Grant Investment Programs
Calgary Arts Development is pleased to release the results of its 2021 grant investment programs. A full breakdown of each of the programs can be found below:
Arts Organizations
The Operating Grant Program provides stable, predictable funding to arts organizations in Calgary. Operating Grant funds may be allocated to any area of an arts organization’s budget and are confirmed on a yearly basis upon the receipt of an interim report until the end of 2022.
In 2020, organizations had the opportunity to apply for an increase to their yearly grant, which was determined through a hybrid formula and peer assessment process.
For information about how this program was assessed, please see the Terms of Reference for the Operating Grant Program for 2020 to 2022.
| Organization | Total Annual Operating Grant Amount for 2020 – 2022 |
| Acoustic Music Society of Calgary | $7,500 |
| Adult Recreational Choir Society of Calgary | $18,200 |
| Alberta Ballet | $407,000 |
| Alberta Craft Council | $49,900 |
| Alberta Dance Theatre for Young People | $10,500 |
| Alberta Media Arts Alliance Society | $11,200 |
| Alberta Playwrights’ Network | $16,300 |
| Alberta Printmakers | $17,500 |
| Alberta Theatre Projects | $364,500 |
| Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society | $19,200 |
| Alliance Française | $39,300 |
| Amici String Program | $12,900 |
| Antyx Community Arts | $40,700 |
| Artpoint Gallery & Studios | $4,500 |
| Beltline Neighbourhoods Association | $16,400 |
| Book Publishers Association of Alberta | $29,300 |
| Brazilian Community Association of Alberta | $5,000 |
| Calgary Allied Arts Foundation | $3,200 |
| Calgary Animated Objects Society | $49,800 |
| Calgary Bach Festival | $3,500 |
| Calgary Blues Music Association | $43,200 |
| Calgary Boys’ Choir | $8,400 |
| Calgary Children’s Choir | $3,600 |
| Calgary Chinese Orchestra | $3,500 |
| Calgary Cinematheque | $14,000 |
| Calgary Civic Symphony | $11,000 |
| Calgary Concert Band | $5,300 |
| Calgary Fiddlers | $24,700 |
| Calgary Folk Music Festival | $146,700 |
| Calgary Foothills Barbershop Chorus | $9,400 |
| Calgary Girls Choir | $32,500 |
| Calgary International Film Festival | $95,900 |
| Calgary International Fringe Festival | $35,000 |
| Calgary Jazz Orchestra | $15,000 |
| Calgary Men’s Chorus | $6,000 |
| Calgary Multicultural Choir | $3,500 |
| Calgary Opera | $326,300 |
| Calgary Performing Arts Festival Society | $10,000 |
| Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra | $435,900 |
| Calgary Pro Musica | $23,700 |
| Calgary Protospace | $12,500 |
| Calgary Reggae Festival | $18,810 |
| Calgary Renaissance Singers & Players | $4,200 |
| Calgary Round-Up Band | $4,500 |
| Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers | $37,500 |
| Calgary Underground Film Festival | $38,000 |
| Calgary Young People’s Theatre | $20,300 |
| Calgary Youth Orchestra | $12,000 |
| Canadian Academy of Mask and Puppetry | $7,500 |
| Canadian Music Centre, Prairie Region | $20,600 |
| Cantare Children’s Choir | $27,400 |
| Caribbean Community Council of Calgary | $11,400 |
| Casa Mexico | $10,000 |
| Chromatic Theatre | $15,000 |
| CJSW 90.9 FM | $53,300 |
| Classical Guitar Society of Calgary | $7,000 |
| Contemporary Calgary | $132,500 |
| Corps Bara Dance Guild of Calgary | $2,950 |
| Cowtown Opera (2020 Grant Only) | $5,200 |
| Dancers’ Studio West | $31,100 |
| Decidedly Jazz Danceworks | $194,300 |
| Design Talks Institute | $17,000 |
| Downstage | $17,500 |
| Early Music Voices | $10,100 |
| East Side Dance Festival | $10,000 |
| Elephant Artist Relief | $5,000 |
| EMMEDIA Gallery & Production Society | $40,700 |
| EnChor Choral | $2,000 |
| Evergreen Theatre & Community Spaces | $40,300 |
| Exposure Photography Festival | $26,900 |
| Femme Wave | $30,000 |
| Fire Exit Theatre | $4,000 |
| Fish Creek Concert and Cultural Society | $3,325 |
| Foothills Bluegrass Music Society | $2,750 |
| Foothills Brass | $10,200 |
| Footprints Dance Project | $13,200 |
| Forte Musical Theatre | $11,700 |
| FreeFall Magazine | $8,000 |
| Front Row Centre Players | $18,600 |
