Deadline: 22-May-25
The Project Assistance: Literary Arts Grant Program supports eligible literary arts organizations or collectives to develop, enrich, publish, and promote Canadian literature and writers through publishing, presentation, and dissemination of literary works and/or the development of public programming and community engagement initiatives.
Funding Information
- Maximum funding amount: $25,000
Eligible Projects
- Eligible Projects: Literary Organizations
- Eligible literary organizations or collectives may apply for either:
- A single literary arts activity or event or a single stream of artistic programming. Some examples are a reading series, a writer in residence program, or a writing workshop. Or
- A specific programming expense or component. Some examples are fees for artists, costs to ensure that programming is accessible, or venue costs.
- Eligible literary organizations or collectives may apply for either:
- Eligible Projects: Arts Periodicals
- Eligible publishers of periodicals may apply for direct costs for up to one year of publishing activity.
- An eligible arts periodical must:
- Feature the first publication of original content.
- Prioritize work by writers and artists based in B.C. or Canada.
- Include content created by more than one person.
- Provide clear submission guidelines and editorial selection processes.
- Have and honour a clear policy on the use of contributors’ work and intellectual property.
- Identify, on the masthead or equivalent, who is responsible for editorial decisions.
- Print periodicals must:
- Be printed on paper.
- Have a minimum average of 24 pages per issue over a one-year period.
- Have paid circulation of a minimum of 20% of the copies printed.
- Electronic periodicals must:
- Have paid subscription access to content, maintaining an average of 100 subscribers over a period of 6 months.
- Eligible Projects: Book Publishers
- Book publishers may apply for up to three eligible books to be published in one year.
- An eligible book must:
- Be an original work and/or first edition (no reprints) in cloth, paper, or digital format. First-time translations of Canadian-authored books into English, French, or Indigenous languages are eligible if the translator is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
- Be a work of literary, artistic, or cultural importance.
- Be written and/or illustrated by Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada.
- Contain at least 50% Canadian-authored or -illustrated content.
- Be published for a trade market and be accessible to a general reading audience and not exclusively intended for a specialized audience, including academic or professional.
- Have a contract with the author and/or illustrator for an industry-standard royalty agreement or fee in lieu of royalties
- Eligible Project Expenses – ALL Applicants
- Eligible Project Expenses include:
- Author and artists’ fees and/or royalties, production costs, marketing and promotion expenses, travel and/or accommodation expenses related to an eligible event or activity.
- Editorial, production, circulation, marketing, and promotion costs for eligible books or periodicals.
- Sales, distribution, and administrative costs if directly related to an eligible publication.
- Expenses related to making the project accessible to audience members and project participants (other than the applicant) who are Deaf or experience disability.
- Eligible Project Expenses include:
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible, an organization must be:
- professional literary organization, book publisher, or arts periodical publisher registered and in good standing as a non-profit society or community service co-op in B.C. for at least one year prior to application with:
- The majority of key staff and board members based in B.C.
- Creative control and decision making for programming and engagement primarily maintained within the organization and by leadership based in B.C.
- A purpose or mandate dedicated to arts and culture programming and activities.
- Or
- A purpose or mandate to provide services to the arts and culture sector in B.C.
- Operations and activities that reflect this dedicated purpose or mandate.
- Or
- A B.C.-based, Canadian-owned book publisher that has been a legally registered company in B.C. for at least one year.
- Or
- A book publisher or arts periodical publisher or literary organization led by an Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) community organization registered and in good standing as a nonprofit society or community service co-op in B.C. for at least one fiscal year.
- All eligible organizations must:
- Not currently receive Operating Assistance from the BC Arts Council.
- Provide public arts and culture 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 before the application closing date.
- Engage and compensate skilled artistic, curatorial, editorial and/or administrative leadership for project or service delivery.
- Offer programs or publications that benefit or are of interest to the community at-large and not solely the interests of its nonprofit society members.
Ineligibility Criteria
- The following organizations are not eligible to apply for this grant:
- Organizations currently receiving BC Arts Council Operating Assistance grants.
- Arts and culture organizations eligible within BC Arts Council Community Arts Organization grant programs.
- Book or periodical publishers that do not pay contributor fees or royalties.
- Private or for-profit entities (except in the case of for-profit book publishing companies).
- Member-funded societies.
- Social service organizations
For more information, visit BC Arts Council.