Announcing The Gerda Hnatyshyn Launch Grants
July 15th 2024
Launching the new generation of Canadian performing artists
Yesterday, July 14th, marked one year since we lost our beloved President, a fierce defender of the arts, Gerda Hnatyshyn (1935-2023). It is thus with great joy that we announce today a new series of programs in her honour. Designed to propel Canada’s most exceptional emerging performing artists onto professional stages, the Gerda Hnatyshyn Launch Grants will provide support at a critical stage in their careers.
A grant of $10,000 will be awarded to support a project in each of the following disciplines: Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Contemporary Dance, English Theatre, and French Theatre.
The Launch Grants are the sequel to The Hnatyshyn Foundation’s Developing Artist Grants, our pillar program inaugurated in 2005. With 133 laureates and counting, the Developing Artist Grants, of $10,000 each until 2023 and $12,500 each going forward, have seen a generation of exceptional performing artists emerge onto national and international stages. Notable laureates include Jan Lisiecki, Eli Bennett, and Bruce Liu. Whereas the Developing Artist Grants support artists during their studies, the Launch Grants will provide support in the years immediately following their education or training, when they are most vulnerable to the barriers and challenges involved with building and sustaining an artistic career.
Process
Nominees will be identified on the basis of exceptional promise for a distinguished career in performance. They must be nominated by a professional in their performing arts discipline. They will be required to submit a project proposal to be considered. A jury appointed by the Foundation will adjudicate the performance work and proposals of the nominees.
Timeline
The first Gerda Hnatyshyn Launch Grants will be awarded in 2025. Nominations will open in the fall of 2024. Deadlines, links to nominate, and other relevant information will be posted on the Foundation’s website, www.rjhf.com, and social media, and sent to this mailing list.
Our team cannot wait to see what the laureates of the Gerda Hnatyshyn Launch Grants will accomplish!
Other news from The Hnatyshyn Foundation
We look forward to announcing the laureates of our 2024 awards and grants, including:
The Hnatyshyn Foundation Mid-Career Award for Excellence in Visual Arts, ($30,000),
The Hnatyshyn Foundation Mid-Career Award for Curatorial Excellence, ($20,000),
The Hnatyshyn Foundation Developing Artist Grants (Performing Arts), ($12,500 each),
The William and Meredith Saunderson Prizes for Emerging Visual Artists, ($10,000 each), and,
The Hnatyshyn Foundation – Joysanne Sidimus Ballet Grant, ($10,000).
The juries have made their decisions, and we will be announcing the laureates of our various programs in the coming weeks and months!
