Sector Innovation and Development Component: Supporting Artistic Practice (Canada)

Deadline: 3-May-23

The Canada Council for the Arts is delighted to announce the Sector Innovation and Development component of Supporting Artistic Practice funds projects by Canadian and First Nations, Inuit and Métis arts professionals, cultural connectors, groups, and organizations.

These projects must grow and improve the arts sector. Grants encourage initiatives that strengthen and develop support for artists in Canada. You may be eligible to pay someone to help you with the application process if you are experiencing difficulty and self-identify as:

• an artist who is Deaf, hard of hearing, has a disability or is living with a mental illness
• a First Nations, Inuit or Métis artist facing language, geographic and/or cultural barriers.

Funding Information

• Project: Normally, up to $50 000
• Composite requests: Normally, up to $50 000 per year
• You can apply for:
  • a project grant for a single project
  • a composite grant for a 1-3 year grant for multiple projects.

Eligible Activities

• What you can apply for
  • Projects in this component must fall within one of the following categories:
    • Advancing or developing practices in the arts sector: adapting or exploring structures or systems, platform development, business or support models.
    • Nurturing learning and continuous improvement: mentoring or professional development for artists and arts workers, network building.
    • Gathering, collaborating and exchanging: researching, sharing or publishing knowledge, networking.
• Eligible activities: The planning, development and/or implementation of projects that support, strengthen, and/or improve the arts sector, including but not limited to:
  • activities related to representation or management services for Canadian artists, groups or organizations
  • production, management and platform services for a number of Canadian artists, groups or organizations
  • critical and/or interpretive publishing that supports the arts sector
  • organizational development activities such as exploring new approaches to business models and management practices (see below)
  • opportunities for shared learning and networking, resource exchange or other forms of collaboration (including mentorship programs)
  • organizing conferences, symposia and workshops
  • sector research
  • implementing and adapting to new technologies
• Organizations presently receiving core funding cannot apply for organizational development activities.
• Organizations not presently receiving core funding and that have been validated as belonging to a designated priority group are welcome to apply for activities designed to build their organizational capacity. The designated priority groups include applicants from culturally diverse, Deaf and disability, official language minority, and Indigenous communities.
• Projects may have a digital component to them. However, if focused primarily on digital transformation, they should be submitted to the Digital Generator or the Digital Greenhouse initiatives.
• All proposed activities must have an impact in the arts community or sector beyond a personal gain or benefit to you, your group or organization.

Eligibility Criteria

• Types of potential applicants to this component include:
  • Arts professionals and cultural connectors
  • First Nations, Inuit or Métis arts/cultural professionals
  • Artistic groups and collectives
  • First Nations, Inuit or Métis groups or collectives
  • Architectural groups and collectives
  • Artistic organizations
  • First Nations, Inuit or Métis organizations
  • National arts service organizations
  • Support groups, organizations and shared platforms
  • Festivals, presenters and touring networks
  • Book and magazine publishers
  • Agencies and management service organizations
• Targeted funding will be in place to ensure equitable support for applicants who have self-identified using the checkboxes in the Council’s portal as belonging to one of the Council’s designated priority groups, which include applicants from culturally diverse, Deaf and disability, official language minority, and Indigenous communities.
• To be eligible for a composite grant, you must have received at least 1 composite or 2 project grants from the Canada Council in the last 5 years. This excludes grants from the following components and programs: Professional Development, Small-Scale Activities, Travel, Representation and Promotion, Translation, Digital Strategy Fund, Creation Accelerator, Frankfurt initiatives, Digital Originals, Digital Now, Digital Generator and the COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund. (Only Agents and Managers can include the Representation and Promotion component in their calculations of 2 grants in 5 years).
• Organizations presently receiving core grants can submit applications for project grants that fall outside of the type or scope of activities usually undertaken by the organization. You are responsible for demonstrating how this project is outside of your regular activities and responds to the intended objectives of the component. Organizations presently receiving core grants are not eligible for composite grants.

For more information, visit Canada Council for the Arts.