Call for Proposals: Arts Circulation and Touring (Canada)

Deadline: 14-Dec-23

The Arts Circulation and Touring supports eligible arts and culture organizations, collectives and individuals with circulation and touring activities both within British Columbia and outside of the province.

Grants received in this program are intended to enhance professional and artistic opportunities and exposure of B.C. artists, collectives, and arts organizations regionally, nationally, and internationally.

The BC Arts Council is an agency of the Province of British Columbia under the Arts Council Act, nurturing and supporting arts and cultural activity in communities across British Columbia.

Grant Categories

• Category A: Outbound Activity
  • The circulation and touring of artistic and cultural works originating from the applicant to specific venues or events inside or outside of British Columbia.
• Category B: Inbound Activity
  • The hosting, presentation, and circulation of artistic and cultural performances, exhibitions, and works originating inside or outside of the province to specific venues or events held in British Columbia by applicants.
• Category C: Digitization and Translations – PILOT
  • The digitization of artistic and cultural works for the purposes of dissemination to and access by the identified communities the applicant serves.
  • The translation of literary, dramatic, other written artistic works, critical arts writing, or public programming materials originally created by B.C. artists, arts practitioners, and arts and culture organizations, for the purposes of publication, presentation, or greater access by the identified communities the applicant serves.
• Venues can include: a theatre, gallery, library, museum, festival site or space, community centre, or any other space or site where the activity is taking place.

Funding Information

• Individual
  • Applicants may request:
    • a grant amount up to a maximum of $25,000.
    • a grant amount up to 100% of the total eligible project budget.
• Organisation
  • The maximum request amount to this program is $25,000.
  • The amount requested must also be:
    • Up to 50% of the total eligible project budget; or
    • Up to 65% 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 has committed to targeted investment in underserved and equity-deserving organizations and the development of equity support initiatives, including a policy to support 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 Projects

• Category A: Outbound Activity
  • Touring and circulation can be provincial, national, or international in scope but must be at least 80 km away from the applicant’s home base.
  • The tour or circulation of works must have a distinct destination identified, with written confirmations from hosting organizations and/or venues that list the dates and fees to be paid (including in-kind contributions like travel, accommodations, or other benefits) for the tour or project.
• Category B: Inbound Activity
  • The works being presented or circulated by the applicant must involve artists, arts and cultural practitioners, or arts and cultural organizations that are at least 80 km away from the applicant’s home base.
  • Written confirmation from the artist(s) or organization(s) engaged for the incoming activity must list the dates, fees, and terms of the project.
• Category C: Digitization and Translations – PILOT
  • Works to be translated must be written or created by B.C.-based artists or arts practitioners in any language and can be translated into any language(s) that will increase exposure or access to the works by identified communities.
  • The works being digitized or translated should have an audience and/or market, and specific circulation strategy identified as part of the project proposal.
  • Requested funds must be for the direct costs of engaging a qualified person to do the work of digitization or translating and related editing. Capital assets, technology, publication expenses and other production-related costs are not eligible for funding.
  • Written confirmation from the individual(s) engaged for the digitization or translation must list the timeframe, scope of work, and compensation.

Eligibility Criteria

• Individual applicants:
  • Be a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident who ordinarily resides in B.C. and has lived in the province for at least 12 months immediately prior to submitting an application.
  • Demonstrate professional status by meeting the following criteria:
    • Have completed appropriate and relevant training in your discipline at a level that would be recognized as professional by other practitioners working in similar disciplines. Training may be through post-secondary institutions, traditional knowledge transfer, or apprenticeship with a qualified practitioner.
    • Have a minimum two years of professional practice in your field following basic training.
    • Be recognized as professional by other practitioners working in a similar discipline.
    • Be committed to working full-time at your practice when financially possible.
    • Meet discipline-specific criteria, as below:
      • Performing Artist: Have a demonstrated body of previous professional work.
      • Visual or Craft Artist: Have at least two professionally curated shows or exhibitions where artists fees have been received.
      • Visual Arts Critic or Curator: Have curated two or more exhibitions or published two or more works of critical writing for which you have received professional fees.
      • Media Artist: Have directed/created or had creative control on at least one project subsequent to basic training for which you have been paid professional fees. This may include student works which have been professionally exhibited or screened.
      • Creative Writer: Have at least one book (or equivalent – 40 pages of poetry or 120 pages of prose) professionally published.
      • Arts Administration, Publishing, Producer, Artistic Support Staff: Two or more years of full- or part-time paid employment (permanent or contract) in arts or cultural administration, artistic support, or at a professional book or periodical publisher.
      • Deaf, Disability and Mad Arts: Have a demonstrated body of work in or across any artistic practice.
      • Community-engaged Arts Practice: Facilitated two participatory arts projects in a community setting or learning environment.
      • Multi- and Interdisciplinary Practice: A demonstrated body of professional public work that integrates multiple fields of practice.
      • Museum or Indigenous Culture Centre Professional: Two or more years of full- or part-time paid employment (permanent or contract) in a museum or Indigenous Cultural Centre.
  • Have completed and submitted any overdue final reports on previous BC Arts Council grants by the intake closing date for this grant program.
  • Have received at least one grant through the First Peoples’ Cultural Council ‘s Indigenous Arts Program and have submitted any outstanding final reports for that grant.
• Organization:
  • 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.
  • A professional arts and culture organization operated by a local government in B.C.
  • A professional 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 BC Arts Council Project Assistance: Literary Arts or Operating Assistance: Book Publishers programs.
  • 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 one year 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.
  • To be eligible, an Arts or Curatorial Collective must:
    • Be established and readily identified as a collective of independent artists, curators, or cultural practitioners, consisting of three or more individuals who are professionally active in their field of practice
    • Have a demonstrated history of creating or presenting work as a collective and have a clear commitment to a current practice.
    • Apply under the name of an individual member of the collective who acts as the key contact person and is listed as the submitting representative or “Primary Contact” within the online grant system.
  • An eligible Arts or Curatorial Collective must also:
    • Not be applying on behalf of the activities of a for-profit business.
    • Engage skilled artistic, curatorial, and administrative leadership 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.
    • Follow the Criminal Records Review Act which requires that people who work with or may have unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults must undergo a criminal record check by the Criminal Records Review Program.
    • Have completed and submitted any overdue final reports on previous BC Arts Council grants by the intake closing date for this program.
    • Provide programs that benefit the community at-large and not solely the interests of the collective’s members.

For more information, visit British Columbia Arts Council.