Grant and Funding Programs Offered by SWG Foundation (SWG)

Role of SWG Foundation in the funding ecosystem

The SWG Foundation is the charitable foundation created to support the vision, mission and values of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild (SWG). Incorporated in 2005, it was established to administer accumulated resources as trusts and endowments and to conduct fundraising on behalf of the Guild. Its core role is to channel donations and investment income into financial assistance for SWG programs and, when approved by the SWG Board of Directors, for literary projects led by external organizations and individual writers.

The Foundation’s General Fund underpins a wide range of Guild activities, from retreats and mentorship to public literary events. In addition, several named funds and endowments target specific needs in the Saskatchewan writing community, such as emergency assistance, access to retreats, and recognition of emerging and established authors.

Key funds, scholarships and bursaries

The SWG Foundation manages multiple dedicated funds that operate as scholarships, bursaries or relief funds:

• Andrew Suknaski Writers Assistance Fund – provides short-term relief to SWG members in financial difficulty, helping with living expenses and bills on a one-time basis within defined limits.
• Facilitated Retreat Endowment – supports operating costs for the SWG’s Facilitated Retreat for Emerging Writers, or more broadly for writers and retreats if that specific program no longer exists.
• Judy McCrosky Bursary Fund – offers an annual bursary to an emerging writer wishing to attend the winter retreat, with the amount adjustable at the Foundation board’s discretion.
• Sage Hill Scholarship Award – a long-standing scholarship whose funds are held in trust and paid to Sage Hill to support a participant in its annual programs.
• John V. Hicks Scholarship – created through a bequest to perpetuate an existing scholarship, now supporting a Sage Hill participant and contributing to fees for the SWG winter retreat.
• Doris Hillis Scholarship – funded by a bequest to the Guild, it annually covers program fees for the fall Facilitated Retreat, aimed at an emerging BIPOC Saskatchewan writer in poetry or drama.
• Anne Campbell Memorial Scholarship – established in 2023, this scholarship provides support for a writer to attend the SWG Summer Writing Retreat, focusing on emerging writers working on poetry or short stories.

Beyond these named funds, the Foundation’s structure allows individuals to create additional trusts to support particular programs or long-term initiatives that strengthen the province’s literary ecosystem.

Supported audiences and overall impact

Through its funding, the SWG Foundation serves a broad cross-section of Saskatchewan’s writing community. Beneficiaries include guild members in financial distress, emerging writers seeking access to retreats and professional development, and participants in partner programs such as Sage Hill. Because the Foundation’s mandate is tied to the SWG’s mission, it indirectly supports many of the Guild’s grant and award programs, writers’ group grants, and literary awards that recognize excellence and foster a vibrant culture of reading and writing across Saskatchewan.

History and governance

The idea for the SWG Foundation emerged in the early 2000s from an emergency fundraising effort that highlighted the need for long-term financial stability. A Foundations and Legacies subcommittee recommended creating a self-administered foundation to manage endowments and provide a stable base of funding. The Certificate of Incorporation was issued on 2005-10-17, and in subsequent years most relevant trusts were transferred to the Foundation. A liaison committee and formal agreements between the SWG and the Foundation helped clarify roles and ensure that fundraising and disbursement priorities remained aligned with members’ needs.