| Ghost River Theatre Society | $27,700 |
| Glenbow Museum | $349,000 |
| Gli Azzurri – Calgary Italian Folk Dancers | $9,300 |
| GlobalFest | $33,300 |
| Green Fools Theatre | $27,100 |
| Handsome Alice Theatre | $12,400 |
| Harmony Guzheng Ensemble | $5,900 |
| Hispanic Arts Society | $33,400 |
| Honens | $84,600 |
| Humainologie | $24,000 |
| Iiniistsi Treaty Society | $20,000 |
| Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Alberta University of the Arts | $12,200 |
| Indefinite Arts Centre | $63,300 |
| Indigenous Resiliency in Music | $30,000 |
| Inside Out Theatre | $22,200 |
| Instrumental Society of Calgary | $5,200 |
| International Festival of Animated Objects | $17,200 |
| International Festival of Song and Chamber Music | $10,400 |
| JazzYYC | $27,200 |
| Jeunesse Classique Ballet | $17,000 |
| Kantorei Choral | $8,000 |
| Kensington Sinfonia | $7,300 |
| La Caravan Dance Theatre (2020 Grant Only) | $3,000 |
| Land’s End Ensemble | $11,000 |
| Leighton Art Centre | $39,000 |
| Loft 112 | $20,000 |
| Loose Moose Theatre | $23,800 |
| Lougheed House | $52,100 |
| Luminous Voice | $20,000 |
| Lunchbox Theatre | $65,000 |
| Making Treaty 7 | $30,000 |
| Marda Loop Justice Film Festival | $4,000 |
| MoMo Multi Ability Movement Arts (2020 Grant Only) | $14,100 |
| Morpheus Theatre | $17,700 |
| Mount Royal Choral | $6,500 |
| Mountain Standard Time Performative Arts Festival | $20,200 |
| Music Calgary | $6,750 |
| National accessArts Centre | $74,400 |
| National Music Centre | $256,000 |
| New Works Calgary | $10,300 |
| Old Trout Puppet Workshop | $49,900 |
| One Big Jam | $15,000 |
| One Voice Chorus | $10,000 |
| One Yellow Rabbit | $89,100 |
| ProArts Society | $10,200 |
| Pumphouse Theatres | $43,200 |
| Queer Arts Society | $31,200 |
| Quest Theatre | $51,700 |
| Quickdraw Animation Society | $53,200 |
| Revv52 | $31,500 |
| Rocky Mountain Concert Band | $6,500 |
| Sarb Akal Music Society of Calgary | $30,000 |
| Savridi Singers | $2,000 |
| Silver Stars Musical Revue | $5,400 |
| Single Onion | $3,800 |
| Sled Island Music Festival | $92,700 |
| Soulocentric Performing Arts | $7,000 |
| Southern Alberta Woodworkers | $1,250 |
| Spiritus Chamber Choir | $9,700 |
| Springboard Performance | $32,800 |
| Stage Left Productions Theatre | $17,300 |
| Storybook Theatre | $50,300 |
| Stride Art Gallery | $43,400 |
| Studio C, Prospect Human Services | $20,900 |
| Suzirya Ukrainian Dance Theatre | $12,600 |
| Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre | $14,000 |
| The Bows | $24,200 |
| The GRAND | $77,000 |
| The Festival Chorus | $10,800 |
| The League of Extraordinary Albertans | $11,800 |
| The New Gallery | $43,400 |
| The Shakespeare Company | $22,500 |
| Theatre Alberta Society | $63,000 |
| Theatre Calgary | $410,600 |
| Theatre Encounter | $2,000 |
| Three Left Feet Movement Creations | $10,200 |
| Trickster Theatre | $56,300 |
| TRUCK Contemporary Art in Calgary | $50,000 |
| Tryzub Ukrainian Dance | $27,000 |
| Verb Theatre | $9,100 |
| Vertigo Theatre | $124,600 |
| W&M Dance Projects | $9,700 |
| West Village Theatre | $10,400 |
| Westwinds Music Society | $18,900 |
| When Words Collide | $3,000 |
| Wild Mint Arts | $15,000 |
| Woezo Africa Music and Dance | $15,000 |
| WordFest | $91,400 |
| WP Puppet Theatre | $18,700 |
| Writers Guild of Alberta | $38,800 |
| Youth Singers of Calgary | $68,800 |
In 2021, Calgary Arts Development piloted the Organization Structural Change Grant, which provided $166,205 for organizations to explore and implement organizational changes specifically related to mergers, permanent strategic partnerships, hibernations, and organizational closure.
Due to the privileged and confidential nature of this type of work, specific grants will not be published.
The Project Grant Program for Organizations was intended to support non-profit arts organizations for projects which contribute to the vibrancy and vitality of Calgary’s arts sector, and strengthen the organization’s ability to connect with their community.
We received 95 applications requesting $1,908,471.01, and were able to fund 47 applications with $898,352.
