Guidelines: Artist Development Microgrant 2024

The Artist Development Microgrant is intended to provide one-time funding to Calgary-based individual artists, artist collectives and cultural workers, working in any discipline, to help support activities related to either professional and artistic skill development or business and career development.

The goal of the program is to contribute to the skills and knowledge required to advance artists’ careers and develop artistic practices in Calgary.

This program is NOT intended to support activities primarily focused on the research, creation or production of artistic work or events such as shows, exhibitions, productions, etc.

Activities may begin before the application deadline, but they cannot be fully completed before the application deadline of October 16, 2024.

Activities funded through this program must be complete by August 31, 2025.

Individual artists and artist collectives may apply for up to $5,000.

Total funding available for this program is $500,000.

We acknowledge that the land we gather on, Mohkinsstsis, is the ancestral territory of the Siksikaitsitapi — the Blackfoot people — comprising the Siksika, Kainai and Piikani Nations, as well as Treaty 7 signatories, the Tsuut’ina Nation, and the Îyârhe Nakoda Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney First Nations. Today this land is home to the Otipemisiwak Métis Government Districts 5 and 6 as well as many First Nations and Inuit from across Turtle Island.

Calgary Arts Development is committed to the process of eliminating institutional racism, ableism and barriers in our programs, policies and practices by centring the creativity and leadership of those communities most impacted by structural inequities. Read our full Commitment to Equity statement on our website.

This program is open to Calgary-based (1) individual artists, (2) artist collectives and (3) cultural workers.

We welcome applications from those working in all artistic disciplines and their various cultural forms. Examples may include, but are not limited to: arts services, circus arts, craft arts, community and social practice, curation, dance, D/deaf arts, digital arts, disability and/or Mad arts, film, inclusive arts, Indigenous arts, interdisciplinary practice, literature, media arts, multidisciplinary practice, music and sound, opera, orchestra, performance, public art, theatre and visual arts.

Please review the full definitions below for each category before applying and reach out with any eligibility questions.

Individual Artists:

• Individual artists applying to this program must pursue a professional practice.
• We consider a professional artist to be an artist who is actively pursuing a career in the arts, and who has invested in the development of their artistic skills, voice and goals.
• Artists may have formal or informal, community-based training. We value all ways of knowing, learning and developing an artistic practice.
• Artists have shared, or are actively striving to share, their work publicly and be compensated for their work.
• Artists have a relationship with their artistic communities and peers.
• Artists do not need to be working professionally in the arts full time.

Artist Collectives:

• We consider an artist collective to be two or more individual artists who have a shared artistic practice that is distinct from their own individual artistic practices (for example, a band, a visual art duo, a theatre collective, co-writers, etc.). Artist collectives may work together on an ongoing basis or partner together ad hoc for a particular project.
• Collectives need to define their collective practice, vision, goals and process to demonstrate that all collective members have equal and shared ownership and accountability for the success and completion of the proposed project.
• A majority of collective members must be Calgary-based artists (i.e. 50% or more).

Cultural Workers:

• For the purposes of our programs, ‘cultural workers’ refers to individuals who make their living in the arts and cultural sector and contribute to the success of an artist or organization’s artistic work in a creative or technical capacity, but who are not necessarily leading the artistic vision of the work being created. This might include production team members such as a costume designer or cutter, sound designer/operator, set designer, lighting designer/operator, etc.
• We will consider applications from cultural workers for their own professional development and learning, or for independent projects where they are the lead artist for the creative process. The project should be focused on their own artistic practice, vision and goals.

NOTE: This program cannot accept applications from arts administrators, agents or managers, production companies, registered for-profit corporations or businesses, or registered not-for-profit organizations.

Calgary-based Artists

While activities do not have to take place in Calgary, applicants must be Calgary-based. We will also accept applications from Treaty 7 Nation members living within Treaty 7 (Southern Alberta) if they can demonstrate a clear connection to Calgary/Mohkinsstsis communities.

For a full description of what we consider to be Calgary-based, please review the FAQs. If you are not currently based in Calgary, please contact program staff to discuss your eligibility before applying.

Newcomer Artists — Permanent Residency or Citizenship Not Necessary

You do not need to be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to receive a grant from us, but you do need to be able to report on this grant to the Canada Revenue Agency. This means you must have a valid Canadian Social Insurance Number or Individual Tax Number to receive this grant.

If you are a newcomer, immigrant or refugee artist and have questions or concerns, please contact our program staff.

