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Giller Scholarship expands access for BIPOC writers
“This is our way of showing up for marginalized students across Canada.” – Sylvia Mantella
Editor’s Note: Time has a way of changing perspectives. As you read this archived article, ask yourself: Were the hopes, concerns, and predictions shared here realized? What lessons remain relevant today?
The Giller Mantella Scholarship is widening access to literary education for Black, Indigenous, and racialized students across Canada, offering meaningful financial support at a time when student debt is rising.
The Giller Foundation (widely recognized for celebrating literary excellence through the Giller Prize) has partnered with the Mantella Foundation to award three non-repayable grants of $10,000 each. According to a press release issued March 4th, 2026, the initiative, launched in 2023, has already distributed $90,000 to students pursuing studies in English literature and creative writing.
The scholarship aims to address structural inequities in higher education. As the release states, it seeks to bridge the gap between the scholarship’s financial impact and the systemic barriers faced by Black, Indigenous and racialized students in Canada’s current post-secondary landscape. By reducing financial strain, the program allows recipients to focus more fully on their academic and creative work.
Kimesh Walters, CEO of Oasis Integrated Communications and a 2024 Mantella Corporation BIPOC Entrepreneur Grant recipient, emphasized the scholarship’s importance in a March 23rd interview. She encouraged applications from students (particularly those from Black, African, and Caribbean communities) who are often underrepresented in literary spaces.
Concerns about affordability are growing. Elana Rabinovitch, executive director of the Giller Foundation, pointed to recent changes in Ontario’s student aid system that increase reliance on loans. “They will significantly reduce the portion of non-repayable grants and increase reliance on student loans,” she said, adding that the shift introduces “Another layer of financial uncertainty.”
She underscored the compounded pressure facing BIPOC students, “Students (especially BIPOC students) are already under immense pressure to excel. Now, many are facing the added reality of graduating with tens of thousands of dollars in loans.”
Sylvia Mantella, vice-president of marketing, sponsorship, and philanthropy at Mantella Corporation, framed the scholarship as both practical support and a broader commitment, “This is our way of showing up for marginalized students across Canada.”
Eligible applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents entering or continuing their first degree or diploma in English literature or creative writing for the 2026–2027 academic year. They must identify as Black, Indigenous, or racialized (per Statistics Canada categories) and hold a minimum 75% average from the 2024–2025 academic year. Applications require transcripts and a 250–350-word essay on their passion for literature.
Past recipients illustrate the scholarship’s impact. Lauryn Tran, an English literature student at Queen’s University, described the recognition as transformative, “I never thought my passion for literature would ever be acknowledged this way.” Myeisha Dyer, a University of Ottawa student, credits writing as both resistance and purpose, while University of Toronto student Grace Lu sees literature as central to identity and belonging.
As tuition pressures mount, initiatives like the Giller Mantella Scholarship creates space for emerging writers to develop their voices without the weight of financial insecurity.