Deadline: 23-Jun-23
Individual Arts Grants: Media Artists is now open to assist independent media artists with the creation of specific projects.
Projects and works must be independent of commercial industries for film, video, and gaming.
BC Arts Council supports independent digital and media arts practices in the following areas:
- Moving images (film and video practices, including narrative, experimental, expanded cinema, and installation-based works);
- Audio/sound art (including sound sculptures and installations, sound walks, or other use of sound and listening as the foundation of artistic expression, generally for presentation in gallery spaces); or
- New media and digital arts (including interactive installation, immersive and interactive environments, web-based art, or other information and communications technologies used for artistic expression).
Funding Information
- There is no maximum request amount, but project assistance grants typically range from $5,000 to $25,000.
Funding Criteria
- Funding is available to support:
- Subsistence of up to $2000/month – recipients are expected to devote most of their time to their practice for the duration of the project;
- Costs of materials related to the project;
- Rental of equipment or space;
- Funds paid to other professionals to realize the project (e.g. crew, technicians, etc.); and
- Production and/or post-production costs.
Ineligible Funding
- Grants are not available to support:
- Project phases or activities that have begun prior to the submission deadline;
- Project or budget deficits or contingency funds;
- Capital expenses (construction, renovation, or purchase of property or equipment);
- Feasibility studies, start-up costs, or seed money;
- Projects or activities that are not based upon artistic or curatorial decision making, or where
- arts and culture is not the primary focus, including: pay-to-play activities; fundraising activities; competitions; conferences and conventions; family, religious, or community celebrations; or anniversaries;
- Costs of producing commercial recordings or demo reels;
- Private or for-profit entities (except in the case of for-profit book publishing companies);
- Curriculum-based activities or projects related to continuing education or post-secondary programs;
- Projects that are primarily in support of or focused within creative industries or commercial sectors;
- Works intended for the commercial media arts industry (e.g., television or film for theatrical release or prime-time broadcast; animation; video games);
- Works created primarily for distribution through social media channels or streaming platforms;
- Pilots for commercial or educational television, industrials or promotional films;
- Podcasts and radio programming that are not embedded within established artistic practice or specifically dedicated to the dissemination of artistic works (activities based within journalism, broadcasting, creative industry, or for general interest or commercial purposes are not eligible for support);
- Documentation and recording of works rooted within disciplines other than media arts for archival or promotional purposes;
- Instructional, sponsored or commissioned works;
- Music recording projects or music videos;
- Creation/writing of screenplays;
- Promotions or distribution expenses, including additional release prints or attendance at screenings or markets;
- Touring expenses;
- Expenses incurred prior to the application submission date;
- Projects or activities funded through other BC Arts Council grant programs; and
- Projects or activities funded with BC Arts Council funds delivered through third-party delivery partners: ArtStarts, First Peoples’ Cultural Council, BC Touring Council, or Creative BC.
Eligible Projects
- BC Arts Council project grant programs provide one-time grants for specific projects. Project grants are not meant to cover operating or ongoing expenses.
- Grants are available in this program to support specific projects in which the artist (for film projects, the director) holds complete creative control over the final work and throughout all production stages. BC Arts Council does not support projects intended for commercial creative industries (film, television, streaming services, video games, etc.).
- Applicants may combine funding from other sources to realize their project but have to ensure the independence of the work from any rights restrictions that might come from other funding sources.
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible, you must:
- Be a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident and have been a resident of British Columbia for at least 12 months immediately prior to the application deadline, and ordinarily reside in B.C.
- Be a professional independent media artist, who has completed all basic training (not necessarily in academic institutions);
- Have completed two or more years of artistic practice after basic training, and
- As a professional independent media artist, have created and completed at least one project that has been professionally presented as part of a public program for which a professional fee was received (CARFAC, IMAA, or equivalent). Eligible activities may include: exhibition in a professionally curated exhibition for which they received professional fees as described above, or having their work screened at a professional film festival at which a professional fee was received.
- Or
- Received at least one grant for the creation of media art through the First Peoples’ Cultural Council Indigenous Arts Program and have submitted a final report for that grant.
- Have final creative control over the proposed work (e.g. director’s credit);
- Compensate other artists and professionals 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, if applicable;
- Have submitted any outstanding final reports on previous BC Arts Council grants by the submission deadline date for this program; and
- For collaborative applications, each individual applicant must meet these eligibility criteria. Commercial activities, works resulting from commissions or pay-to-play activities do not contribute towards establishing eligibility.
For more information, visit BC Arts Council.
