Canada: Cultural Learning and Sharing Grant Program

Deadline: 8-Mar-23

The City of Vancouver is pleased to announce the applications for Cultural Learning and Sharing Grant Program.

This program provides up to $20,000 to non-profit arts and cultural organizations to access or deliver learning opportunities that will build and strengthen skills, knowledge, relationships and experience in order to enhance organizational, sectoral or individual arts and leadership practices.

CLS supports equity-deserving arts and cultural leaders and artists and non-equity led or mandated arts and culture organizations’ leaders, artists and staff in their pathways to becoming more equitable.

This program supports the following key actions of Culture|Shift: Blanketing the City in Arts and Culture:

• Increase knowledge, and share knowledge and resources across the cultural sector
• Increase leadership opportunities for Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and Urban Indigenous artists, and cultural leaders and artists from priority equity-deserving communities
• Support the development and facilitation of organizational learning opportunities to advance equity and accessibility
• Support Indigenous-led development of cultural protocols, resources and training to support non-Indigenous cultural organizations to build collaboration with Indigenous artists and organizations

Priorities

• Priority equity-deserving artists and cultural leaders are those who identify as:
  • Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, Urban Indigenous
  • Black or of African descent
  • People of Colour
  • Deaf/deaf, Hard of Hearing
  • Living with a disability/disabled people
  • LGBTQ2+ and gender diverse.

Funding Information 

• Up to $20,000.

Eligible Activity

• Paid mentorships or residencies that provide pathways to permanent leadership positions within the applicant organization or other organizations in the arts and culture sector
• Gatherings, convenings, or conferences for the purpose of sharing critical knowledge and resources for artists , cultural workers and leaders in the arts and culture sector
• Workshops or courses that further the artistic practice of an individual artist or group of artists, or develop skills for cultural workers
• Organizational planning that strengthens the health of an equity-mandated or led organization or if non-equity mandated or led, strengthens equity, accessibility, or healthy workplace practices
• Other self-determined learning opportunities in line with program purpose

Program Guiding Principles

• Based on community input throughout the consultation process of Culture|Shift and feedback from individuals and organizations surveyed about their capacity needs, the program is guided by the following principles:
  • Centre voices from non-mainstream perspectives
  • Support peer to peer learning
  • Invest in opportunities that are timely and urgent
  • Draw from the depth of local knowledge
  • Encourage broad rippling sectoral impact
  • Support practical and immersive learning experiences
  • Support learning that is arts and culture-centered
  • Support self-determined opportunities
  • Facilitate network or cohort learning.

Eligibility Criteria

• To apply to this program, the applicant must:
  • Be a non-profit society, a community service co-op legally registered and in good standing with BC Registries and Services, a First Nations Band Council on whose unceded traditional homelands Vancouver sits, or a registered charity with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA),or
  • Groups and individuals from equity-deserving communities that are not incorporated as registered non-profits, co-ops, or charities may submit an application via a sponsor organization that is a registered non-profit society, co-op, charity or First Nations Band council.
  • First-time applicants must provide documentation of non-profit, registered or charitable status, e.g., Certificate of Incorporation
  • Have an active presence in and deliver programs and services within Vancouver.
  • Be working with artists and creative collaborators with the relevant lived experience, permission, knowledge, skills, and expertise to lead and contribute to the work.
  • Compensate artists, cultural practitioners, and project contributors at standard industry rates.
  • Provide respectful and safe working conditions for artists, staff, volunteers and contractors.
  • Have accessibility and inclusion policies and practices in place. • Provide financial statements signed by the Board for the most recently completed fiscal year, including a Balance Sheet and Income/Expense Statement.
  • Have a Governance model that is supportive of the mission, a healthy and inclusive work place, and the staff and people served.
  • Comply with all applicable laws, governing acts, regulations, bylaws and guidelines, including obtaining any necessary licenses, permits or approvals required for the project.
  • Have completed all previous projects funded through Cultural Learning and Sharing and can provide a Final Report OR can provide an interim report if the previous project is not complete by the application deadline. If funding for a new project is approved, release of funds will be conditional upon receipt of an interim report.

For more information, visit Cultural Learning and Sharing Grant.