Please review the following eligibility requirements before applying and reach out if you have any questions or need clarification:

• Applicants may submit only one application per program deadline.
• We will not accept more than one application from the same account on the online grant platform. This means that individual artists must apply using their individual account and artist collectives must apply using their collective account.
• A project may only be submitted by one applicant per program deadline. This means that multiple members of a group cannot submit for the same project to the same program deadline.
• You may reapply for the same project if a previous application was unsuccessful, regardless of calendar year.
• You may not apply to this program if you have any final reports past their due date for prior grants.
• As of January 2024, you may not have more than two open grants with Calgary Arts Development, including grants for which a deadline extension has been approved. For more information, please review the Open Grant Policy.

For more important information about eligibility, please refer to the Investment Program FAQ.

The Artist Development Microgrant is intended to provide one-time funding to Calgary-based individual artists, artist collectives and cultural workers, working in any discipline, to help support activities related to either professional and artistic skill development or business and career development. Please see examples of eligible activities and expenses in each category below.

The goal of the program is to contribute to the skills and knowledge required to advance artists’ careers and develop artistic practices in Calgary.

Activities may begin before the application deadline, but they cannot be fully completed before the application deadline of October 16, 2024.

Activities funded through this program must be complete by August 31, 2025.

Individual artists and artist collectives may apply for up to $5,000.

*This program is NOT intended to support activities primarily focused on the research, creation or production of artistic work or events such as shows, exhibitions, productions, etc. If you are seeking funding for these activities, please refer to the Project Grant Program for Individuals and Collectives. The Project Grant is now closed for 2024, but updated program information will be available in 2025.*

Stream 1: Professional and Artistic Skill Development

This stream is for activities related to the professional development of your artistic practice, skills, knowledge and relationships through mentorship, continuing education, training, learning or development opportunities. Activities can be self-directed or non-self-directed and take place online or in person — locally, nationally or internationally.

Eligible activities may include:

• Attending courses, classes or workshops
• Apprenticeships
• Artistic training
• Mentorships
• Internships
• Invited opportunities or conferences (to share your work/knowledge)
• Residencies

Stream 2: Business and Career Development

This stream is for activities related to the development of the business side of your personal artistic practice. This could involve undertaking activities or opportunities related to documenting, marketing, promoting and sharing your previously completed artistic work, learning specific business skills or developing business models for your art practice, or developing artistic networks, markets, or income streams. Activities can be self-directed or non-self-directed and take place online or in person — locally, nationally or internationally.

Eligible activities may include:

• Courses, mentorship, training or services in areas such as entrepreneurship, finance, accounting, legal, etc.
• Development of business plans, models or strategies related to your personal artistic practice
• Documentation of completed works
  • Portfolio development, professional photography or videography, etc.
• Marketing, branding and promotion of your art practice and/or completed works
  • Social media marketing
  • Content strategy and development
  • Website development (creation or redesign)
• Publicity, media tours, interviews
• Attending conferences, markets, fairs, industry showcases, networking events, etc.

If you have questions about other potential eligible activities, please contact program staff to discuss before applying.

Eligible Expenses

Please ensure that your proposed activity is eligible for this program first. Then you may refer to the below list for guidance on eligible expenses:

• Accessibility expenses
• Course fees (for individual courses that do not count toward the pursuit of a credit, diploma or degree-granting program)
• Documentation
• Marketing, promotion, publicity or outreach
• Travel expenses
• Per diem (a fixed daily rate for meals and incidentals while not at your primary residence)
• Accommodation (while not at your primary residence)
• Subsistence expenses (ongoing monthly expenses such as rent, utilities, food, childcare, etc.  Must be necessary for accessing the specific development opportunity)
• Professional fees (e.g., fees paid to individuals offering professional services such as web design, publicity or marketing, financial, accounting or legal services)
• Technical fees (e.g., web service fees, licensing fees)
• Honorariums
• Materials (must be necessary for accessing the specific development opportunity, such as an artist residency)
• Rental of space
• Rental of equipment
• Purchase of equipment, including hardware and permanent software (must be specific and directly related to the completion and success of your proposed development activities)

Please note that eligible project expenses for this program may not be considered deductible project expenses by the Canada Revenue Agency. Please consult the CRA guidelines when creating your budget.

