The Walrus magazine receives $225,000 funding boost to help pay writers

The Slaight Family Foundation has committed $225,000 ($75,000 per year for three years) to create the Allan Slaight Writers Fund inside the Walrus Foundation to support writers at The Walrus magazine.

While very pleased with the funding, which will all go to pay writers, co-publisher Shelley Ambrose cautions that the magazine still has some way to go in its fundraising -- it spends $400,000 per year on contributor's fees. But she still characterized the donation as "fantastic".

The fund is named after broadcaster and media entrepreneur Allan Slaight, who built Standard Radio into the largest privately owned multimedia company in Canada until selling its radio and TV broadcasting assets to Astral Media Inc. in 2007 . The family earmarked at least $100 million from the proceeds of the sale to charitable giving aimed at healthcare, children and the arts.