For information about how this program was assessed, please see the Terms of Reference for the 2021 Project Grant Program for Organizations.
| Grantee | Project | Grant Amount |
| Alberta Media Arts Alliance Society | One2One Grant Writing Support | $6,950 |
| Alberta Potters Association | Scanning Contact Magazines | $1,428 |
| Anubhav | Theater & Music | $11,425 |
| Binhi ng Lahi Philippine Folk Dance Troupe Ltd. | SINING FILIPINAS Season Two | $20,000 |
| BJP Music Foundation | Toones: A Celebration of Visual Music | $24,840 |
| Book Publishers Association of Alberta | BPAA 2021-2022 Audiobook Conversion Project | $20,000 |
| Calgary Chinese Cultural Society | Harmony Wall | $25,000 |
| Calgary Game Developers Association | CALGARYcade | $25,000 |
| Calgary Opera Association | Calgary Opera and National accessArts Centre Community Ambassador Project | $19,600 |
| Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra | Digital Video Series featuring Tom Jackson, Indigenous Composers and the Calgary Philharmonic | $25,000 |
| Canadian Academy of Mask and Puppetry Society | Iniskim – Rejuvenating the Herd | $25,000 |
| Canadian Music Centre, Prairie Region | Composer Bob Erlendson Life’s Work Digitization Project | $2,000 |
| Chromatic Theatre | IBPOC Playwrights Unit | $14,800 |
| Cirque Nuit Arts Foundation | Epoque | $25,000 |
| Dance YYC Community Outreach and Engagement Initiative | Dance YYC Showcase | $14,200 |
| Ethnik Festivals Association | A Cultural Trilogy – Alberta Culture Days Celebration 2021 | $25,000 |
| Frogfest Music and Arts Society | Frogfest: Live Sessions | $16,900 |
| Ghost River Theatre Society | Makambe Speaks by Makambe K Simamba and Eric Rose | $25,000 |
| Girls Rock Camp Calgary | Girls Rock Camp Calgary: Spring Break Edition | $25,000 |
| Health Arts Society of Alberta | Concerts in Care Online | $12,000 |
| Heritage Weavers and Spinners Guild of Calgary | Newsletter and Sample Page Archiving Project | $5,350 |
| Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation | Organizational Communication and Outreach project | $21,575 |
| Jupiter Theatre Society | Frankenstein | $25,000 |
| Land’s End Chamber Music Society of Calgary | Land’s End Ensemble & Dame Evelyn Glennie – 25th Anniversary Concert and CD Release | $15,000 |
| Lougheed House | Lougheed House Re-Imagined Digital Soundscape | $19,500 |
| Luminous Voices Music Society | Luminous Voices Recording Project | $25,000 |
| Mount Royal Choral Association of Calgary | Mount Royal Artio presents The Nature Of This | $25,000 |
| Mountain Standard Time Performative Art Festival Society | Citizen’s Art Caucus | $24,921 |
| Music Calgary | SoundOff Summit Showcase Sessions & Industry Networking for Calgary Artists & Music Professionals | $25,000 |
| National accessArts Centre | Queer Accessible Arts Cabaret (QAAC) Creations | $8,908 |
| Old Trout Puppet Workshop | International Tour Re-launch: 2022 | $21,000 |
| Oscill8 Electronic Performing Arts Society | Oscill8 Recharge project | $25,000 |
| Polanie Polish Song & Dance Association | “Polanie” 45th Anniversary Concert and Celebration | $17,000 |
| Studio C, Prospect Human Services Society | Community Connections | $25,000 |
| Sage Theatre | The House of Bernarda Alba | $25,000 |
| Sankofa Foundation of Canada | Sankofa Chamber Music Program | $25,000 |
| SITE c PROJECTS – the creative arm of the Organization for Bipolar Affective Disorders Society | Perspectives From Within | $19,250 |
| The Alexandra Writers Centre Society | 40th Anniversary Anthology and Launch | $5,000 |
| The Bows (formerly Untitled Art Society) | Curatorial Project by Nura Ali | $25,000 |
| The Downstage Performance Society | Theatrical Skills for Professional Progress | $25,000 |
| The Society of Alberta Dance Theatre for Young People | Alberta Dance Theatre Junior Company Program | $3,235 |
| THIRD ACTion Film Festival | 2022 THIRD ACTion Film Festival | $25,000 |
| Tri-Tone Rhythm Society | Lawson Tap and Percussive Arts Company | $20,000 |
| Venezuelan Canadian Association of Calgary | Venezuelan Culture Days | $25,000 |
| W&M Dance Projects of Calgary Association | WILDDOGS International Screendance Festival | $14,750 |
| Woezo Africa Music & Dance Theatre Inc. | Black Arts Development (BAD) Program – Dance | $25,000 |
| Wordfest | Obituary Writing Experience | $13,720 |
Individual Artists & Collectives
Calgary Arts Development is pleased to release the results of the 2021 Project Grant Program for Individuals and Collectives. This program was intended to provide one-time project funding to individual artists and artist collectives in Calgary working in any artistic discipline who pursue a professional practice. Projects include the creation, development, production, presentation or dissemination of artistic work. Applicants could also apply for professional or career development projects.
Calgary Arts Development grant investment programs for individual artists and artist collectives are supplemented through the Cultural Vitality Fund, with donations from Calgary Arts Foundation, Calgary Foundation, individual donors, RBC, the Auxilium Foundation, the Palmer Family Foundation, and an anonymous donor to the Edmonton Community Foundation. We thank these donors for their generous support. We received 306 applications requesting $4,258,149, and were able to support 86 projects with $1,246,862.26.
