Arts and Culture Grants Program (Canada)

Deadline: 19-Oct-22

The City of Richmond is currently seeking applications for its Arts and Culture Grants Program to support a range of artistic and cultural activity including literary, visual, media, dance, theatre, music, multi‐disciplinary, inter‐disciplinary, and community‐based arts, reflecting different cultural traditions as well as contemporary art forms and practices.

The program provides grants to support organizational capacity through Operating Assistance as well   as one‐time or time‐limited initiatives through Project Assistance. Organizations may not apply for more than one City of Richmond grant per year.

• Project Assistance: Project Assistance is available for new and/or developing arts and culture organizations, or established arts and culture organizations working on a project basis or undertaking a special one‐time initiative.
• Artistic Residencies: Artistic Residencies facilitate learning, development and cultural exchange opportunities between professional artists or artisans, qualified host organizations, and/or the community.

Funding Information

• Project Assistance: Project grant funds may be requested for up to 50% of the total cost of the project, to a maximum of $5,000.

Eligibility Criteria

• Project Assistance
  • Applicants must be registered as a non‐profit society in good standing within the Province of BC, having been legally established and in operation for at least 6 months at the time of application deadline.
  • Applicants must be active in Richmond and may be based outside of Richmond so long as their project takes place in Richmond,servesthe Richmond community and employs Richmond artists (program may include some artists that are not local). For example, an art installation in Richmond organized by a Vancouver‐based arts organization that employs Richmond artists and involves community engagement with Richmond residents would be eligible, but a concert in Richmond presented by a Burnaby‐based organization would not be eligible.
  • Programming and services must be accessible to the public and publicized citywide, or in the case of umbrella organizations, must further the interests of artists, creators, arts organizations and elements of the arts community. The organization’s activities can include policy development, provision of professional services, and production of collective projects.
  • Applicants must be independent organizations with clear mandates that include the provision of public programs and/or services with an arts and culture focus.
  • Applicants should have stable administration and artistic leadership, directed by recognized arts/culture professionals and/or experienced volunteers.
  • Applicants must have other cash revenue sources for their activity that may include self‐generated or earned revenue (ticketsales, concession, memberships), funding from other levels of government (provincial, federal) and private sector support (fundraising, foundations, sponsorship, cash and in‐kind donations).
  • Applicants must provide independently prepared financial statements for the most recently completed fiscal year: an un‐audited statement endorsed by two signing officers (with balance sheet and income statement, at minimum), review engagement or audit.
• Artistic Residencies
  • Residency candidates must be Richmond‐based professional artists. The City’s definition of a professional artist is one that has:
    • completed basic training (university or college graduation or the equivalent in specialized training, such as two or three years of self‐directed study or apprenticeships);
    • is recognized as such by peers; and
    • is committed to devoting time to artistic activity, if financially feasible.
  • Applications may be made by a non‐profit organization to either:
    • host a residency, or
    • sponsor a Richmond‐based artist to be hosted by another organization (which may or may not be a non‐profit but where the residency supports the program objectives and the Artist’s residency objectives.)
    • Applicants may apply to host consecutive residencies in the second year; however, priority will be given to new applicants each year. An applicant may sponsor more than one artist at a time within the same project.
  • The organization must demonstrate the capacity to host or sponsor a residency and must meet the General Eligibility criteria.
  • There must be clear artistic development objectives for both the artist and host organization.
  • The residency should provide opportunities for development and creation of the artist’s work and if possible, some form of presentation of the artist’s work either in progress or at completion.
  • There should be some public engagement component of the work during the residency that would offer learning opportunities for the artist, related staff, the arts and cultural community and/or the general public.
  • The residency and work created therein must be in addition to the regular activities of the Host organization.
  • The grant is applicable to project costs: artist fees, materials, presentation costs and project administration costs born by the host organization.

For more information, visit Arts and Culture Grants Program.

For more information, visit https://www.richmond.ca/services/communitysocialdev/socialplanning/citygrant.htm