All NSCAD campuses closed at noon, February 24, 2024 due to freezing rain. All campuses will reopen at 9 a.m. on February 25.

Give

Why Support NSCAD

Since 1887, NSCAD University has formed a chosen family united by its motto: head, heart, hand.

At the start of a new decade, in a period of great unrest, balancing our artistic practice between these three anchors enables NSCAD’s faculty, students and alumni to embrace uncertainty and identify opportunities in unexpected places.

NSCAD is seizing this moment of social transformation and invites artists and makers, as well as allies who believe in the power of art, craft, media and design, to participate in our work as a shared enterprise.

Anna Lisa Shandro (BFA 2020)”

Donor Impact:

NSCAD is the place where donors invest to realize a bold vision of what our world can be if we unleash the power of creative observation and action.

  • empower talented, motivated students
  • ensure finances are not a barrier to participation
  • fund innovative and original research
  • support teaching and artistic practice and research in established and emerging fields
  • facilitate the metamorphosis of our built environment to be more sustainable, accessible, inclusive and functional for all
  • invest in new ways of learning and knowing
  • create opportunities to imagine a different future informed by the past
  • provide economic benefits to the creative sphere and beyond

Ways to Give

Gifts to NSCAD support the next generation of creative thinkers. They help provide financial support to students through bursaries, scholarships and internships, fund programming and outreach on campus and beyond, provide investments in faculty and research, maintain and improve facilities, and to keep NSCAD up-to-date with specialized equipment.

NSCAD relies on individuals in our community to fund important priorities that cannot be sustained through our operating budget. Individual giving provides a means for alumni and friends of NSCAD to help maintain the university’s excellence from year to year. Donors can designate their gifts to a specific need—scholarships and bursaries, the library, galleries, the Institute for the Study of Canadian Slavery, Creative Entrepreneurship Lab, community residency programs, facilities, equipment—or simply select the “area of greatest need,” which gives the university maximum flexibility to apply your gift. Typically, individual gifts are spent in the year in which they are received.

Donors can choose to make a one-time donation or set up an automated monthly gift.

Endowments take a longer-term view, focused on helping the university expand and sustain important initiatives that enhance the experience for students, faculty and the community. Donations made to the university’s endowment are done so with the understanding that the capital value of the gift (the principal) is invested, and a portion of investment earnings are available to fund the mission of the university.

Donors may establish named endowment funds restricted to a specific purpose, such as scholarships, bursaries, academic chairs, building refurbishments, library or equipment acquisitions. The original donation is secured and allowed to accrue interest—it is this interest that is dispersed according to the wishes of the donor.

Talk to the Advancement Team: write to give@nscad.ca or phone 902-444-9600. Download Create an Award – Create an Opportunity: A guide to establishing student scholarships and bursaries at NSCAD University.

Leaving a legacy gift is a way in which donors can have a large impact on the university. NSCAD offers many planned giving opportunities—all of which can be tailored to meet your specific financial and estate planning needs. A planned gift can help you achieve your tax and financial goals, as well as your philanthropic goals, and it can help you make a much larger gift than otherwise possible in your lifetime. Please download the NSCAD Planned Giving Guide for additional information.

A tribute gift is a wonderful way to recognize a friend, family member, colleague or inspirational professor. These donations are often made to celebrate a milestone such as graduation, retirement, special birthday or anniversary.

A memorial gift is a meaningful way to remember a loved one’s legacy or to express your appreciation for someone special. Your gift will make a difference in the lives of students today, tomorrow and far into the future.

When a gift is made in memory, in honour or in celebration of someone, a special letter will be sent notifying the individual or family member of the tribute recipient.

Make a memorial or tribute gift.

NSCAD relies on individuals in our community to fund important priorities that cannot be sustained through our operating budget. Individual giving provides a means for alumni and friends of NSCAD to help maintain the university’s excellence from year to year. Donors can designate their gifts to a specific need—scholarships and bursaries, the library, galleries, the Institute for the Study of Canadian Slavery, Creative Entrepreneurship Lab, community residency programs, facilities, equipment—or simply select the “area of greatest need,” which gives the university maximum flexibility to apply your gift. Typically, individual gifts are spent in the year in which they are received.

Donors can choose to make a one-time donation or set up an automated monthly gift.

