The Hnatyshyn Foundation is dedicated to supporting emerging, developing and mid-career artists and curators in Canada.

To 20 years and more to come!

Gerda Hnatyshyn speaks to The Hnatyshyn Foundation's impact in Canada and beyond

What Will I Say to the Sky and the Earth II, 2019 © Meryl McMaster / courtesy Stephen Bulger Gallery and Pierre-François Ouellette art contemporain.

Meryl McMaster is a laureate of The Hnatyshyn Foundation’s 2012 Charles Pachter (now Saunderson) Prizes for Emerging Artists and 2017 REVEAL Indigenous Art Awards.

Programs

  • In an effort to foster excellence in new talent, the Foundation assists the most promising young Canadian performing artists enrolled in post-secondary educational or training institutions. Seven grants are awarded annually, one in each of the following performing arts disciplines: classical music (orchestral instrument), classical music (piano), classical vocal performance, contemporary dance, jazz performance, acting (English theatre) and acting (French theatre).

    Program Overview

  • The Hnatyshyn Foundation Mid-Career Award for Excellence in Visual Arts is awarded annually to a Canadian mid-career artist who has demonstrated excellence and innovation in their body of work and who shows promise of outstanding artistic achievement in the years ahead.

    The Hnatyshyn Foundation Mid-Career Award for Curatorial Excellence is awarded to a Canadian mid-career curator of contemporary visual art in recognition of their contribution to the advancement of the contemporary visual arts in Canada.

    Artists and curators cannot apply for these awards. An expert jury of arts professionals from across the country draws up the list of candidates and chooses the award recipients.

    Program Overview

  • The William and Meredith Saunderson (formerly Charles Pachter) Prizes for Emerging Artists consists of three awards to support young emerging visual artists whose practices show potential and who are deemed to have the determination and talent to contribute to the legacy of art in Canada.

    Program Overview

  • The Hnatyshyn Foundation – Fogo Island Arts Young Curator Residency provides an opportunity for a young Canadian curator to work in residence at Fogo Island Arts, a contemporary arts venue in Newfoundland, for one month.

    Program Overview

  • This program, inaugurated in 2022, consists of a $10,000 scholarship to recognize the academic achievement of an Indigenous undergraduate student in drama studying at the the University of Saskatchewan’s wîcêhtowin Theatre program.

    Program Overview

  • The Decker family and the Hnatyshyn Foundation, in collaboration with the Schulich School of Music, created the Fellowship for young conductors to honour the late conductor Franz-Paul Decker and his wife, Christa, who both made a significant impact on the musical landscape in Canada and around the world.

    Program Overview