Canadian Unity Fan Fund Lacks Canadians and Unity
The Canadian Unity Fan Fund is a long-running intra-Canada fund which operates on the TAFF/DUFF/GUFF model to send fans out of their home area to make connections at other conventions. Delegates then operate as administrators in the process of selecting future delegates.
The last person selected for CUFF was Garth Spencer, who has been unsuccessfully trying to run another CUFF selection ever since. Spencer has published this statement via the final CUFF newsletter:
I’M GIVING UP
Many of you don’t know this, but once upon a time, fans started fan funds, so that well-known fans could show up in places where other fans would like to meet them. That was back when fans wanted to know about other fans from other places.
About the 1980s, some Canadian fans thought it would be a good idea to have a national fan fund, so that well-known fans from one side of the country could meet fans on the other side of the country.
Today, a lot of fans don’t know anything about fans from outside their city, or outside their fandom. Today, a lot of fans don’t know what a fan fund is. Over the past year, I have been trying to advertise the Canadian Unity Fan Fund, raise support, and raise funds.
Despite my best efforts to spread the word to conventions and clubs, very few people have responded. I really didn’t realize how unknown fan funds are, to contemporary fans.
Very few people have made bids on the items CUFF offers for sale.
No Canadian conventions have offered to host a fan fund delegate. This is a problem because scheduling the CUFF nomination and election process depends on when the destination convention is scheduled. (Nominations and election also depend on fans knowing about, and participating in this fan fund.)
Nobody has expressed an interest in standing as CUFF delegate in 2025 or 2026. Admittedly, I haven’t gotten as far as soliciting candidates.
So, I’m giving up.
If fans in Canada just don’t know or care what a fan fund is, there is not much point in doing this anymore.
If anyone wishes to ride to the rescue of CUFF, Spencer can be contacted at garth.van.spencer@gmail.com.
In Brief
Voting is open for the 2025 Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund, which will send a delegate from Europe to North America for the 2025 Worldcon. Candidates are Zi Graves, Mikołaj Kowalewski, and Jan Vaněk jr. The ballot is available as HTML, PDF, and a direct online voting form. Votes must be received by 11:59 pm British Summer Time (UTC+1) on April 23.
Fan Expo Portland (Portland, Oregon, January 24-26) has added Troy Baker, Yuri Lowenthal, Jen Taylor, Tara Platt, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Richard Horvitz, Vivian Nixon, and Bryce Pinkham.
Anime Milwaukee (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, March 7-9) has added Sean Chiplock.
Indiana Comic Convention (Indianapolis, Indiana, March 14-16) has added Rainn Wilson, Sarah Natochenny, Anika Noni Rose, and Ernie Hudson.
Sci-Fi Valley Con (Altoona, Pennsylvania, June 13-15) has added Janet Varney.
Event Calendar
Weekend of January 10-12
GAFilk 2025 (music), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Japan Meeting of Furries, Toyohashi, Japan
Spartacon XXXIV (gaming), DeWitt, Michigan, USA
Midwinter Gaming Convention, Pewaukee, Wisconsin, USA
OrcaCon 2025 (gaming), SeaTac, Washington, USA
Animé Los Angeles 20, Long Beach, California, USA
Ichibancon 15 (anime), Concord, North Carolina, USA
Ikkicon (anime), Round Rock, Texas, USA
Orlando Anime Day, Orlando, Florida, USA
Fan Expo New Orleans (media), New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
MondoCon 2025 (media), Budapest, Hungary
Weekend of January 17-19
Chattacon L, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
Monumental ConFusion, Novi, Michigan, USA
Marscon 2025: Galactic Empires & Epic Interstellar Legends, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
Arisia 2025, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
COSine 2025, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
CanthroFur: Perdrix and the awakening of the volcanoes (anthropomorphic), Auvergne, France
Anthro New England: A Staggering Case!, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Yunyou Island (anthropomorphic), Chengdu, China
Further Confusion: Animal Business (anthropomorphic), San Jose, California, USA
MidWinterFrolic 2025 (anthropomorphic), Altura, Minnesota, USA
Snowcon 15 (gaming), Orono, Maine, USA
Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo 2, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, USA
