With sponsors cutting back, the National Magazine Awards Foundation—like almost every organization in Canadian media—is having a hard go of it this year. To help relieve some of the budget strain the Foundation is under, Kim Pittaway, a freelance writer and editor and past NMAF president, is organizing a fundraising drive on behalf of "Canada's Magazine Creators."

Pittaway is hoping to raise at least $1,500 and says she's about halfway towards achieving the goal since sending out an e-mail appeal yesterday. Here is her message, in full:

As you may know, Canada's National Magazine Awards Foundation (www.magazine-awards.com) is facing a tough year. Sponsors are pulling back and as a result, the budget support for this important annual event is under some strain. As past president of the Foundation, a past judge and a nominee (Susan Lucci-like nominee--I've never won!), I value the awards for the way they celebrate creators: it's our night. I also know how many hundreds of volunteer hours it takes to pull them off. And so, when I heard about the challenges the Foundation faced, it struck me that I'd like to do something to make sure the show goes on--and to ensure that the money is there so that winners get the prize money they deserve.

Here's what I'm doing: I'm donating $200 to a "creator's prize" fund. That fund, if it reaches $1500, will be the official sponsor of an award--not under my name of course, but as sponsored by " Canada's Magazine Creators." I'm asking others who love Canadian magazines--whether as readers, writers, photographers, illustrators, stylists, editors, art directors, educators, ad sale reps--to join me at whatever level you can afford. (You'll get a charitable tax receipt for your donation.) I think that it's more important than ever to show that we value the awards, and that even in tough times, we're willing to do what we can to make sure the best work in Canadian magazines is celebrated.

Will you pitch in? Please let me know if you're able to contribute and at what level by emailing me at kapittaway[at]yahoo[dot]ca, and I will pass your contact information on to the NMAF office who will follow up with you. And if you have colleagues you think would be interested, please pass this link on to them as well. Thank you for considering this and I hope to see you the night of the awards.

PS I sent this out originally as an email to my circle of colleagues and friends. Less than 24 hours later, we're more than halfway to our goal. Please help us get there! And if we exceed our goal, we'll keep going: 100% of your donations will go to support the National Magazine Awards.

Thanks for supporting the people who create Canada's best magazine work,

Kim