For information about how this program was assessed, please see the Terms of Reference for the 2021 Project Grant Program for Individuals and Collectives.
| Grantee | Project | Grant Amount |
| Adam Mbowe | To Love and to Cherish | $15,000 |
| Allan Brent Rosales | ACCLAIMED SPACES: A Book of Second Generation Filipinx-Canadian Poetry (Working Title) | $15,000 |
| Allison Lynch | What The Wind Said Next | $11,888 |
| Anna Cooley | 300 Million BC | $15,000 |
| AsimOverstands & Kiran Sthankiya | Cold Tea | $20,000 |
| Brandon Giessmann | heavy belonging | $15,000 |
| Brenda Luong | Impact of Barriers | $11,858 |
| Brett Dahl | Bee-Beautiful | $12,000 |
| Caitlin Thompson | Swamped | $13,000 |
| Calgary Puppeteer Collective | From Beyond | $20,000 |
| Canadian Cutters Digital Research Initiative | Canadian Cutters Digital Research Initiative | $9,417.62 |
| Carmen Cecilia Barboza | YYC Pandemic Snapshots | $13,283.74 |
| Cave Opera Collective (Jean-Louis Bleau & Peter Balkwill) | Aquaritus – A puppet opera presented in the heart of a cave | $20,000 |
| Chad Blain | Snowboarding Saves | $9,500 |
| Christina Krentz | Artistic Development and Creation | $13,250.31 |
| David Feehan | I’m Not a Robot | $13,300 |
| David Sklar | The Revil | $15,000 |
| Dawn Nagazina | Michif | $15,000 |
| De-Ann Weekes | Dunham – Traditional African Dance Technique Research With Extended Movement Study Creation | $15,000 |
| Deaf Antlers | Deaf World | $20,000 |
| Deedra Salange Ladouceur | Downtime With Deeds | $15,000 |
| Dust | Me or Someone Like Me | $15,000 |
| Elaine Weryshko | MASS | $15,000 |
| Elijah Wells | Stitches | $7,800 |
| Ellipsis Tree Collective | The Anthropology of Blackness: a response | $20,000 |
| Eric Pauls | At the Bottom of the Baptismal Tank | $15,000 |
| Esteban Herrera | Colibri de papel (Paper hummingbird) | $15,000 |
| Feyisayo Fagbamila | Heart to heart song and video production & album launch | $15,000 |
| Gayathri Shukla | Butterflies: Transformative Stories of Immigrant Women | $14,997 |
| Geraldine Fuenmayor | A theatre script for lesbian visibility | $13,525.86 |
| Groove Theory Calgary | Working Title – A Visual Body of Work | $20,000 |
| Hebert Poll Gutiérrez | Emí Laará: Small stories to dream | $15,000 |
| HTMFIY30s Collective | How To Make Friends In Your 30s – Digital Series | $14,530 |
| illhumanation studios | Paper Planes | $20,000 |
| Jacqueline Russell | Allergic to Water creation and development process | $10,399 |
| Jairus Sharif | Jairus Sharif – Untitled Full-Length Album 2022 | $14,687.50 |
| Jonathan McCaslin | Calgary Jazz Composers Concert Series at Theatre 1308 | $15,000 |
| Juanita Dawn | Professional development, Academy of the Wooden Puppet by Bernd Ogrodnik | $3,005 |
| Judith Mendelsohn | (Not Just) a Chair | $15,000 |
| Julya Hajnoczky | Prairie Biome | $11,910 |
| Justin Dale | Kenopsia | $15,000 |
| Kam Prada | Family To Feed | $15,000 |
| Katie Green | Family Portrait | $14,886.88 |
| Kelsey Andries | SCALEY | $12,095 |
| Kris Demeanor | The Great Alberta Sound Bath Experience | $12,700 |
| Landon Krentz | 100 Years of Darkness – Professional Production | $15,000 |
| Laura Anzola & Matthew Waddell Collective | Kidz Fun | $20,000 |
| Lauren Chipeur | Ceramic Research and Exhibition at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery | $9,974 |
| Marie France Forcier | Crux Arising | $15,000 |
| Mark Kunji Ikeda | Roll For Initiative | $10,000 |
| McKiver McMann Duo | Indigenous Classical Music Comissions | $17,700 |
| Megan Feniak | Stride Gallery Exhibition | $9,390.04 |
| Mia & Eric | 3 WOODS: a trilogy of interdisciplinary, site-responsive, and community-engaged artworks in Europe | $20,000 |
| Mike Hooves | Burnt Toast Studio Residency | $7,737.56 |
| MISTLA | Merging | $20,000 |
| Moni Brar | Research for poetry collection for familial intergenerational journey | $10,649 |
| Mudfoot Theatre | Yabber: A Folk Opera | $19,913 |
| NAPPY (Not A Political Playground Y’all) Dance Collective | Black Empowerment Dance Project | $20,000 |
| Nicola Waugh | Where the Deer and the Antelope Play | $11,710 |
| Olawunmi Idowu | Mentorship for Impact Filmmaker | $15,000 |
| Ollee Owens | Ollee Owens Album (Title TBD) | $15,000 |
| Pamela Tzeng | Reframing SHED for Mile Zero Dance Edmonton Residency and Presentation in 2022 | $15,000 |
| Project InTandem | Project InTandem on Tour | $20,000 |
| Sacha Michaud | Camping | $15,000 |
| Sammy Jean | Vocal Coching | $5,400 |
| Savanna Harvey & Lindsey Zess | Wastelands Premiere 2021 – Festival of Animated Objects | $15,000 |
| Sebastian Palencia | Exploration of Motion | $14,237 |
| Seniors’ Acting Lab | Senior Matters | $20,000 |
