Announcing the 2021 recipients of Access Copyright Foundation’s Marian Hebb Research Grants

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

TORONTO: May 19, 2021 – Access Copyright Foundation (ACF) is pleased to announce that it has awarded $100,000 in funding as part of its Marian Hebb Research Grant program.

Please join us in congratulating the 27 talented creators and three organizations that will be receiving Research Grant funding this year.

Najwa Ali; Toronto, ON
Mette Bach; Vancouver, BC
Heather Birrell; Toronto, ON
Eli Bornstein; Saskatoon, SK
Moni Brar; Calgary, AB
Brick Books; Kingston, ON
Lily Chang; College Park, Maryland
paulo da costa; Calgary, AB
Frank B. Edwards; Hartington, ON
Christine Estima; Toronto, ON
Charlotte Gill; Powell River, BC
Lori Hahnel; Calgary, AB
Carissa Halton; Edmonton, AB
Anita Lahey; Ottawa, ON
Katherine Laidlaw; Toronto, ON
Kirsteen MacLeod; Kingston, ON
Cassidy McFadzean; Toronto, ON
Ken McGoogan; Guelph, ON
Leanna Dawn McLennan; Vancouver, BC
Gabby Peyton; St. John’s, NL
Playwrights Guild of Canada; Toronto, ON
Jacob Scheier; Yellowknife, NT
Leslie Shimotakahara; Toronto, ON
Carrie Snyder; Waterloo, ON
Moez Surani; Thornhill, ON
The Writers’ Union of Canada; Toronto, ON
Jennifer Thornhill Verma; Ottawa, ON
Ayelet Tsabari; Toronto, ON
Catherine Tsalikis; Toronto, ON
Evelyn White; Halifax, NS

ACF’s Research Grants provide valuable opportunities to Canadian creators to conduct in-depth inquiry and to bring added dimension to stories that might not otherwise be told, and for organizations serving the creative community to investigate ways to expand and enhance the services they offer.

Among the projects ACF grants will facilitate this year are artist Eli Bornstein’s efforts to publish a new work to celebrate his centenary next year, food writer Gabby Peyton’s upcoming book profiling the restaurants in Canada that played a vital role in shaping the country’s culture and author Moez Surani’s work documenting Islamophobia in Canada today.

“I am so pleased to see how ACF has been innovative in adapting its Marian Hebb Research Grant program to ensure that it can provide valued funding no matter how creators choose to approach the deep inquiry required for new creative works,” said ACF Chair Margaret Reynolds.

For its Research Grant program this year, ACF added additional flexibility as opportunities to travel to conduct research remain limited. Applicants had two options when applying for a research grant: the first was to apply for a grant as usual for a research project involving travel and the second was to apply for a grant for an at-home research project to cover expenses such as costs for video conferencing and other online services. More information on how the Foundation is responding to COVID-19 can be found here: https://acfoundation.ca/covid-19-impact-on-acf-grants/.

ACF grants are awarded through a peer adjudication process administered on behalf of the Foundation by the SK Arts. Jurors for the 2021 Marian Hebb Research Grant program were: Terrilee Bulger, author and General Manager of Nimbus Publishing; Alison Pick, Booker Prize-nominated author; and Paul Seesequasis, author and journalist.

About the Marian Hebb Research Grant

The ACF Marian Hebb Research Grant program annually provides grants for research projects designed to facilitate the creation of a publishable work, an innovative program, strategic initiative, study paper or report.

The grants program is named in honour of Marian Hebb to celebrate her contributions as an outstanding copyright lawyer and champion of Canadian culture.

About the Access Copyright Foundation

Access Copyright Foundation provides support to creators and organizations engaged in the development and dissemination of publishable Canadian works in the literary and visual arts. We are an arm’s length foundation of Access Copyright, the collective voice of creators and publishers in Canada.

To learn more about Access Copyright Foundation and SK Arts, please visit: https://sk-arts.ca/menu/grants/grant-programs/access-copyright-foundation-grants.html.

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For media inquiries:
Margaret Reynolds, Chair, ACF
megjreynolds@gmail.com

For information on Access Copyright Foundation Grants Programs:
Joanne Gerber, Program Consultant
SK Arts
306-964-1163
jgerber@sk-arts.ca