"You should not go through life with catcher’s mitts on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back."
The Saskatchewan Foundation For the Arts manages the following Designated Funds:
The Colleen Bailey Memorial Fund
Literary Award
This fund is in memory of Colleen Bailey, Yorkton businesswoman, art collector and supporter of the arts. She served as Chair of the Saskatchewan Arts Board and numerous other arts and cultural organizations in Saskatchewan.
This award supports and assists emerging Saskatchewan writers in developing their craft. Eligible activities include fiction (adult or children) and art or photographic books. Research, technical manuals and audio books are not eligible.
The Dick & Jane Fund
This fund was created by Richard Spafford and Jane Turnbull Evans, lifelong supporters of the Arts. Richard was a founding member of the Saskatchewan Foundation For the Arts and fulfilled a dream of Jane’s to enable private individuals, businesses, and corporations to build permanent and stable resources for the arts. Find out more about Richard’s and Jane’s role in the origin of the Saskatchewan Foundation For the Arts.
This endowment fund supports a total of six awards. In 2023, five additional awards were launched to join the legacy Indigenous literary award.
Indigenous Literary Award
This award supports and assists an emerging Indigenous writer in any literary arts genre.
Indigenous Traditional Craft Award
This award is open to all Indigenous persons.
Activities may include beading, biting, leather, sculpture etc., with the focus on keeping traditional and cultural art forms alive.
Indigenous Multi-Media Language Arts Award
This award is open to all Indigenous persons.
Activities may include audio, visual, digital, literature with a focus on keeping Canadian Indigenous languages visible/alive.
Multidisciplinary 2SLGBTQ+ Artist/Art Award
This award is open to emerging Artists that self-declare / identify as 2SLGBTQ+, with priority given to artists with intersecting identities that have been historically underserved.
Activities may include multidisciplinary artistic project is open to all creative disciplines that will help to showcase the recipients’ work to residents of the province and to people beyond our borders. This visibility should encourage artistic and economic well-being for the recipient and contribute to amplifying the presence of 2SLGBTQ+ artists of Saskatchewan.
Female Arts Entrepreneur Award
This award is open to self-declared, identify as female, mid-career or established artists.
Activities may include support for business development to enable growth as an artist. Includes tools and/or development of professional skills, business planning, strategic planning, marketing & social media.
Prairie Folk Arts/Craft Award
This award is open to a mid-career or established craftsperson (as defined by the Saskatchewan Craft Council ‘Craftsperson’).
Activities may include historically and culturally traditional “Prairie” craft works in fibre, wood, pottery, glass, photography and jewelry. Artist must make an argument for the project’s suitability regarding both the terms “Traditional” and “Prairie”.
The Harry Nick Kangles Fund
Regina Artist Award
This fund was created in memory of Harry Nick Kangles, a Regina businessman, art collector and supporter of the arts.
This award supports established artists living in Regina and who are working in the visual arts, music theatre or performance arts.
The Jane Turnbull Evans Fund for the Arts
Visual Award for Female
This fund was created in memory of the late Jane Turnbull Evans, an artist, arts educator, and arts administrator.
This award supports and assists emerging Saskatchewan artists working in the visual arts.
The award is restricted to women emerging artists only.
The Shurniak Fund
Visual Award
SHURNIAK, WILLIAM (BILL) S.O.M., M.S.M., LL.D (Hon) 1931 – 2020 Founder of the Shurniak Art Gallery
This fund was established by William (Bill) Shurniak, prominent businessman, Arts patron and Founder of the Shurniak Art Gallery in Assiniboia, Saskatchewan.
This award supports emerging Saskatchewan artists working in the visual arts.
The Cameco Endowment for Indigenous Artists
Indigenous Artist Award
This fund was created by Cameco to support emerging or established Indigenous artists working in any arts discipline.
The award supports arts activities that are causally related to the costs of the art project or practice, and for activities that reflect Cameco’s values – safety and environment, people, integrity and excellence.