Deadline: 17-Oct-24
The British Columbia Arts Council has launched the Project Assistance Community Arts Organizations Program to support the development of community-based arts through the creation or presentation of public programming initiatives that provide engagement between artists, participants, and communities, and reduces or eliminates barriers to public participation in the arts.
Grants are available in this program to support specific projects focused the development, creation, expansion, or enhancement of new or unique public, community-based arts programming initiatives.
Priority Groups
- The BC Arts Council’s designated priority groups include applicants and arts and cultural practitioners who are:
- Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, or Inuit) Peoples
- Deaf or experience disability
- Black or people of colour
- Located in areas outside greater Vancouver or the capital region
Funding Information
- In this program, grants typically range from $5,000 to $20,000. The maximum request amount is $25,000.
Eligible Activities
- This grant program supports a wide variety of community focused arts activities, including (but not limited to):
- Collaborative, community-based arts activities, including the creation of public art projects or the creation, presentation and circulation of new works, using contemporary or traditional art forms in any discipline.
- Presentation and circulation of works through performance or exhibition projects.
- Artists’ residencies where the artist(s) directly engage with community members.
- Organizational development projects and arts projects that develop or deepen relationships between community members, artists, Elders and Knowledge Keepers.
- Community arts projects that involve artistic mentoring and skills development, led by professional artists, Elders and Knowledge Keepers.
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible, organizations must either be:
- A Community Arts Organization, registered and in good standing as a non-profit society or community service co-op in B.C. for at least one fiscal year prior to application with:
- The majority of key staff and board members based in B.C.
- Creative control and decision making for programming and engagement primarily maintained within the organization and by leadership based in B.C.
- A purpose or mandate dedicated to arts and culture programming and activities.
- A purpose or mandate to provide services to the arts and culture sector in B.C. and
- Operations and activities that reflect this dedicated purpose or mandate.
- For eligibility within this grant program, Community Arts Organizations are defined as nonprofit:
- Community arts councils;
- Community driven, generally non-professional, volunteer-managed arts and culture organizations; or
- Community-based arts and cultural centres, whose primary purpose is community centered engagement and access to the arts.
- An eligible organization must also:
- Not currently receive Operating Assistance grants from the BC Arts Council.
- Provide public arts and cultural programming (or service to the arts and culture sector) in B.C., as a primary activity, and have done so for a minimum of one year prior to the application closing date.
- Provide programs that benefit the community at-large and not solely the interests of its nonprofit society or community service co-op members.
- Engage community-based board leadership and, if applicable, may also engage skilled artistic or administrative leadership (paid or volunteer) for project or service delivery.
For more information, visit BC Arts Council.
