CWSFA, parent non-profit of Due North, has issued grants from the convention surplus. This is the text of the official announcement from CWSFA, recently posted on their web site. Canada West Science Fiction Association A non-profit society organized under the Alberta Societies Act info@calgaryin2005.org http://www.calgaryin2005.org Press Release 2006-1 CWSFA ISSUES GRANTS At their Annual General Meeting on November 19, 2005, the Board of Directors of the Canada West Science Fiction Association approved a series of grants totaling CA$12,050. These grants were funded out of surplus operating funds of "Due North," Westercon 58, and are aimed at furthering science fiction and fantasy fandom activities in Canada in general, to assist future Westercons, and to assist in the general operations of groups that provided assistance to Westercon 58. The detailed list of grants, grouped by major category, is as follows. (All amounts are in Canadian dollars.) Westercon-related Grants Chaz Boston-Baden, for operation of Westercon.org web site , $200 San Diego Science Fiction Conventions, Inc. ( Conzilla/Westercon 2006 ), $900 Society of the Promotion of Fannish Interests, Inc. ( Gnomeward Bound/Westercon 2007 ), $900 Clubs and Organizations ConAdian, $1,000 Imaginative Fiction Writers Association (IFWA), $2,100 San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions, Inc. (SFSFC), $350 Star Trek Winnipeg, $500 Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Conventions V-Con, $500 Con-Version, $500 KeyCon, $500 Ad Astra, $500 Con*Cept, $500 Canadian Fandom Activities and Promotions Canadian Unity Fan Fund (CUFF), $500 Western Canadian Convention Cross-Advertisement, $400 Canadian Convention Bid Committees Montreal Worldcon Bid, $1,500 Winnipeg World Horror Convention Bid, $500 Literary Activities Robyn Herrington Short Story Contest (Administered by IFWA), $700 CWSFA also established a "scholarship" to send promising Calgary-area convention runners to attend a conference about organizing science fiction conventions. Details of this scholarship, including the criteria and method for applying, will be announced later. CWSFA also voted to pay small honoraria to thirteen people who, before Westercon 58, traveled extensively in support of the convention’s planning and promotion, incurring substantial unreimbursed out-of-pocket expenses. San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions, Inc., (SFSFC) will act as CWSFA’s agent to pay grants to US-based groups to whom CWSFA made grants. SFSFC previously acted as Westercon 58’s agent to pay membership reimbursements to qualified members resident in the USA. CWSFA thanks SFSFC for their help and support. Westercon 58, also known as “Due North,” was the 2005 West Coast Science Fantasy Convention, and was held July 1-4 at the Westin Hotel in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 706 people attended, and total membership (including supporting members and no-shows) was 897. Westercon is an annual science fiction convention held in different cities throughout western North America (including Hawaii). Each year’s convention is organized independently by a different host committee. “Westercon” is a service mark of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, Inc. For more information about Westercon, see the Westercon web site at http://www.westercon.org/ . CWSFA is an Alberta non-profit society established principally to organize Westercon 58. CWSFA currently plans no future activities and is actively working toward winding up its activities by the end of 2006, after all bills have been paid and any remaining surplus disbursed as grants. For more information about CWSFA or Westercon 58, contact: info@calgaryin2005.org. ENDS All of this was decided back in November, but for various reasons I've not been allowed to announce it until this week.