| Sharon Stevens | AfterWords | $7,898 |
| Shona Rae | Converse Subversives | $14,800 |
| Stephanie Jurkova-Abaco | Professional Training Program 2021 | $1,200 |
| Tank Standing Buffalo | Stonecoat | $15,000 |
| Tereasa Maillie | Research for book: Pride Land – Queer Heroes and Leaders in Canada | $5,500 |
| The Collective of Alexandra Contreras, Sarah Uwadiae & Katharina Schier | A Nutcracker: Investigating hierarchy in ballet and harmful representation of non-western dance | $19,500 |
| The Fly Muse Collective | The Fly Muse Collective Presents Flytrap: Weapon of Mass Creation | $17,500 |
| The Gold Rush Redux Collective | The Gold Rush Redux | $20,000 |
| The Lovebullies | The Lovebullies album #4 | $20,000 |
| The Maria Crooks & Caroline Russell-King Collective | Discovering Selma Burke | $18,000 |
| The ROOTS Collective (Toyin Oladele & Valerie Planche) | Fear or Freedom | $19,863.25 |
| The Writing Team of Kodie Rollan & Alixandra Cowman | Little Elves the Musical – Development | $19,956.50 |
| Thomas Geddes | Dayuhan Hayop (Foreign Beast) Short Film Monster Design Workshop | $10,500 |
| TRAction | Climate Art Network | $20,000 |
| Vicki Chau | Yolkless Press: Documentary | $15,000 |
| Vincent Ho | Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra (with spatialized saxophone ensemble) | $10,000 |
| White Owl Shoots Far | White Owl Shoots Far | $20,000 |
| Who Cares? | “Who Cares?” Summer 2021 Video Project | $2,400 |
The Artist Development Microgrant was intended to provide one-time funding to individual artists and artist collectives in Calgary who had been impacted by COVID-19. It supported professional development and business development activities as well as the completion or adaptation of work that had been affected by COVID-19.
We received 149 applications requesting $314,623.59, and were able to support 66 applications totalling $131,175.12. This program was supported through the Cultural Vitality Fund, with donations from Calgary Arts Foundation, Calgary Foundation, an anonymous donor to the Edmonton Community Foundation, RBC, and the Palmer Family Foundation. We thank these donors for their generous support.
For information about how this program was assessed, please see the Terms of Reference for the 2021 Artist Development Microgrant.
| Grantee | Grant Amount |
| Ahmed Gooda | $2,375 |
| Al Muirhead | $2,500 |
| Allison Lynch | $2,500 |
| Aura Pon | $1,050 |
| Brett Hollingsworth | $2,287.32 |
| Cary Schatz | $1,586.71 |
| Chad Blain | $414.93 |
| Chris Dadge | $1,139.31 |
| Claudia Weigelsberger | $984.80 |
| Colin Wintz | $2,495 |
| Colour Me Sad | $2,500 |
| David Youn | $820.80 |
| Donovan Seidle | $1,000 |
| Ebony R. Gooden | $2,500 |
| Elizabeth Stepkowski Tarhan | $1,915.31 |
| Flint & Feather | $2,500 |
| Geneviève Paré | $1,048 |
| Gianetta Baril | $1,856 |
| Heather Pattengale | $1,485.40 |
| Helen Young | $1,703.58 |
| Isis Graham for Versions YYC | $1,663.88 |
| Janna Sailor | $2,320 |
| Javier Vilalta | $2,250 |
| Jocelyn Mah | $2,000 |
| Jonathan McCaslin | $2,500 |
| Jordan Wieben | $2,450 |
| Judith Mendelsohn | $536.76 |
| Katie Green | $2,500 |
| Kelsey Merkeley | $2,500 |
| Kenna Burima | $2,500 |
| Kiana Wu | $2,500 |
| Laura Anzola | $2,470 |
| Laura Reid | $935.98 |
| Lexie Angelo | $2,190 |
| Lili Tayefi | $2,499.64 |
| Lindsay Kupser (Lindsay Kay) | $2,300 |
| Mark Limacher | $1,800 |
| Matthew Waddell | $1,497 |
| Meghann Michalsky | $2,500 |
| Mia & Eric | $2,500 |
| Michael Janke | $2,348.84 |
| Miesha & The Spanks | $2,500 |
| Molly Caldwell | $2,500 |
| Morgan O’Neill-Sharp | $2,480 |
| Nasarimba | $2,500 |
| Nathan Hunt | $1,625 |
| Omatta Udalor | $2,500 |
| Patricia Lortie | $1,260.91 |
| Patti Edgar | $600 |
| Paul Zacharias | $1,854 |
| Penny A Gunderson | $1,900 |
| Rebecca Reid | $1,732 |
| Ryan Bourne | $2,413.95 |
| Sandra Sutter | $2,500 |
| Sarah Houle-Lowry | $2,500 |
| Scholastica Makanjuola | $2,500 |
| Scott Henderson | $2,500 |
| Shane Ghostkeeper | $2,500 |
| Shumaila Hemani | $2,500 |
| Stacy Da Silva | $2,500 |
| Stephanie Jager | $390 |
| Svea Ferguson | $1,500 |
| Transit22 | $2,500 |
| We Are Boathaus | $1,000 |
| Woolf’s Voices Collective | $2,495 |
| Yolkless Press | $2,500 |
First Nations, Métis, Inuit Artists & Organizations
The Original Peoples Investment Program supports the preservation and revitalization of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) art through art-based projects that are supported and validated by FNMI artists, community, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers. We recognize and support both traditional and contemporary Indigenous artists and arts practices.