Ineligible Activities

This program is not intended to support the following:

• Activities that do not comply with or respect cultural protocols. 
• Activities that use or present Indigenous cultural material, traditional knowledge or stories without express permission from the community and/or clear connection to the originating community. 
• Activities or individuals that willfully or in bad faith promote intolerance, hatred or hate speech to incite violence or harm.
• Activities that are illegal or contravene provincial or federal law, or municipal bylaws.
• Contests and competitions.
• Fundraising activities (e.g., undertaken to raise funds on behalf of a political party or charity). 
• Activities related to campaigning for a specific political candidate or party in an election. 

Ineligible Expenses

Funds from this program are not intended to support the following:

• Artist fees
  • Note: In a professional development grant, artist fees are generally ineligible, as this grant is not intended to support the creation or production of work. Applicants may instead request subsistence expenses if needed to undertake and access their professional development activity. Other fees such as technical fees or professional fees (paid to service providers, mentors, etc.) are eligible.
  • There may be exceptions to this, so please reach out to a program specialist to discuss before including ‘artist fees’ in your budget.
• Lost wages or salaries.
• Purchase of or financial contribution towards land or buildings.
• Purchase of any equipment not directly related to the project or activity.
• Tuition or other costs related to the pursuit of post-secondary degree or diploma educational programs, or artistic work related to those educational programs.

Please note that the eligible and ineligible expenses listed are given as examples and are not exclusive. If you are unsure about expenses, please reach out to discuss before applying.

Applications to the program will be reviewed for eligibility by independent assessment committees made up of artist peers and community members. The membership of the peer assessment committees will be chosen through public nominations and staff expertise.

Anyone can ask to participate on a Calgary Arts Development assessment committee by completing the assessor nomination form or by emailing grants@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.

Assessment committees are chosen to represent the broad diversity of Calgary and its artistic communities, including artistic discipline, gender, sexuality, age, religion, beliefs, nation, physical and neurological identities, and more.

Assessment committees for the Artist Development Microgrant are responsible for reviewing applications for eligibility. This includes ensuring that applications are complete and that requested expenses and activities align with program guidelines. Calgary Arts Development staff will review applications to make the final decision for eligibility. All eligible applications will move to the lottery process to select the applications that will be funded

For more information about the assessment process, please review the Assessor Terms of Reference.

LOTTERY PROCESS

The $500,000 pool available for this program will be divided between the two program streams based on the number of applicants that apply to that stream, and the dollar amount requested within that stream:

1. Professional and Artistic Skill Development Stream
2. Business and Career Development Stream

All eligible applications will be entered into a lottery for each stream. Applications will be drawn at random and awarded funding until the available funds run out.

Calgary Arts Development reserves the right to adjust assessment processes and the program timeline due to application volume. Applicants will be notified if significant changes occur.

Equity Priority Groups

Included in the grant application is a ‘Voluntary Self-Identification Form’ which includes optional questions based on equity priority groups that Calgary Arts Development has identified. These equity priority groups include Indigenous, Black, persons of colour, D/deaf persons, persons with disabilities, persons living with mental illness, and 2SLGBTQIAP+ individuals. For details, please refer to the equity priority group descriptions.

All questions are optional. These responses are not visible to assessors. Access to this information is limited to the grant program staff and research team at Calgary Arts Development.

Voluntary self-identification information collected through this program may be used in aggregate to:

• Generate statistics to measure how well Calgary Arts Development’s programs are reaching members of equity groups.
• Ensure there is diverse representation in the membership of peer assessment committees and grant review panels.
• Gather information to help Calgary Arts Development design, review, evaluate and improve its programs.
• Plan outreach activities.
• Report to Calgary Arts Development’s board and committees.

Please see the Disclosure of Grant Information Policy for information about how Calgary Arts Development collects and uses information submitted through grant applications.

We accept applications through an online grant platform. If you don’t already have an account with us, you will need to create an account and set up your user profile before you can apply.

The application form for this program will become available in the online grant platform on September 16, 2024. You will find it under ‘Open Opportunities’ when you log in.

Please note: Artist collectives must apply for grants through a collective account that is separate from their own individual artist account. These must be distinct accounts that use a unique email address when registering.

Please contact grants@calgaryartsdevelopment.com for help with any questions or technical issues.

Complete your profile

In the online grant platform, you will need to ensure your ‘individual artist’ or ‘artist collective’ profile is filled out and up to date before you submit your grant application. Parts of your profile will be automatically transferred over to your grant application.

Your profile includes important information, such as:

• Contact Information; Years of Practice; Artistic Discipline(s); Artistic Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV); and an Artistic Practice Statement (100 – 300 words)

Complete Your Application

To begin your grant application, log in to the online grant platform and select ‘Open Opportunities’. There you will see any grant programs that are currently open. Once available, select this program and begin a draft application. As you work on your application, please remember to save your progress regularly. Once your application is complete, please ‘submit’ before the stated application deadline. You should receive an email confirming your submission. If not, call or email us to confirm.

