Deadline: 15-Nov-23
The Arts Infrastructure Program enables eligible organizations to develop and enhance spaces that support the work of B.C.’s arts and cultural practitioners.
The program aims to support projects that:
- Catalyze the development of new or existing arts and cultural spaces through acquisition, renovation, or purchase of specialized equipment;
- Improve physical, social, and cultural accessibility to arts and cultural spaces;
- Enhance access to arts and cultural spaces for underserved communities and underrepresented arts and cultural practices; or
- Strengthen the capacity of the sector to develop, operate, and sustain arts and cultural spaces.
Funding Information
- Applicants should apply to only one of the categories:
- Category 1: Planning & Consultation – Grants up to $25,000
- Category 2: Capital Improvements – Grants up to $250,000
- Category 3: Specialized Equipment Acquisition – Grants up to $40,000
- The request amount in any category:
- May be up to 75% of the total eligible project budget; or
- May be up to 90% of the total eligible project budget from applicants that are considered part of the BC Arts Council’s designated priority groups as defined on page one.
Designated 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.
Eligible Activities
- Planning, consultation, and research processes to support the development or acquisition of arts and cultural facilities including architectural plans, energy studies, feasibility studies, and community consultation.
- Purchase of specialized equipment such as audio, video, lighting, exhibition, or other equipment that is primarily utilized for artistic programming
- Acquisition, construction, renovation, or expansion of an arts and cultural facility and spaces used for arts and cultural purposes more than 50% of the time.
- Projects to improve accessibility.
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible, an organization must be:
- An arts and culture organization registered and in good standing as a non-profit society or community service co-op in B.C.
- An Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) community organization registered and in good standing as a non-profit society or community service co-op in B.C.
- An Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) government in B.C. that offers regular arts and culture activities.
- An arts and culture organization operated by a local government in B.C.
- An arts and culture organization operated by a public post-secondary institution in B.C.
- A book publisher that meets the eligibility requirements for either the Project Assistance or Operating Assistance for Book Publishers program.
- An eligible organization must also:
- 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 two years prior to the intake closing date.
- Provide programs that benefit the community at-large and not solely the interests of its nonprofit society members.
- Engage skilled artistic, curatorial, and administrative leadership (volunteer or paid) for project or service delivery.
- Fairly compensate artists, arts and cultural practitioners, technicians, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers. Compensation must align with project and community contexts and industry standards within the field of practice.
- Follow international intellectual property rights standards and cultural ownership protocols.
What will not be Funded?
- Projects focused on sspaces not used for arts and cultural activities.
- Industrial, archaeological or heritage sites, historic places, or organizations dedicated to archives.
- Project phases or activities that have begun prior to the intake closing date.
- Project phases or activities already funded through this or other BC Arts Council grant programs.
- Operating expenses or long-term accrued interest on financing.
- Routine maintenance or repairs.
- Moving expenses.
- Restoration and refurbishment of artefacts or collections.
- Commissioning and purchasing of works of art.
- Gift shops or commercial beverage and food facilities.
- Purchase of office equipment, furniture and supplies dedicated to administrative tasks.
- Landscaping projects.
- Parking lots.
- Capital campaigns, fundraising or marketing activities.
- Projects or activities funded with BC Arts Council funds received through third-party delivery partners: ArtStarts, First Peoples’ Cultural Council, BC Touring Council, or Creative BC.
- Projects or activities that are primarily intended for support of or focussed within creative industries or commercial sector (with the exception of book publishers), including architecture, fashion, commercial film and television, culinary arts, games, sports, recreation, mass media, journalism, podcasts, graphic design.
- Member-funded societies.
- Costs of producing commercial music recordings or demo reels.
- Private or for-profit entities (except in the case of for-profit book publishing companies).
- Project or budget deficits or contingency funds.
- Start-up costs or seed money.
- Projects or activities that are not based on artistic or curatorial decision making, or where arts and culture is not the primary focus.
- Curriculum-based activities or projects, including those related to continuing education or post-secondary programs (except professional arts training organizations).
- Social service organizations.
- Project where art therapy, health or therapeutic work is the primary project focus or outcome.
- Museums with only temporary exhibitions.
For more information, visit British Columbia Art Council.
