Collaborating with the Nova Scotia Talent Trust executive director, Andrea Urquhart, and the board of directors on their latest three-year strategic plan was an awesome way to kick-off 2024. Their collective enthusiasm for supporting emerging artists in the province is infectiously energising, and drew me in from my very first conversation with Andrea about their vision for their future.
The Nova Scotia Talent Trust had recently received a $2.8 million bequest from arts philanthropist Judith A. Grant to expand their scholarship offerings. Andrea and the board had also also sought out a rigorous assessment of their scholarship selection process and were keen to implement their new findings to advance equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) with this new funding.
Together we created a roadmap to support their scholarship expansion and EDIA efforts, along with the celebration of their 80th anniversary, while prioritising strengthening their operational capacity and further developing their relationships with donors and sponsors.
Seeing the Nova Scotia Talent Trust Strategic Plan 2024-2026 come to life has been truly rewarding. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with Andrea and the board of directors, and contribute to a strategy that will have a lasting impact on the arts community.
For more on the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, visit nstalenttrust.ns.ca.