Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Giller Foundation

The Giller Foundation’s mission is to champion outstanding Canadian storytelling by recognizing excellence in fiction and expanding awareness of diverse, accomplished authors. Through the Giller Prize, scholarships and literary programming, it promotes access to literature—especially in marginalized communities—and fosters broad conversations about the power of the written word.

Giller Foundation is a Foundation.

Giller Foundation was founded in 1994.

Giller Foundation's official website is https://gillerprize.ca/.

Role of the Giller Foundation in the funding ecosystem

The Giller Foundation grew out of the Doris Giller Rabinovitch Foundation, created in 1994 to administer the newly established Giller Prize in honour of literary journalist Doris Giller. Since then, it has become a central private foundation in Canada’s literary funding landscape, providing substantial financial awards to fiction authors and supporting readers and writers through multiple programs.

At the heart of its activities is the Giller Prize, a national award recognizing excellence in Canadian fiction, including novels, graphic novels and short story collections published in English, either originally or in translation. According to its submission guidelines, the Prize currently presents $100,000 CAD to the winner and $10,000 CAD to each finalist, making it one of the richest literary prizes in the country. Over time, the Prize has endowed well over two million dollars to Canadian writers across the country.

Core funding programs

• Giller Prize: An annual competition open to eligible books published within a defined window, with detailed rules on eligibility, submission quotas per imprint, and multiple submission deadlines. A jury panel compiles a longlist and shortlist and selects the winner. The foundation covers travel and accommodation for shortlisted authors to attend the award ceremony and associated events.
• Giller Mantella Scholarship: A scholarship program, established in collaboration with Mantella Corporation, providing $10,000 each year to three Black, Indigenous and racialized students in Canada pursuing full-time studies in English Literature, Writing or Creative Writing. The program sets clear eligibility criteria, including academic performance and a personal essay, and is administered via the Universities Canada scholarship portal.

Publics served and funding priorities

The Giller Foundation focuses on Canadian fiction writers and, through its scholarship, on emerging literary talent among underrepresented students. Prize eligibility requires authors to be Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and books must be available for sale across Canada with an ISBN. The organization explicitly supports both original English works and translations of Canadian-authored books, with prize money split between author and translator when a translation wins.

Beyond direct financial awards, the foundation’s mission emphasizes stimulating literary conversation and expanding awareness of distinct, diverse and accomplished Canadian authors. It hosts programs such as the Giller Book Club, Between the Pages events, and other virtual and live initiatives designed to increase access to literature, particularly in marginalized communities.

Governance, transparency and impact

The Giller Foundation operates under the guidance of a board of directors and convenes an independent jury each year to evaluate submissions. Detailed submission guidelines, eligibility rules, and important dates are published on its website, giving publishers and authors a transparent view of the process. Past winners and finalists are documented year by year, illustrating the long-term impact of its funding on Canadian literary careers.

Through its sustained investment in prize purses, support for finalist promotion, and the targeted Giller Mantella Scholarship, the foundation plays a significant role in strengthening Canada’s literary ecosystem and improving access to education and recognition for a wide range of voices.