In 2021, we received 55 applications requesting a total of $835,694.16 and were able to support 38 applications for a total of $549,996.
For information about how this program was assessed, please see the Terms of Reference for the 2021 Original Peoples Investment Program.
| Grantee | Project | Grant Amount |
| A Couple of Indigiqueer Cuzzins | Academia for the Indigiqueer: Love Letters & Survival Lessons | $20,000 |
| Adeline Gladu | Post Production Studio | $6,350 |
| Alexandra Manitopyes | Mixed Blood Girls’ Music Video Short Film | $15,000 |
| Angel Aubichon Sanderson | Kîsinikowin: Tanning Hides | $15,000 |
| Anthony Navarone Tootoosis | Sundance In The Rockies | $15,000 |
| Autumn Whiteway | History is Written by the Victors | $15,000 |
| Berkley Brady, Nika Productions | Dark Woods – Feature Film | $20,000 |
| Camille “Pablo” Russell | The Buffalo Way Virtual Tour Fall 2021 Curation/Presentation/Final phase three | $14,360 |
| Carlene Twoyoungmen | Aiipiikoo and Flower Designs | $15,000 |
| Chantal Chagnon | Honouring the Voices of Our Elders | $15,000 |
| Chase Byron | I am now what I was | $2,750 |
| Cody Lefthand & Colten Lefthand | The Front | $20,000 |
| Curt Young | Who am I, Documentary | $15,000 |
| Curtis Lefthand | No Spiritual Surrender: Research and Development for Documentary Film | $15,000 |
| Evelyn Mikayla Martin | IIPAITAPIYIISIN: Art in the Contemporary and Ancient Blackfoot Way of Life | $10,000 |
| Hilary McDonnell | Campbell Road | $15,000 |
| Jared Tailfeathers | Traditional Methods of Making: Dog Trail (Imitáá ohtáóhsokoyi a’póóhsin) – Part 3 | $15,000 |
| Jonelle Belcourt | My Roommate Makayla | $20,000 |
| Kay Thomas | Tobacco Tie and Decolonial Gratitude Workshop | $4,746 |
| Leonard Provost | Horse Nation – Pre-Production | $20,000 |
| Lesia Bear | Jimmy Bear known as “The Bear” | $15,000 |
| Making Treaty 7 Cultural Society | Treaty 7 Artist of the Month | $25,000 |
| Mattais Twoyoungmen | Youngn98 | $13,000 |
| Melrene Dione Saloy | Flying SOLO | $14,800 |
| Mini Thni Dancers | Mini Thni Dancers Post Covid-19 Comeback | $5,000 |
| Nakoda AV Club | Digital Storytelling Through Gaming | $11,690 |
| Noah Joseph Favel | Spirit of the Bison | $4,300 |
| Richard Gaudio | Onedream | $15,000 |
| Richard Sparvier, Drum Beat Entertainment | Drum Beat Entertainment Presents: Virtual Pow Wow Festival 2021 National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration | $18,400 |
| Sandra Sutter | A Woman’s Voice | $15,000 |
| Sarah Houle-Lowry | Animation Residency | $14,000 |
| Seth Dodginghorse | Recording soft cure | $15,000 |
| Shane Ghostkeeper | The Cry Farewell | $15,000 |
| Sikapinakii Low Horn | Self: Sikapinakii | $14,000 |
| Stacy Da Silva | Dream Stealer | $15,000 |
| Tania Big Plume | Istl’a (horse in Tsuut’ina) Warrior | $15,000 |
| Tara Beagan, ARTICLE 11 Cultural Industry | Reckoning: A Call to Action | $25,000 |
| Trevor Solway | Mikey Moonshot | $11,600 |
In 2021 we piloted an Indigenous Artist Microgrant program, intended to support artists working to preserve Indigenous culture and traditions, and artists in need of small grants to advance their practice, project, or career. We supported six projects with $48,450, which include the creation of regalia for 12 youth.
| Grantee | Project | Grant Amount |
| Curtis Lefthand | AATSISTA’MAHKAA: Artist Development | $5,100 |
| Sikapinakii Low Horn | Creation of Regalia | $3,100 |
| Nadine LaPlante | Creation of Regalia | $4,500 |
| Georgina Labelle | Creation of Regalia | $15,000 |
| Amber Twoyoungmen | Ti Mani Dagusakan | $1,100 |
| Darlene Danielle Hunt | Creation of Regalia | $19,650 |
The Honouring the Children Grant is specifically for Indigenous artists or Indigenous arts organizations who live and work on Treaty 7 territory, to support artistic projects responding to, honouring, or in memory of the loss of life, culture, ceremony, and language amongst the original peoples of this land because of the residential school system.
