We’re excited to announce that nominations are now open for the 2025 Bhayana Family Foundation Awards!
The last few years have been tough, as the United Way network of agencies has worked to support our community through not just the pandemic but the ongoing social and economic challenges that continue to impact so many.
The Bhayana Family Foundation Awards are a special opportunity to recognize that vital work – and the teams and individuals behind it.
This is your chance to give a shout out to colleagues who bring their best each day and to shine a light on their inspiring efforts supporting our community and sector any way they can.
Nominations close Wednesday, December 18th at 5:00pm.
The awards are made possible by a generous donation from Madan and Raksha M. Bhayana and the Bhayana Family Foundation.
Awards
The Bhayana Family Foundation Awards recognize extraordinary contributions made by United Way Greater Toronto supported agencies and their employees. Front-line staff and middle managers are awarded for their dedication, innovation/creativity, leadership, teamwork and collaboration. In addition to a monetary award, winners will also receive a certificate of recognition.
All nominees and nominators will be invited to a special event to honour their success in February 2025.
“Receiving the Partnership Award from the Bhayana Foundation has been the most rewarding moment of my life, both personally and professionally.. The award has reinforced my belief in the important work we do as an organization for the well-being of our community. I am truly blessed to work with an amazing team. Thank you Bhayana Family Foundation and United Way for this great inspiring award.“
Madhuri Payidiparty
Winner, Partnership – Individual Category, Bhayana Awards 2022
Specialist, Community Connections, Volunteer MBC
“We are so grateful to have received a Bhayana Family Foundation Award in 2022, recognizing the strength of our unique Collective management structure. This award made it possible for many of us to attend an important conference for our sector as well as enabled our counsellors in achieving their Certified Career Development Practitioner certification. And most importantly, it bonded us even more as a team through group professional development activities. Thank you United Way and Bhayana Family Foundation for believing in us and recognizing our collective strength as an example to inspire others.”
The Collective, Times Change Women’s Employment Service
Winner, Team Achievement, Bhayana Awards 2022
You can nominate your peers in the following categories:
Dedication:
$3,000 (PER INDIVIDUAL):
This award recognizes employees who are dedicated to the mission, values and goals of their agency and go above and beyond what is expected of them.
Criteria
- Demonstrate unwavering commitment to the success of a specific project or to the ongoing interests of the organization
- Provide exceptional service to external or internal customers
- Demonstrate readiness to participate in special projects or committees
- Demonstrate willingness to put their team or organizational goals above personal gain
- Show solid support for colleagues
Innovation & Creativity:
$3,000 (PER INDIVIDUAL)
This award recognizes employees who are dedicated to the mission, values and goals of their agency and go above and beyond what is expected of them.
Criteria
- Provide creative solutions to operational or service challenges
- Adapt positively to changing circumstances
- Contribute creative ideas to address issues within the scope of their job, department or organization
- Challenge existing assumptions and think outside the box
- Take calculated risks in pursuit of continuous improvement
- Support others to realize the positive aspects of change
Leadership:
$3,000 (PER INDIVIDUAL):
This award recognizes employees who demonstrate exemplary leadership capabilities and consistently achieve superior, team-based results.
Criteria
- Inspire those around them to work for change
- Communicate the vision of the organization clearly and support others to contribute to it
- Influence and motivate others to achieve common goals
- Promote and celebrate diversity
- Exceptional communication and listening skills
- Adapt to and see the advantages of changing circumstances
Please select one award category below to nominate a team:
Team Achievement (two to 10 people):
$7,000 (PER TEAM FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT)*
This award recognizes teams that demonstrate commitment to success through excellent and consistent performance.
Criteria
- Demonstrate principles of teamwork by supporting the active participation of each and every team member towards the achievement of common goals
- Make a significant contribution to their agency or the clients they serve
- Implement projects that improve their organization or community such as increasing revenue, reducing costs or improving service
- Actively support other teams and projects in the agency
- Think outside the box and take calculated risks in pursuit of continuous improvement
*Winners of the Team Achievement award 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.
Community Collaboration (two to 10 organizations):
$7,000 (PER COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT)*
This award recognizes collaborations engaged in addressing common external challenges from multiple perspectives. Current social challenges are complex and getting to solutions may involve multiple agencies, external groups, funders, local residents and community stakeholders. Collaborations are intended to achieve greater results than individual organizations working alone*.
*At least two organizations in the collaborative must be UWGT funded.
Criteria
- Evidence of involvement and commitment to the issue by a range of nonprofits, groups outside the nonprofit sector and diverse stakeholders
- Demonstrate a commitment to creating healthy and vibrant communities
- Demonstrate a positive working relationship within the collaboration
- Foster the idea that we can achieve more together than individually
- Evidence of how the collaboration promotes and benefits from diversity
*Winners of the Community Collaboration award are required to use their award for professional development. The type and focus of this development is to be determined by the collaborative and must include all members.*
Eligibility
The Bhayana Awards are open to all permanent or contract frontline agency staff and middle managers working at least 20 hours per week at agencies supported by United Way Greater Toronto.
Eligibility of nominees:
- All categories of individual and team awards are open exclusively to frontline staff and middle managers
- Teams must consist of two to 12 members. Nominations for cross-organizational teams are encouraged
- Achievements must occur between December 2022 and December 2024
- The nominee must have worked at the agency since December 2022 and must still be employed there at the time of nomination
- Previous award winners cannot be nominated
- An individual cannot be nominated or considered by the selection panel in multiple categories
To nominate:
- You must be a peer and/or supervisor of the nominee, but nominations from senior management and executive directors are not accepted
- No self nominations or nominations of family members are accepted
- Nominations must be submitted with input from two peers or colleagues
- All information provided will be verified by contacting the nominee’s supervisor.
Selection Process
- All nominations will be reviewed by a selection panel made up of United Way volunteers and staff
- Only fully completed applications that meet the eligibility and nomination criteria will be considered by the selection panel
- United Way staff will contact the recipients to confirm their acceptance
Nominators and nominees are invited to attend a special event in February 2025 to celebrate the winners. In addition to a monetary award, winners will also receive a certificate of recognition.
If you require any accommodations, or have an award-related inquiry, please contact 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 2022 Bhayana Family Foundation Awards and learn about their remarkable work in the community.
Meet the recipients of the 2022 Bhayana Family Foundation Awards
Learn more about their remarkable and inspiring work in our communities.