The application form will ask for the following information:

• Voluntary Self-Identification Form (optional)
• Brief Description (25 words or less)
• Funding Request (up to $5,000)
• Project Start and End Date
• Primary Discipline
  • Select the artistic discipline that is most relevant to this application.
• Program Stream
  • Select the program stream that best fits the core goal and purpose of your application: 1. Professional and Artistic Skill Development; or 2. Business and Career Development.
• Written Description
  • Question 1: Describe what you want to do with this grant, including what will happen, when and where activities will take place and who is involved. (300 words max.)
  • Question 2: Describe your goals and why this activity or opportunity is important to you at this stage of your practice/career. (300 words max.)
• Budget
  • Fill out the budget template. Include all relevant expenses and revenues.
  • Use the notes section to describe each item in more detail, show your calculations, etc.
• Support Material
  • Include materials that provide more detail about the purpose of the activity you’re applying for, and where you’re currently at with the process of confirming these activities.
  • Examples of what you might include (if relevant to your activity) are:
    • Information about when your activity will be confirmed (if not yet confirmed)
    • Letters of acceptance or confirmation (if received)
    • Letters of support
    • Biographies of others involved
    • Course descriptions
    • Budget support (for example, quotes, rates, paid invoices, etc.)
    • Examples of work
    • Research (for example, comparing costs for service providers, courses, equipment, etc.)
    • If you are requesting funds to access mentorship or training outside of a formal course from a specific person, you must provide evidence that you have begun building this relationship and negotiating professional fees even if it is not fully confirmed. You should describe the mentor’s role, time commitment, payment, and what will be covered or included in the mentorship.

NOTE: Assessors will only be asked to review up to five minutes of support material for each applicant in order to determine that the activity is eligible. They are reviewing many applications, so please only provide information that is relevant to your activity. Feel free to combine multiple PDFs into one upload area.

Applicants will receive an automated notification over email from the online grant platform. To receive emails from the grant platform, please add donotreply@calgaryartsdevelopment.smartsimple.ca to your address book. If you do not receive an email notification by the end of November, please check your junk or spam folder before reaching out to grants@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.

Successful applications

Successful applicants will be sent an investment agreement via DocuSign and must sign and return the agreement within 30 days to receive funding.

We use electronic fund transfers to make grant payments. If your application is approved, you must provide a void cheque or direct deposit form with your banking information.

Since this program is sharing grant results in the last quarter of 2024, we can offer grantees two payment options in accordance with our Individual Artist Grant Payment Instalment Policy.

The instalment options available for this program will be:

• To receive 100% of the grant payment in December 2024, OR
• To receive 100% of the grant payment in January 2025

For tax purposes, applicants are encouraged to select the payment option that best aligns with when most of their expenses will be incurred.

Calgary Arts Development will provide a T4A tax form to successful grantees for the full grant amount for the tax year in which the grant was paid. This includes the primary applicant receiving grant payment on behalf of an artist collective. Please note that you must have a valid Canadian Social Insurance Number or Individual Tax Number to receive this grant.

If you have any questions about tax requirements for artist grants, it is a good idea to discuss these with a tax professional or consult Canada Revenue Agency guidelines. There is additional tax information in our Investment Program FAQ.

Final Reporting

Successful grantees will be required to complete a brief final report to share learnings and how the grant benefited their practice, along with an updated budget with actuals. Final reports are assigned in the online grant platform and are due within 60 days of your stated ‘project end date’.

Successful applicants may also be invited to participate in optional surveys, research and peer-to-peer learning.

Unsuccessful applications

Applicants who are not successful in their application may reapply for the same project or activities to other Calgary Arts Development grant programs, if they still meet eligibility requirements.

We welcome any feedback you may have on the application process at any time.

If you would like to know more about other opportunities in the arts ecosystem, you are welcome to reach out to Calgary Arts Development’s Community Liaison, Sayonara Cunha, at sayonara.cunha@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.

Policies

Applicant Support & Accessibility Policy
Deadline Extension Policy
Disclosure of Grant Information Policy
Open Grant Policy
Individual Artist Grant Payment Instalment Policy

Other

Terms of Reference
Group Agreements
Equity Priority Group Descriptions
Frequently Asked Questions
Assessor Nomination Form