This program supported four artists and organizations with $68,250.
| Grantee | Grant Amount |
| CIF Reconciliation Society | $51,500 |
| Holly Anghel | $8,000 |
| Michelle Soto | $4,500 |
| Sandra Larouche | $4,250 |
Other Programs
This program supports projects by artists and arts organizations who self-identify as equity-seeking, or which are led by and serve equity-seeking communities. Calgary Arts Development staff work one on one with applicants to develop grant proposals and funding amounts.
In 2021, 49 artists and organizations were funded with $644,731.01.
| Grantee | Project | Grant Amount |
| Alberta Men’s Network and Migrante | Good Dads | $6,468 |
| Amair Javaid | NIGHT SHIFT – Feature Film Screenplay | $11,000 |
| Ashley Bedet | Creation of Temporary Instillation Dividers | $15,000 |
| Ashley Johnston | Body Scope | $11,164 |
| Autumn Whiteway & Miriam Fabijan | Indigenous and Motherhood Matriarchy | $20,000 |
| Calgary Chinese Orchestra | Workshop Series | $2,500 |
| Canadian Artists Against Poverty | ARTful Seniors project in response to COVID-19 | $20,000 |
| Casa Mexico in Alberta Foundation | Alberta Culture Days Digital Platform | $10,000 |
| Chinese Cultural Centre | Education Outreach Project | $7,700 |
| Diana (Day) Manuel | “SAYAW NG MUNDO” (Dance of the World) | $10,470 |
| Ebony R. Gooden | His Hands, His Art | $15,000 |
| Edmonton Movie Club | Taking Arts to Community Phase 2 | $20,000 |
| Elizabeth Lai | Revive | $14,937 |
| Emma Annie Victoria Forbes | 2021 Orange Shirt Day | $10,500 |
| Esteban Herrera | THE PROPHET Album Recording | $6,680 |
| FascinAsian Arts Festival | First Annual FascinAsian Arts Festival | $13,200 |
| Gisela Romero | MEXI-CAN | $15,000 |
| Glenna Joy Cardinal | dzanagu – along time ago 21 | $15,000 |
| Han Sungpil (Sung Pil Han) | Research, travel and photography for Canadian glacier/climate change art project | $10,000 |
| Heather Morigeau | Artist Development Program | $17,230 |
| Hebert Poll Gutierrez | ¿Cuba… Qué linda es Cuba? (Cuba, are you really that beautiful?) – A Digital Storytelling Project | $10,521 |
| Henchell-Tominaga Duo | Supervillain Etude Visual Album | $20,000 |
| Hrachya Tokmajyan | The Children of Ar | $15,000 |
| Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation | Capacity Building & Mentorship Program | $43,250 |
| Itsooaakii (Evelyn Mikayla Martin) | Season of Development | $5,300 |
| Jeanne Kwong | Poetry & Photography Creation | $1,511.37 |
| Jessica Hawryluk | Coming Home | $10,000 |
| Jessica McMann | Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Commission | $7,550 |
| Katherine (Kathy) Parsons | Professional Development through Encaustic Courses | $2,460 |
| Korean Art Club | Drive-in Movie Night | $17,500 |
| Lesia T. Bear | Joy & Tony Script Development for Film Production | $15,000 |
| Leslie Sweder | In The Dirt – Exhibition | $4,611.50 |
| Misha Maseka | In Rehearsal podcast – Season 2 | $3,116.14 |
| Misha Maseka & Icarus Sound | Not That Deep X Icarus Sound | $8,825 |
| Mohar Gupta | A Trip Back in Time | $5,702 |
| Paulo da Costa | Learning to Shave, Learning to Leave | $9,875 |
| Rachel Shabalin | Shifting Baselines and Other Stories | $15,000 |
| Rose Heavy Head | Ammolite & Portraits | $10,900 |
| Shelley Pearson | A Creative Practice Refresher | $8,635 |
| Simon Wong | 12 Zodiac Animals Art Exhibition & Website Development | $5,715 |
| Stage Left | Resiliency Work | $20,000 |
| THE ROOTS (Valerie Planche & Toyin Oladele) | Fear or Freedom – Phase One | $10,600 |
| Tribe Artist Society | Charity Start-up Support | $12,820 |
| Tsuut’ina Social Well-being/Ivonne Crane | Animated Mental Health Comic Book | $25,000 |
| U of C Faculty of Medicine | Indigenous Mural & Advisory Pt 2 | $40,000 |
| Uii Savage | Deepfake Posthuman | $8,196 |
| UnLikely Friends Collective | UnLikely Friends | $20,000 |
| Woezo Africa Music & Dance Theatre Inc. | Roots to Branches Project | $30,000 |
| Yang Yong An | New work creation and submission | $5,800 |
This program supports projects and opportunities aligned with Calgary’s Music City Strategy, Downtown Strategy, Winter Strategy, and the Creative Economy Strategy.