Endowments take a longer-term view, focused on helping the university expand and sustain important initiatives that enhance the experience for students, faculty and the community. Donations made to the university’s endowment are done so with the understanding that the capital value of the gift (the principal) is invested, and a portion of investment earnings are available to fund the mission of the university.

Donors may establish named endowment funds restricted to a specific purpose, such as scholarships, bursaries, academic chairs, building refurbishments, library or equipment acquisitions. The original donation is secured and allowed to accrue interest—it is this interest that is dispersed according to the wishes of the donor.

Talk to the Advancement Team: write to give@nscad.ca or phone 902-444-9600. Download Create an Award – Create an Opportunity: A guide to establishing student scholarships and bursaries at NSCAD University.

Studio-based study results in higher costs for students than a lecture-based university program.

NSCAD University strives to ensure tuition is accessible, however, for many talented students, the price can be prohibitive. NSCAD’s tuition does not reflect the true cost of the experience the university offers.

NSCAD relies on the generosity of its donors who provide student assistance through annual scholarships and bursaries. In 2020-2021, the university offered over $460,000 in financial assistance through its scholarship fund (including endowed funds), with more than 253 internal scholarships and bursaries available to students in that academic year. With your help, we hope to ensure that all students wishing to pursue a career in the visual arts can achieve their goals regardless of their financial circumstances.

Making a multi-year pledge to establish a named award at NSCAD is easier than you think! Contact the Advancement Director for more information.

Talk to the Advancement Team: write to give@nscad.ca or phone 902-444-9600. 

Leaving a legacy gift is a way in which donors can have a large impact on the university. NSCAD offers many planned giving opportunities—all of which can be tailored to meet your specific financial and estate planning needs. A planned gift can help you achieve your tax and financial goals, as well as your philanthropic goals, and it can help you make a much larger gift than otherwise possible in your lifetime. Please download the NSCAD Planned Giving Guide for additional information.

A tribute gift is a wonderful way to recognize a friend, family member, colleague or inspirational professor. These donations are often made to celebrate a milestone such as graduation, retirement, special birthday or anniversary.

A memorial gift is a meaningful way to remember a loved one’s legacy or to express your appreciation for someone special. Your gift will make a difference in the lives of students today, tomorrow and far into the future.

When a gift is made in memory, in honour or in celebration of someone, a special letter will be sent notifying the individual or family member of the tribute recipient.

Make a memorial or tribute gift.

Projects And Priorities

Funding Priorities

Scholarships, Bursaries and Awards

Studio-based study results in higher costs for students than a lecture-based university program.

NSCAD University strives to ensure tuition is accessible, however, for many talented students, the price can be prohibitive. NSCAD’s tuition does not reflect the true cost of the experience the university offers.

NSCAD relies on the generosity of its donors who provide student assistance through annual scholarships and bursaries. With your help, we hope to ensure that all students wishing to pursue a career in the visual arts can achieve their goals regardless of their financial circumstances.

Choose from the list of established awards or donate to the general fund!

Special Initiatives

Creative Entrepreneurship Lab – According to a recent survey, 90% of NSCAD Alumni believe their degree was a good investment, but just 50% felt prepared for the economy. The Lab seeks to change that by offering students, alumni and the regional arts community support and expertise to commercializing their talents. From mentoring programs to webinars, the CEL’s supporters will leverage NSCAD’s position at the centre of the arts community to launch artists into the economy. Visit the donors and partners page here.

Visiting Artist

The Visiting Artist Program has been a vital component of NSCAD’s history since 1969 and is one of the oldest programs of its kind. Each year, a diverse group of nationally and internationally recognized artists are invited to NSCAD to present their work and ideas to a large audience of students, faculty, and community members. During their stay, artists present a public lecture; join the faculty-led Visiting Artist Seminar to work closely with graduate and advanced undergraduate students; and meet with students for individual critiques. Cost of support: $2,000, or $12,000 to sponsor a Visiting Artist Series (6 Visiting Artists: Foundation Studies, Fine Arts, Craft, Design, Media Arts, Historical and Critical Studies)

Public Lecture Program:
NSCAD University’s Public Lecture program presents a wide range of inspiring and thought provoking public presentations by renowned national and international contemporary artists, designers, curators, and experts from various visual arts fields. Individual studio visits with students are scheduled to follow the public presentations. Visitors are chosen to best reflect the diverse and cross-disciplinary nature of the program; the various approaches that are presented offer indispensable insight and inspiration for the general public and for students at crucial stages in their own artistic development.

