History
Laird founded the Xeric Foundation in 1992, the name "originat out of a Scrabble game with brother Don," "Xeric" simply being "a word like," ostensibly meaning "dry and desertlike" — but which ultimately "has absolutely no direct connection with the foundation."
The Foundation's first grant cycle was in September 1992, with the first recipients being Robert Eaton, Michael Kasper, Jeff Nicholson, and Wayne Wise & Fred Wheaton.
In 1993 Laird discussed the Foundation's projected lifespan:
. . . knock on wood, God willing, and the creek don't rise, if we go on for another couple of decades, and I'm able to put more money into the basic funding of the Xeric Foundation, then the amount of money that can be given out can really be raised significantly.He hoped that ultimately the figure can be raised from "thousands of dollars" to "hundreds of thousands of dollars," to support an increasing number of large and small projects.
In July 2011, the Foundation announced it would no longer award publishing grants, instead, focusing on charitable work, including fostering environmentalism, literacy, and the arts. Citing the changing nature of the comics industry, and specifically the ability of cartoonists to publish their work online, founder Laird announced the shift. According to the organization's website, one round of final grants will be awarded in 2012, giving applicants until May 2012 to complete their work. (The Foundation cancelled the scheduled November 2011 review.)
Altogether, the Xeric Foundation has awarded in excess of $2,500,000 since its first grant cycle.
Read more about this topic: Xeric Foundation
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