A total of $979,001.75 was invested through grants and $75,170 in sponsorships to 64 projects to create extraordinary experiences for Calgarians during pandemic reopening efforts.
| Grantee | Project | Grant Amount |
| Autumn Whiteway & The Grand | Indigenous Photo Exhibition – Exposure Festival | $12,000 |
| Calgary Horror Con | Horror Con 2022 | $25,000 |
| Calgary International Film Festival | The Ascent | $50,000 |
| Calgary on Purpose and Contemporary Calgary | Compassionate Conversations | $20,000 |
| Casa Mexico in Alberta Foundation | Equinox Vigil 2.0 | $100,000 |
| Chinook Blast | Chinook Blast Programming | $100,000 |
| Creative Calgary | $40,000 | |
| cSPACE | $200,000 | |
| Edmonton Movie Club | Keeping Arts Alive – Drive In Film Series | $35,000 |
| Music Mile | Music Cities Activation | $25,000 |
| Pink Flamingo | Public Art Mural Project | $140,000 |
| Blue Jay Sessions | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $10,000 |
| Calgary Underground Film Festival | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $4,450 |
| Casa Mexico in Alberta Foundation | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $5,000 |
| Cirque Nuit Arts Foundation | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $5,000 |
| Divas Opera | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $5,000 |
| Hispanic Arts Society | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $2,600 |
| Kathleen Morrison & Carlos Foggin | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $3,860 |
| La Santa Canadian Latino America Rock Band | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $3,500 |
| Livestar Entertainment | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $5,000 |
| National Music Centre | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $4,800 |
| Occasional Notes Productions | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $2,475 |
| Paloma Negra | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $5,000 |
| Plain Jane Events Inc. | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $4,825 |
| Pride Calgary Planning Committee | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $5,000 |
| Rocky Mountain Symphony Orchestra | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $5,000 |
| Scott Henderson | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $2,750 |
| Spanicarts, Hispanic Association of Professional Artists | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $4,951 |
| Springboard Performance | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $5,000 |
| Stampede Live Inc. | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $5,000 |
| The Music Mile Society of Calgary | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $5,000 |
| Trio Taleco | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $5,000 |
| Wordfest | RISE UP Weekends – Fall Series | $5,000 |
| As High As We Go | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $3,000 |
| Autism Aspergers Friendship Society of Calgary | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $1,900 |
| Autism Calgary | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $2,000 |
| Ben Lahring | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $1,350 |
| BIG Winter Classic | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| Calgary Concert Opera Company | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| Calgary Core Contemporaries | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $12,000 |
| Calgary Underground Film Festival Society | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| Casa Mexico in Alberta Foundation (Casa Mexico) | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| Cirque Nuit Arts Foundation | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| Cody Obst | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| Divas Opera | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $3,000 |
| Edmonton Movie Club | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| Flint and Feather | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $1,650 |
| Foothills Brass Society | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $4,400 |
| Franco Fest | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| GlobalFest Society | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| Hispanic Arts Society | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| International Festival of Song and Chamber Music Society (Mountain View Festival) | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| Livestar Entertainment | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $10,000 |
| Occassional Notes Productions | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| Outsiders Edge | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| Pegasus Performances | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $4,870 |
| Plain Jane Events | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| Revv 52 | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| Scott Henderson | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| Springboard Performance Society | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| Stampede Live Inc. | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| The Polaris Centre Ltd. | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,790.75 |
| The Prophets of Music Society | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
| Theatre Calgary | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $53,000 |
| Toyin Oladele | RISE UP Weekends – Summer Series | $5,000 |
The Changemaker Grant invests in artists and organizations who are using their art to make change in their community. Our Trico Changemaker partnership is funded from the program. We funded 10 projects with $152,500.
The intention of this program is to partner with the community to use art to create conversation and solutions to our communities most challenging problems. The grants fund both the artists as well as the projects that emerge from these initiatives.
| Grantee | Project | Grant Amount |
| Barbara Amos | 2021 Changemaker Residency Program | $4,500 |
| Calvin (Tito) Gomez | 2021 Changemaker Residency Program | $4,500 |
| Chantal Palmer | Cultural Instigators 2021 – The Journey Project | $5,000 |
| Chinook Blast | Chinook Blast Curators | $80,000 |
| Inside Out Theatre | Citizen Artists YYC Bringing Power to Truth – The Grappling | $25,000 |
| Mel Vee X (Melanie Hudson) | 2021 Changemaker Residency Program | $4,500 |
| Melanee Murray-Hunt | 2021 Changemaker Residency Program | $4,500 |
| Riel Manywounds | call it what it is podcast | $5,000 |
| Skye Louis | 2021 Changemaker Residency Program | $4,500 |
| Trico Changemakers Studio | Art for Social Change Hub | $15,000 |
Accountability Reports and Year-End Financials
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