BCAC’s Project Assistance: Community Arts Organizations in Canada

Deadline: 22-Oct-21

The British Columbia Arts Council (BCAC) is seeking applications for its Project Assistance: Community Arts Organizations to support the development of artistic projects of community-based arts and cultural organizations in British Columbia to increase community participation in the arts.

Awards are intended to improve the artistic standards of community-based arts through the creation or hosting of quality, innovative work that provides rich engagement between artists and participants or communities and reduces or eliminates barriers to public engagement in the arts. May include creation of original work, remounting of existing repertoire or exhibitions, critical documentation, exploration of diverse art forms, skill development, and organizational development.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, an applicant must:

Be a community arts and cultural organization registered and in good standing, as a non-profit society or community service co-op, in the Province of British Columbia for at least one fiscal year prior to application. OR
Be an Indigenous Government, Indigenous Community Organization, or Métis Chartered Community in the Province of British Columbia, that offers dedicated arts and cultural programming and has a community-based board of management that sets policy for the organization’s public programs and services. AND
Provide dedicated public arts and cultural programming in British Columbia and have done so for a minimum of one year.
Compensate artists and arts and cultural practitioners fairly in keeping with community contexts and industry standards within the field of practice, including adhering to international intellectual property rights standards and cultural ownership protocols.
Adhere to the Criminal Record Review Act, which requires that people who work with or may potentially have unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults must undergo a criminal record check by the Criminal Records Review Program.
Demonstrate engagement, as applicable, has taken place to ensure local Indigenous protocols are followed, Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers are compensated fairly in accordance with local protocols, and there is an acknowledgement of traditional territories.
Not currently receive Operating Assistance from the BC Arts Council.
Have submitted any overdue final reports on previous BC Arts Council grants as of the deadline date for this program.

Exclusions

Project Assistance is not available for:

International travel as per BC Arts Council’s current COVID-19 policy.
Community arts festivals.
Operating costs.
Project phases or activity that have begun prior to the submission deadline.
Project or budget deficits and/or contingency funds.
Capital expenditures (construction, renovation, or purchase of property or equipment).
Feasibility studies, start-up costs, or seed money.
International travel costs or fees of foreign artists visiting British Columbia.
Community-based, user-pay arts societies and like organizations (e.g. choirs, bands, theatre troupes), unless this criteria is met.
Fundraising activities, conferences, conventions, or projects that are secondary to the arts-related activity (e.g. competitions, or family, religious, or community celebrations or anniversaries).
Subsistence to arts and cultural practitioners.
Costs of producing demo recordings.
Projects or activities funded through other BC Arts Council programs or its third-party delivery partners, including First Peoples’ Cultural Council, BC Touring Council, or Creative BC.
Private or for-profit entities.