Grant Investment Programs: Announcement
Calgary Arts Development (CADA) is the city’s designated arts development agency, stewarding public dollars for the public good. Our grant investment programs support artists and arts organizations for the benefit of all Calgarians in alignment with our 2023 – 2026 Strategic Framework, Ákáakomatapoap.
Information about all our funding programs can be found on the Grant Investment Programs page.
Further information, including full program guidelines and programs currently under development, will be available throughout the year. All program pages include the expected timelines and publication dates of the program.
NEW for 2024 — Open Grant Policy update: Applicants with two or more open Calgary Arts Development grants will not be eligible to apply for additional funding through Calgary Arts Development’s community investment grant programs. An “open grant” refers to a grant where the applicant has not yet completed their project and submitted their final report to Calgary Arts Development. If you have two open grants (i.e., two grants with outstanding final reports, or any grants with overdue/late reports) at the time of the program deadline, then you will not be eligible to apply. This open grant policy applies to organizations, collectives and individual artists. This policy does not include having an Operating Grant, or any open projects in Public Art programs.
The update to this policy was made considering the significant volume that Calgary Arts Development’s community investment grant programs have experienced over the past few years.
Please login to the online granting platform or contact grants@calgaryartsdevelopment.com if you are unsure of how many open grants you currently have.
2023 Grant Investment Program Results
In 2023, the Community Investment team received and processed over 1,300 applications to our grant investment programs and made over 630 grants totalling more than $14 million to arts organizations, individual artists and artist collectives. Calgary Arts Development must allocate a minimum of 75 per cent of our annual budget from the City of Calgary through grant investment programs. In addition to municipal funds, Calgary Arts Development stewarded contributions from the Calgary Arts Foundations, Rozsa Foundation and the Calgary Foundation through our grant programs.
The 2023 results for each program will be published in February 2024.
Grants to Arts Organizations
In 2023 we received 320 applications to programs for arts organizations, including the Operating Grant and the Project Grant for Organizations. The Operating Grant program was fully assessed in 2023 for the 160 organizations currently in the program and we onboarded 38 new organizations. In 2023, the average success rate for competitive programs for arts organizations was approximately 44 per cent.
In 2024, we will run the following programs for non-profit arts organizations:
Organizations that received a grant through the Operating Grant Program and Operating Grant New Client Intake Program have confirmed grants for 2023 and 2024, and will receive their 2024 grant on successful submission of a report due February 28, 2024. Open office hours to support organizations with their interim reports will take place in person and online on February 13 and 15. The Operating Grant is not open to new clients in 2024.
The Project Grant for Organizations provides one-time project funding to registered non-profit arts organizations in Calgary. Program guidelines will be published in early May and the program will open in mid-late May, with a July deadline, and grant notifications will occur in September.
The Future Focus Program will run in four intakes through 2024. We are pleased to announce that in addition to the funding contributions from Calgary Arts Development, Rozsa Foundation and Calgary Foundation, the Canada Council for the Arts has contributed $100,000 to support this program, and the program is now open to arts organizations working across the Treaty 7 region. Updated program guidelines will be available in late February.
Grants to Individual Artists and Artist Collectives
In 2023, we saw sustained growth to our programs for individual artists and artist collectives, receiving 908 eligible applications to the Project Grant for Individuals and Collectives and the Artist Development Microgrant in 2023. This is a 24 per cent increase compared to 2022, and a 99 per cent increase in applications compared to 2021. In 2023, the average success rate in programs for individual artists and artist collectives was approximately 31 per cent.
In 2024, we will run the following programs for individual artists and artist collectives:
The Project Grant for Individuals and Collectives is intended to provide one-time project funding to individual artists and artist collectives. The total budget for this program will increase by $500,000 to $2.5 million in response to the increasing number of applications we have received. Program guidelines will be published in early March and the program will open in mid-March, with a May deadline, and grant notifications will occur in late August.
The Artist Development Microgrant program is intended to provide support for professional development and business development activities. In response to the increased program volume and competition, this program will undergo a pilot lottery process in 2024. The intention of the lottery process is to streamline the administration of the program for both staff and applicants, in alignment to the size of the grants available. To ensure this process is designed in a way that is fair, equitable, transparent and efficient, the Artist Development Microgrant will run one intake in the fall and winter. Dependent on the results of this pilot, the program may increase to multiple intakes in future years.
Grants to Indigenous Artists, Collectives and Organizations
In 2023 we received 80 proposals for funding in the programs for Indigenous artists and arts organizations. In 2023, the average success rate for Indigenous grant programs was approximately 70 per cent.
In 2024, we will run the following programs for Indigenous artists and Indigenous-led and -centred arts organizations:
The Honouring the Children program will continue in 2024. This program is specifically for Indigenous artists or Indigenous arts organizations who live and work on Treaty 7 territory, and supports 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 opens in February, runs on an ongoing basis, and closes in August. More information about applying to this program will be published in February.
The Indigenous Artist Microgrant is intended to support Indigenous artists living and working in the Treaty 7 region for activities and expenses related to the preservation of Indigenous culture and tradition. This program opens in February, runs on an ongoing basis and closes in August. Further information about applying to this program will be published in February.
The Original Peoples Investment Program is intended to support art-based projects that are supported and validated by Indigenous artists, community, Elders and Knowledge Keepers. We recognize and support both traditional and contemporary Indigenous artists and arts practices. Program guidelines will be published in mid-June and the program will open in July, with a September deadline, and grant notifications will occur in late November.
Please contact grants@calgaryartsdevelopment.com with any questions
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