Congress of Gamers Winter Session, Rockville, Maryland, USA
Geekway Mini: Geekway to the Dragon Hoard (gaming), St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Dice + Diversions (gaming), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
IDEAG 2025 (gaming), Parma, Italy
AdamCon 2025 (gaming), Woodlawn, Ohio, USA
KapCon 2025 (gaming), Wellington, New Zealand
SCARAB 2025 (gaming), Columbia, South Carolina, USA
Ducosim (gaming), Amersfoort, Netherlands
SaltCON Bryce (boardgames), Bryce Canyon, Utah, USA
Morpheus 37 (RPGs), Herne, Germany
F.R.O.S.T. XXVI (RPGs), Freuenstadt, Germany
Siege of Augusta XXXIV (miniatures gaming), Augusta, Georgia, USA
BattleTex V (wargaming), Houston, Texas, USA
29th Annual Chattanooga Railgaming Challenge, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
Kawacon: 4 Honor (anime), San Antonio, Texas, USA
G-Anime, Gatineau, Québec, Canada
Central Florida Comic Con, Lakeland, Florida, USA
Albuquerque Comic Con, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Mouse-Con Bakersfield (Disneyana), Bakersfield, California, USA
Vanhoover Pony Expo (My Little Pony), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Weekend of Januay 24-26
Winter War 51 (gaming), Champaign, Illinois, USA
Game-iToba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
TantrumCon (gaming), Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Platypus-Con (gaming), Juneau, Alaska, USA
RiverCityCon (gaming), Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Cancon 2025 (gaming), Canberra, Australia
VerminCon 2025 (gaming), Vermillion, South Dakota, USA
Whose Turn Is It Anyway? (boardgames), Durham, North Carolina, USA
Niagara Boardgaming Weekend, Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
Super MAGFest (gaming/videogame music), National Harbor, Maryland, USA
Isshocon (anime), Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA
Taiyou Con (anime), Mesa, Arizona, USA
Animazing-Con (anime), Savannah, Georgia, USA
UChi-Con 2025 (anime), Chicago, Illinois, USA
Desucon Frostbite 2025 (anime), Lahti, Finland
Fan Expo Portland (media), Portland, Oregon, USA
Weekend of January 31-February 2
AggieCon 54: Going Rogue, College Station, Texas, USA
AnthroExpo 2025: Rebel Paw (anthropomorphic), Norman, Oklahoma, USA
Rocket City Gamefest, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
Cascade Games Convention, Bellingham, Washington, USA
CaptainCon 2025 (gaming), Warwick, Rhode Island, USA
Contingency 2025 (gaming), Hunstanton, UK
PopiCon! 2025 (gaming), South Bend, Indiana, USA
Ohayocon 25 (anime), Dayton, Ohio, USA
Pixel Pig Expo (anime), Lexington, North Carolina, USA
Setsucon (anime), Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA
SSA+S Toracon (anime), Sarasota, Florida, USA
East Bay Comic Con, Concord, California, USA
Big Lick Comic-Con, Roanoke, Virginia, USA
CONsole Room: Rockin' Through the Whoniverse (Doctor Who), Bloomington, Minnesota, USA
German Stranger Con (Stranger Things), Oberhausen, Germany
HarmonyCon 2025 (My Little Pony), Dallas, Texas, USA
Salute to Xena (Xena: Warrior Princess), Burbank, California, USA
Weekend of February 7-9
Capricon 45: Let Your Geek Flag Fly!, Chicago, Illinois, USA
CONpossible: Travel Beyond the Veil (alternate history), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Maddrax-Con (Maddrax book series), Aachen, Germany
Contabile 35 (music), Norwich, UK
ScotiaCon: Magical Mayhem (anthropomorphic), Glasgow, UK
Winter Fantasy 49 (gaming), Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
Atlanta Game Fest 45, Peachtree Corners, Georgia, USA
Running GAGG XXIX: Where the Wild Squirrels Are (gaming), Geneseo, New York, USA
Game On! 2025, Bellevue, Washington, USA
PeliCON 2025 (boardgames), Galveston, Texas, USA
SCG Con Portland (collectible card games), Portland, Oregon, USA
Tezal-Con (video games), Montgomery, Alabama, USA
AmberConNI 2025 (diceless RPGs), Belfast, UK
AEX 32 (anime), Santiago, Chile
Kami-Con 16: Carnival (anime), Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Anime Focal, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
MAG-C (anime), Erfurt, Germany
Animangapop Plymouth (anime), Plymouth, UK
Anime Washington, Puyallup, Washington, USA
Farpoint 32 (media), Pikesville, Maryland, USA
Megacon Orlando (media), Orlando, Florida, USA
Geek Days Rennes (media), Rennes, France
The Great Con-Junction (The Dark Crystal), Borehamwood, UK
Coda
Googly Eye Bandit improves public art (Smithsonian Magazine)
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