Call for Nominations: The Gerda Hnatyshyn Launch Grants
November 12, 2024
Photo: Julianna Bryson, 2023 Developing Artist Grant laureate. Naomi Caulfield Photography.
The Hnatyshyn Foundation is delighted to announce the call for nominations for the inaugural Gerda Hnatyshyn Launch Grants! Designed to propel Canada’s most exceptional emerging performing artists onto professional stages, the 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 141 laureates and counting, the Developing Artist Grants 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.
Nomination deadline: March 31st, 2025
Submission of candidate materials: April 28th, 2025
Announcement of laureates: successful candidates will be notified in summer 2025.
Before submitting a nomination, please review the program’s guidelines.
The Hnatyshyn Foundation is proud to name these awards in memory of Gerda Hnatyshyn, who was instrumental in establishing and running The Hnatyshyn Foundation from its inception until her passing in 2023. Under her supervision, The Hnatyshyn Foundation disbursed over four million dollars to Canadian artists through grants, awards, and residencies.