Artist in Residence:
The Artist-in-Residence Program brings leading contemporary artists from Canada and around the world to live and work in Halifax for a period of two months. The Program encourages experimentation, dialogue and interdisciplinary work across all of the major art disciplines, and seeks to build collaborations, new work, and cultural events that bridge the local, national, and international arts communities.

Student Exchange:
The Exchange and Off Campus Study Program enables students to study away from campus. Independent Off Campus Study allows students to devise individual plans of study within Canada or abroad. Internships and practicum placements outside of Halifax also fall under this category. Exchange Study allows students to study at one of our 70 partner institutions in 13 countries.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Capitalizing on its location in a thriving creative economy, NSCAD seeks partnerships with individuals, corporations, and foundations that wish to develop unique collaborations with one of Canada’s leading visual arts post-secondary institutions. For information on sponsoring an event please write to give@nscad.ca.

NSCAD Student Art Award and Gala

The NSCAD Student Art Award recognizes and promotes exceptional students. Since 2010 the award has celebrated top talent across 10 visual arts disciplines at NSCAD. This premier award provides young artists with vital visibility as they embark on their careers. The winner is revealed at this must-attend spring gala. The 2023 gala event will take place at NSCAD’s Port Campus on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at 7 p.m.

NSCAD University Film Festival

The NSCAD University Film Festival celebrates the alumni of NSCAD University with special attention to the Film Program established in the 2002/2003 academic year. The Festival features a collection of curated and juried films, offered in-person and online. The event will be held at Cineplex Park Lane April 24, – 26, 2023.

TAX BENEFITS​

NSCAD University is registered as a charitable organization with the Canada Revenue Agency, charitable Number 107788192RR0001, and is authorized to issue receipts for income tax purposes.

Canadian Gifts

Donors receive an income tax receipt for contributions of $10 and above. The receipt may be used to claim the charitable tax credit.

US Gifts

NSCAD University  is an approved beneficiary of the Council for Canadian American Relations (CCAR), a 501(c)(3) public charity in the U.S. that is a “qualified donee” under the Income Tax Act (Canada). For information about CCAR please visit ccar-nyc.org or contact info@ccar-nyc.org).

Under the Canadian-US income tax convention, US donors are entitled to an income tax deduction for contributions to NSCAD University if the donor or a family member is or was enrolled at the university.

Gifts of Shares

Supporters who donate shares directly to NSCAD, will not pay capital gains tax normally attached to the sale of securities. Donors will receive a tax receipt for the full value of the shares. This policy also applies to bonds, mutual funds and other forms of capital property listed on approved stock exchanges. Please note: This tax benefit only applies to securities transferred directly. If you choose to sell them and give the proceeds to NSCAD, you will be taxed on the gains.  For more information, please contact Advancement at 902-444-7215 or advancement@nscad.ca.

THANK You

You give NSCAD and our students the power to create. Thank you for supporting excellence.

To NSCAD University’s many donors, we extend our heartfelt thank you for your generosity and passion for the work that we do.

This has been one of the most challenging periods in our long history. Events have demanded that we apply our creativity to an unanticipated situation and our faculty, staff and students have shown their adaptability.

Your gifts have supported many areas of the university, but overwhelmingly, they have been directed to scholarships and bursaries. Thank you for your part in ensuring that the NSCAD University experience is available and accessible.

To view the NSCAD University Donor Report, please click here.

Donor Profiles

Donor Faq

Team/Contact

KARA HOLM
Advancement Director
telephone 902-444-7215
fax 902-425-3240
Email Kara

LINDSAY-BEA DAVIS
Development Officer
telephone 902-450-4315
fax 902-425-3240
Email Lindsay-Bea 

TRINA ANNAND
Alumni and Events Officer
telephone 902-494-8244
fax 902-425-3240
Email Trina

ALISON MOLLOY
Advancement Services Officer
telephone 902-494-8175
fax 902-425-3240
Email Alison