — the team’s work improves programs, services, organizational practices, client experiences or community outcomes.
You will be asked to select 2–3 of these areas, share one strong example of the team working together, and describe the impact.
COLLABORATION FOR COLLECTIVE IMPACT
For teams working across two or more organizations
Choose this award for a team made up of people from two or more organizations working together to address a shared challenge, opportunity or community need.
The collaboration must be led by a United Way Greater Toronto-funded agency, with the agency playing an active role in bringing partners together and advancing the work.
Other partners may include nonprofit or community organizations, public-sector organizations, funders or other community stakeholders contributing meaningfully toward the shared outcome.
A strong nomination may demonstrate:
- Shared purpose across organizations — partners are aligned around a common challenge, opportunity or outcome.
- Meaningful collaboration — partners bring different expertise, perspectives, relationships or resources and work together effectively.
- Collective problem-solving — working together enables something that would have been difficult for one organization to achieve alone.
- Community or systems impact — the collaboration creates meaningful benefits for people, communities, services, participating organizations or the broader system.
You will be asked to select 2–3 of these areas, share one strong example of the organizations working together, and describe what became possible because of the collaboration.
What will I need to complete a nomination?
Before you begin, have:
- the nominee or team members’ basic information;
- the award category that best fits their contribution;
- one specific story or example showing what they did; and
- a description of what difference their contribution made.
That’s it. Short paragraphs or bullet points are welcome. The quality of the writing is not part of the assessment.
Eligibility
The Bhayana Family Foundation Awards recognize permanent and contract staff working at least 20 hours per week with United Way Greater Toronto-funded agencies.
Who can be nominated?
Individual Awards
- Open to eligible frontline staff and middle managers.
- Nominees must have been employed by the agency since January 2025 and still be employed there when nominated.
- Contributions being recognized must have taken place between January 2025 and August 2026.
- Previous Bhayana Award winners cannot be nominated again.
- An individual may be nominated in one award category only.
Team Awards
- Teams must include 2–12 members.
- Team Excellence recognizes teams working within one organization.
- Collaboration for Collective Impact recognizes teams involving people from two or more organizations. The collaboration must be led by a United Way Greater Toronto-funded agency, with the agency playing an active role in bringing partners together and advancing the work.
- Cross-organization partners may include other nonprofits, community organizations, public-sector organizations, funders or other community partners.
Organizations may submit more than one nomination. We encourage nominations from different programs, teams and areas of your organization.
Who can nominate?
- Nominations must come from an eligible peer, colleague and/or supervisor who knows the nominee’s work.
- Senior management and Executive Directors are not eligible to submit nominations.
- Self-nominations and nominations of family members are not accepted.
- Nominations should include input from two peers or colleagues.
Information may be verified with the nominee’s supervisor as part of the review process.
Ready to recognize someone making a difference?
Awards
Individual Award recipients receive:
- $3,000 monetary award
- Certificate of recognition
- Recognition at the 2027 Bhayana Family Foundation Awards celebration
Winning Teams receive:
- $7,000 award to support professional development benefiting the recognized team*
- Individual certificates for each named team member
- Recognition at the 2027 Bhayana Family Foundation Awards celebration
* Winners of the Team awards are required to use their award for professional development. The type and focus of this development is to be determined by the team and must include all members.
Honourable Mentions may also be recognized and invited to participate in the celebration.
Selection and Recognition
- Eligible nominations will be reviewed using consistent award criteria by United Way Greater Toronto staff and a volunteer Selection Panel.
- Only complete nominations meeting the eligibility requirements will advance for consideration.
- Selected recipients will be contacted directly by United Way Greater Toronto.
- Award recipients will be celebrated in February 2027 during Ontario Nonprofit Appreciation Week.
- Every eligible nominee will receive recognition acknowledging their nomination and contribution.
Have someone or a team in mind but not sure where to start? We’re here to help. Drop in to ask questions, talk through your nomination, or choose the right category, or contact us at awards@uwgt.org.
United Way Greater Toronto reserves the right to use all information provided to further promote the work of UWGT and the agencies it supports.
About the Bhayana Family Foundation
The commitment, leadership and creativity shown by non-profit community agencies and their employees is essential to advancing the common good, building community and neighbourhoods, and strengthening our region.
The Bhayana Family Foundation Awards celebrate the inspiring efforts of staff at United Way-supported agencies whose contributions have been so essential to supporting our community through not just the pandemic but the ongoing social and economic challenges that continue to impact so many.
The Awards are made possible by a generous donation from Madan and Raksha M. Bhayana and the Bhayana Family Foundation. As a former member of United Way Toronto’s Board of Trustees, Raksha is a dedicated community volunteer and a passionate champion for the recognition of those who make a difference in our community every day.
On behalf of the United Way family, we would like to express our admiration and gratitude to Madan and Raksha and the Bhayana Family Foundation.
Meet the recipients of the 2025 Bhayana Family Foundation Awards
Learn about their remarkable work in the community.