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Too Long, Didn’t Read
- A vibrant arts community is an integral part of a strong community. That’s why, to date, RBC has committed more than $150 million to support artists and arts organizations worldwide – helping artists build the skills and opportunities needed for sustainable and successful careers.
- The RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers grants $10,000 annually to one writer each in fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction.
- The Apprentice Programme at The National Ballet of Canada has helped train apprentices who are now Principal Dancers and performers worldwide.
- The Shaw Festival is using an RBC Foundation Community Spaces Grant to build a geothermal well system as part of the rebuild of the Royal George Theatre with the goal to become North America’s first Zero Carbon Building Design certified performing arts venue.
For decades, RBC and RBC Foundation have been steadfast supporters of the arts, committing more than $150 million to artists and arts organizations worldwide. RBC’s legacy lies in equipping the next generation of creative talent with the tools, connections and opportunities they need to build lasting careers – while championing greater inclusivity and prosperity in communities across the country. One of the ways RBC brings that commitment to life is through the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers.
Championing the Next Generation of Writers
According to Calgary poet Renato Gandia, confidence is a critical part of any artist’s journey.
“For years, I wondered if stories like mine — migration, faith, family, queerness — had a place in Canadian literature,” said Gandia, who was one of three writers to win the 2026 RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers.
“The RBC Bronwen Wallace Award answered that question. Recognition like this does something specific for emerging writers: it hands us confidence, visibility, proof that we belong on the page. This is why support from organizations like RBC matters. When they invest in organizations like Writers’ Trust, they’re not just funding prizes. They’re helping build a literary Canada that actually looks like the people living in it.”
The award, presented annually by Writers’ Trust Canada to writers who have not yet published their first book, grants $10,000 annually to one writer of fiction, one writer of poetry, and one of creative nonfiction.
The award also includes qualitative supports like networking and access to mentors.
“At RBC, we believe that a strong arts sector helps build stronger communities,” said Andrea Barrack, Senior Vice President, Sustainability & Impact, RBC. “For nearly two decades, we’ve stood alongside the Writers’ Trust of Canada to champion emerging writers through the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award. That long-term commitment has helped launch the careers of some of this country’s most exciting literary voices – writers who have gone on to publish acclaimed books, mentor the next generation, and enrich the cultural life of their communities.”
Apprentice Programme at The National Ballet of Canada
At The National Ballet of Canada, RBC’s support comes in the form of the Apprentice Programme. Several former Apprentices are now Principal Dancers with The National Ballet of Canada and many others dance with ballet companies worldwide.
“Through dedicated training, individualized mentorship and meaningful performance opportunities, The National Ballet of Canada’s Apprentice Programme provides emerging artists with the skills, experience and support needed to pursue a professional career,” said Greta Hodgkinson, the Arrell Family Apprentice Programme Director. “Over the course of the two-year programme, apprentices gain invaluable stage experience, receive artistic guidance and benefit from comprehensive professional development, equipping them to secure positions with the National Ballet or other prestigious companies around the world. Our dancers leave the programme with the skills, confidence and professional foundation to continue shaping their artistic voice and thrive in the next stage of their careers.”
Helping improve accessibility and environmental sustainability for arts venues across Canada
In addition to supporting the arts through skills development, RBC supports the community spaces where artists display their craft and art lovers gather to experience it.
The RBC Foundation Community Spaces Grant focuses on improving the accessibility and environmental sustainability of community buildings and public spaces. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is using a recent grant to ensure that all public restrooms at the museum are now equipped with automatic doors. In addition, new features like an accessible sink will enable those who rely on mobility aids to now fully participate in art therapy activities at the Museum’s popular Ruche d’art (Art Hive).
“RBC’s support enables the MMFA to make accessibility a concrete driver of participation, autonomy, and inclusion, so that everyone can fully enjoy the benefits of art,” said Mélanie Deveault, Director of Education, Community Engagement, and Visitor Experience; holder of the Ariane Riou and Réal Plourde Chair in Art and Education for the Community at the MMFA.
The RBC Foundation Community Spaces Grant is also helping ensure accessibility will be front and centre for music lovers in the newly expanded Francis Winspear Centre in Edmonton. In addition to hosting the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Winspear is the hub for local musicians, youth and community groups. The expansion is adding over 50,000 sq.ft. of new space, including a second performance hall (called the ‘Music Box’), classrooms and mixed-use immersive spaces.
“With the successful completion of the building exterior, a strong foundation is now in place for the next chapter of the Winspear Centre expansion,” said Alex Draper, Director of Philanthropy, Winspear Centre. “The next phase – completing the interior – is all about the details which, thanks to RBC Foundation’s support, will include a focus on accessibility. We can already imagine the moment the Music Box hosts its first performers and when these new spaces open their doors to welcome our community inside.”
At the Maritime Conservatory for Performing Arts in Halifax, an RBC Foundation Community Spaces Grant will support the installation of a new elevator.
“Our old manually operated elevator no longer meets accessibility and safety standards and has a heavy swinging door that wheelchair users, seniors, and parents with strollers struggle to open independently,” said Chloe Kline, Executive Director. “Replacing the elevator will remove a significant accessibility barrier for more than 35 per cent of our program participants and ensure that our students, clients, and audience members enjoy safe, independent, and dignified access to classrooms, therapy spaces and performance venues throughout the building.”
RBC’s support is also helping many arts venues become more environmentally sustainable.
The Shaw Festival (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario), is using a grant to fund a geothermal well system, to help its Royal George theatre become North America’s first theatre to achieve Zero Carbon Building Design certification.
“The plans for our new Royal George Theatre honour its remarkable history while building for the future,” said Tim Jennings, Executive Director/CEO of the Shaw Festival. “Achieving North America’s first Zero Carbon Building Design certification for a theatre reflects our commitment to protecting the environment and ensuring this beloved cultural institution continues to inspire and connect audiences for generations. We are honoured to have RBC Foundation’s support to bring these plans to life.”
Keeping Canadian communities vibrant
From supporting skills development to improving arts infrastructure, RBC is strengthening communities by contributing to a future where Canadian communities and the arts can grow stronger together. This support is part of RBC, RBC Foundation and RBC Foundation USA’s overall commitment to providing $2 billion in community investment by 2035. As one of Canada’s largest corporate donors, RBC is working with thousands of charities and not for profits across Canada and beyond.
FAQ
The RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers is presented annually by Writers’ Trust Canada to writers who have not yet published their first book. It grants $10,000 to one writer each of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, plus networking and mentorship supports.
The Apprentice Programme at The National Ballet of Canada is a two-year programme that provides emerging dancers with dedicated training, individualized mentorship, and meaningful performance opportunities to help them pursue a professional career.
The RBC Foundation Community Spaces Grant is designed to fund retrofits, repairs or upgrades of existing public community buildings and spaces as well as construction of new public spaces that reduce environmental impacts of their operation and/or improve its building accessibility. Recent grants to arts organizations have funded automatic doors at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Francis Winspear Centre expansion in Edmonton, an accessible elevator at the Maritime Conservatory for Performing Arts in Halifax, and a geothermal well system at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
RBC supports more than 2,000 charities and nonprofits across Canada, including arts organizations. This support is part of RBC’s broader commitment to invest $2 billion in community organizations by 2035, helping artists grow from emerging to established and keeping communities vibrant.
