Access Copyright Foundation Announces its 2026 Marian Hebb Research Grant Recipients
Twenty-seven Canadian writers, visual artists, publishers and organizations will receive $140,000 in grant funding toward new, publishable Canadian works
TORONTO: July 29, 2026 – Access Copyright Foundation, an arm’s length foundation of Access Copyright, is pleased to share its 2026 recipients for the Marian Hebb Research Grants program.
In total, the Foundation has awarded grants to twenty-seven members of Canada’s creative sector. $140,000 in grant funding has been allocated, representing meaningful investment into the communities that Access Copyright serves.
The new works the Foundation is supporting include a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of independent publisher Between the Lines and upcoming fiction and non-fiction books on a variety of subjects including the 49th parallel, Black Canadian female leaders, and the importance of multigenerational family units.
“The Marian Hebb Research Grant will allow me to immerse myself fully in the research necessary to buttress, craft, and cultivate my new manuscript,” said author Christine Estima, recipient of a 2026 grant for research toward her upcoming novel. “Having the support of Access Copyright Foundation is invaluable to the completion of this project, and the continuation of my body of work and artistic practice.”
Since the Foundation’s inception in 2010, more than 425 research grants representing over $1.7 million in funding have been awarded, resulting in new Canadian published works that have been enriched through hands-on, intensive exploration.
“The Access Copyright Foundation’s Marian Hebb Research Grant has provided me with an immense opportunity to engage with my subject matter in a way I could never afford to otherwise,” said author and 2026 grant recipient Lindsey Harrington. “Salty: A Newfoundland Outmigration Memoir will be a more nuanced and impactful book thanks to the time, space, and resources provided by the Foundation. It’s a gift I won’t soon forget.”
The Grant is named in honour of Marian Hebb who, among her ongoing contributions to Canada’s writing and publishing community, drafted Access Copyright’s first by-laws and served as legal counsel to Access Copyright’s Board of Directors from 1988 to 2015.
Access Copyright Foundation grants are awarded through a peer review process administered by SK Arts on behalf of the Foundation. Jurors for the 2026 Marian Hebb Research Grant program were journalist, writer, and editor Sheima Benembarek; writer, educator, and scholar Trevor Corkum; and poet Gil McElroy.
About 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, please visit the Foundation’s website.
For a look at how Access Copyright Foundation’s grants support Canada’s creative community, please visit the Foundation’s Spotlight page.
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For media inquiries:
Robert Gilbert, Manager, Communications and Marketing, Access Copyright