Grants for Canadian individuals and organizations

Artists and their work are the foundation of the arts community. Working individually or in groups, artists pursue work that develops their practice, develops creative thinking, contributes to the art form, and reflects themselves in the community.

There are three distinct streams of Edmonton Arts Council Individuals & Collectives grants, each with its own assessment criteria and evaluation process. Individuals or groups may only apply to one stream per deadline, and may only receive one grant from the program each year from January to December.

Category

• Stream 1: Exploration and Experimentation: Stream 1 supports individual artists to undertake creative, experimental, or research activities. Examples of work that could be included in Stream 1 include:
  • Indigenous musicians seek to research and document the traditions and rituals of their communities while considering how to incorporate them into future compositions and performances.
  • Documentary filmmakers are considering the evolving use of land acquisition in Western Canada. They are examining the nature of existing laws and forming an understanding of the issues surrounding these laws to inform future film projects.
  • Choreographers want to study and explore new movement vocabulary for dancers in order to develop new works.
  • A visual artist currently focusing solely on encaustic painting would like to experiment with adding clay or other found materials to his work.
  • The playwright wants to invest creative time into writing the second draft of his current play based on medieval mythology.
• Stream 2: Skills and Career Development: Stream 2 supports mentoring, residency attendance, or other forms of professional development for artists and arts professionals. Examples of work that may be included in the Skills and Career Development Stream include:
  • The costume designer is mentored by an international designer known primarily for his work on large-scale period pieces.
  • The Native improvisation trio plans to learn how to record and shape their own web series. They suggest working with a designated professional who will teach them the proper techniques and purchasing recording equipment.
  • I am a literary agent and manager looking to register for a conference focused on how to maximize sales on online platforms.
  • Carvers who wish to incorporate arc welding into their work will want to take the beginners course at NAIT. They will cover the course fee and the cost of equipment to continue their work.
  • The dancer group plans to attend a one-week residency focusing on new movement techniques and choreographic approaches. Travel and accommodations are included.
• Stream 3: Artist-led Major Projects: Stream 3 supports artistic projects for implementation, production, and/or presentation. This may include support for creation, livelihood, travel, and/or mentorship. Examples of artist-led major projects include:
  • A visual artist plans to 3D print 1,000 magpies, each in a slightly different pose, along the railings of the High Level Bridge over the summer.
  • The Capoeira Dance Artist Collective seeks to develop and present new work to be performed as part of a presentation series.
  • A team of illustrators and writers collaborated to create and self-publish a graphic novel that follows an immigrant family as they adapt to their new home in Terwillig.
  • A modern string quartet works as a group to compose, rehearse, and record an album. This includes studio time, production/engineering, mixing, and mastering costs.
  • A game designer is looking to raise funds to prototype character and environment designs for a new co-op game.

Funding Information

• Stream 1: Exploration and Experimentation:
  • The first phase of the grant is set at $5,000 to support artists’ living expenses and additional costs incurred while continuing their artistic activities.
• Stream 2: Skills and Career Development:
  • Applicants may request up to $10,000 based on the anticipated costs of the project, including the artist’s livelihood.
• Stream 3: Major artist-led projects:
  • Applicants may request up to $25,000 based on the anticipated costs of the project, including the artist’s livelihood.

Qualification criteria

• Individuals must:
  • Must have substantial and dedicated activity in any artistic discipline (including but not limited to traditional and contemporary Aboriginal or other cultural works) or experience of other professional activity in the artistic discipline.
  • You must be 18 years or older.
  • Must be a resident of Edmonton/amiskwaciy-waskâhikan at the time of application and for the duration of the project. This includes the City of Edmonton and the First Nations communities of Enoch Cree Nation, Alexander First Nation, Paul First Nation, and Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation (artists may be asked to provide proof of residency).
  • You must have a valid Social Security Number (SIN). The grant is considered taxable income.
  • Individuals or organizations may receive a grant once a year from January through December through this program.
  • Any individual or organization whose final report has not been submitted by the Edmonton Arts Council deadline is not eligible.
• The group must also:
  • As described above, the majority of members are eligible individuals.
  • One individual (the primary applicant) applies on behalf of the group.
  • EAC only allows one submission per applicant per deadline.
  • An individual may belong to more than one group.
  • An individual who is affiliated with more than one organization cannot be the lead applicant on more than one application.
• Applicants who are eligible for individual and group grants that have experienced systemic barriers may receive funding from both the Individual and Group Equity and Access Funds in the same calendar year. This is an effort by the EAC to redress historical inequities in these areas.
• However, applicants who are eligible to apply for both an individual and an organization and for equality and access cannot apply for the same project/work and cannot receive funding for the same project/work.

For more information, please visit: Edmonton Arts Council.