Open Call: Artists in Communities and Schools Projects (Canada)

Deadline: 20-Apr-23

The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) is seeking applications for its Artists in Communities and Schools Projects to support the research, development and realization of community-engaged arts projects in Ontario.

Categories

• The program has three categories:
  • Planning: to help cover the costs of co-planning and co-designing community-engaged arts projects.
  • Project: to help cover the costs of realizing community-engaged arts projects.
  • Two-year project: This category is available to community-engaged arts collectives and organizations that have received two or more OAC project grants through community-engaged arts or arts education grant programs within the last five years. Activities must take place over the period of two years.
  • Mentorship: up to $3,000 in additional funds are available in any category to cover the costs involved in mentoring professional artists from OAC priority groups, to build their skills and experience in project planning and/or facilitating community-engaged arts projects.
• Applicants may be either mentors or mentees.
• Mentees must be professional artists and members of at least one OAC priority group.
• The names of mentors and mentees must be included in the application along with artistic examples of their work and their CVs.

Priorities

The program’s priorities are to support projects that:

• work with sectors beyond the arts, such as health, education, justice and the environment
• provide a sense of community, social connection, civic engagement and contribute to building a more just society
• reduce barriers to arts participation
• increase access to the arts for underserved or marginalized communities
• employ Ontario artists in Ontario communities

Funding Information

• Planning: maximum $7,500
• Project: maximum $12,500
• Two-year project: maximum $20,000

Important: Up to $3,000 in additional funds are available in any category for mentorship costs of both mentees and mentors.

Eligibility Criteria

• professional artists, including co-applicants, who are Ontario residents
• ad hoc groups and collectives that have 50 per cent of its members residing in Ontario
• Ontario-based not-for-profit arts organizations and non-arts organizations
• school boards not partnered in OAC’s Artists in Residence (Education) program (for artist fees and travel expenses only)
• schools run by First Nations or Indigenous education authorities

Important: Non-arts organizations, schools run by First Nations or Indigenous education authorities, and school boards must have an arts partner. Arts partners can be professional artists, arts collectives, ad hoc arts groups, or arts organizations.

Ineligible

• municipalities, colleges and universities
• amateur arts organizations such as, community theatre companies
• artists who are employed by a school involved on a full- or part-time basis during the course of the project
• school boards who are partnered with the Ontario Arts Council in the Artists in Residence (education) program
• current recipients of an operating grant in the Arts Organizations in Communities and Schools – Operating program
• organizations that receive an operating grant in other OAC programs, with the exception of organizations mandated to serve one or more of a OAC’s priority groups
• The following are not eligible to apply to the Two-Year Project category:
  • organizations receiving OAC operating funding
  • seasonal camps, festivals or events

For more information, visit Ontario Arts Council.