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FAQ (Applicants)

"You should not go through life with catcher’s mitts on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back."
-Maya Angelou

Frequently asked questions

  1. What is the Saskatchewan Foundation For the Arts?
    The Saskatchewan Foundation For the Arts is a public Foundation dedicated solely to supporting the arts in Saskatchewan. The Foundation is the best opportunity for independent, efficient, donor-directed, individually-targeted, in perpetuity, legacy gifts for the Saskatchewan arts.
  2. What is a foundation?
    A foundation is an organization dedicated to holding charitable gifts (endowments) in perpetuity, and only the interest earned on the original gift is used to support the purposes of the charity.
  3. Why is the Foundation necessary?
    Many people and organizations in the province are interested in supporting the arts in perpetuity. Until now, there has been no real opportunity for them to do so in Saskatchewan. In addition, arts organizations face uncertain funding from year to year depending upon government, fundraising, and individual and business donations. The Saskatchewan Foundation For the Arts will provide the opportunity for donors to build permanent and stable resources for the arts.
  4. What types of funds does the Foundation currently have?
    Currently, the Foundation has four distinct funds: Named, Designated, Undesignated and Operating. For a Named Fund a minimum donation of $5,000 is required. The investment income is not designated to a specific arts activity. With a Designated Fund, $10,000 is required and the donor can request how the investment income on their gift will be spent. An Undesignated Fund can be any amount and is not designated to a specific arts activity. The Operating Fund is an endowment to support the operating costs of the Foundation, such as bringing juries together, and administrative expenses.
  5. What types of awards will be made?
    All kinds of awards can be made depending on the fund to which the money is given, and providing the purpose of the award benefits the residents of Saskatchewan. Some examples of awards that will support the activities of arts organizations and individual artists are:
    • Scholarships, bursaries or awards to individuals;
    • Conducting interpretive arts programs and community arts projects;
    • Exhibiting or touring art works or other art forms;
    • Improving operating capacity and managerial capabilities through training and professional development;
    • Demonstrating or presenting the skills of particular art forms;
    • Conducting research, including independent curatorial activities, and research on new techniques or new technologies;
    • Advancing knowledge and skills in particular art forms through formal or informal training programs such as apprenticeships or mentoring relationships; or
    • Creating new bodies of work for public presentation or exhibition.
  6. How will awards be decided?
    Juries of peers will determine where money should be allocated. Peer juries are seen as experts, they are free of conflict, and they are supported by the arts community. New juries will be struck each year. A number of different jury mechanisms may be used – for example, money may be disbursed through existing adjudication systems such as the Saskatchewan Arts Boards juries, or through a peer jury created by the Foundation. Which jury is used will depend on what the gift is intended to support, and donors can discuss the jury mechanism when they make their donation.
  7. Will any money be spent out of province?
    Possibly yes, when an award is made to assist in travel, education, or other reasons which enhance the arts in the province. However, the primary focus will be on direct assistance to activities in the province.
  8. How will the Foundation ensure that the awards are disbursed fairly and equitably across the province?
    The donor will have the opportunity to request that investment income from a gift be disbursed across the province or in a particular town or city. That wish will be honoured through the adjudication process. The Foundation will also have a number of communication channels to ensure it is apprised of the needs in the arts community, which will help to inform where awards are needed most.
  9. When will awards be made?
    Each year the Board determines whether the interest earned on donations is sufficient to release awards.The opportunity to apply for an award is communicated in the fall of each year
  10. How will the Foundation ensure that the awards are disbursed fairly and equitably across the province?
    The donor will have the opportunity to r
  11. What is the annual deadline for the Endowment awards?
    The Application Deadline for our Endowment Awards is 11:59 pm on October 28, 2021.
  12. How many Endowment Awards will be presented in 2021?
    Because of Covid, we were unable to present the 6 Endowment Awards in 2020. As a result, we are pleased to present 12 Endowment Awards in 2021
  13. When will the Glengarry Award be presented in 2021?
    The inaugural Glengarry Award recipient will be announced in early December 2021. Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to receive announcements from the Saskatchewan Foundation For the Arts.