Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Sheila Hugh Mackay Foundation (SHMF)

The Sheila Hugh Mackay Foundation is a charitable foundation dedicated to advancing the visual arts in New Brunswick. Incorporated in 1987, it has developed a comprehensive portfolio of funding tools designed to recognize artistic excellence, strengthen arts education, and build a sustainable visual arts infrastructure across the province. Operating independently from government, the foundation positions itself as a partner that opens new avenues, explores innovative initiatives and enriches existing resources.

The foundation administers several families of programs. Major awards include the $25,000 Strathbutler Award for outstanding contribution to fine craft and visual arts, the Emerging Artisan Award supporting early-career craft and design artists, the biennial $10,000 Marie Hélène Allain Fellowship for mid-career practitioners, and an annual Arts Advocacy Award that honours individuals or organizations advancing the arts in New Brunswick.

Under its Career Development for Artists banner, the foundation offers recurring scholarships, bursaries, mentorships and residencies. Programs such as the Fred Ross Scholarship, the Sheila Mackay Advanced Studies Scholarship, Merit Bursaries, the Margaret Woodson Nea Mentorship and the International Creative Residency provide financial support to New Brunswick artists and students at critical stages of their academic and professional development.

The foundation also runs structured grant programs. The annual facilitation grants known as “The Sheilas” support one-of-a-kind projects led by arts organizations and collectives that enhance creation, exhibition, interpretation or appreciation of visual arts in the province. In addition, Signature Grants respond to exceptional needs and opportunities, backing projects such as major exhibitions, restoration initiatives, publications, infrastructure upgrades and residencies. Signature grant requests are considered twice a year, with fixed submission dates in May and September.

The Sheila Hugh Mackay Foundation emphasizes professional, transparent and arm’s-length adjudication. Most awards, scholarships and grants are decided by independent juries of arts professionals, using published criteria and submission deadlines. For facilitation grants like the Sheilas, proposals are assessed on innovation, clear objectives, implementation and evaluation plans, leadership, financial viability and awareness of contemporary art issues in New Brunswick. The Board of Directors reserves the right to decline applications that do not meet established criteria.

The foundation primarily serves New Brunswick-based visual artists, craftspeople, students pursuing visual arts–related studies, and arts organizations and collectives operating in the province. Its funding has enabled public art installations, education programs, critical writing and publications, institutional infrastructure, and international residencies. Extensive archives of past grants and signature projects demonstrate long-term support for galleries, museums, artist-run centres, universities and community initiatives.

The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and managed by an executive director, who oversees program delivery and ongoing evolution in response to sector needs. The foundation documents its history, funded projects and recipients, and provides clear information on how to apply through its website. It can be contacted by mail in Saint John, New Brunswick, by email at its general address, and by telephone for enquiries about funding opportunities.