Launched in early 2025, SaskCulture’s Accessibility Fund supports individuals and organizations facing barriers to accessing its grant programs.
their capacity to deliver arts, heritage and cultural programs. Heslip notes that ongoing efforts are in place to ensure the Fund continues to meet this goal while remaining responsive to evolving needs and feedback. “We’ll be evaluating and adjusting processes as we go,” she says, “We are always looking for feedback from applicants, as well as our staff, to make sure that it is a smooth process for everybody.” The Accessibility Fund is available
SaskCulture grant programs. It is intended to help those who may experience challenges related to disability, neurodiversity, language, technology access, or communication, including people who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or partially sighted, or who experience other accessibility needs. Applicants can use the fund to cover the direct costs of hiring someone to assist with tasks such as creating an account, completing and submitting an application, or preparing a follow- up report on the Online Grant Platform. To develop the Fund, the SaskCulture team researched similar supports offered by other organizations, most notably, the Accessibility Fund from SK Arts, which served as a key reference point, says Heslip. The draft
program was then sent out for external review, with adjustments made based on the feedback received. Before the Fund officially launched, all SaskCulture staff participated in Accessibility Awareness Training to ensure they were prepared to support its delivery. “As part of our research, we identified that there was a huge benefit to ensuring that the staff had education and understanding of the barriers that people face, to give them the tools to have those discussions,” Heslip says. “We have had interest and are really looking forward to seeing uptake increase over the coming year.” By supporting organizations with accessibility needs when applying for or reporting on SaskCulture’s grants, the Fund strengthens
on an ongoing basis for all grant programs delivered by SaskCulture.
11
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs