Guidelines: Project Grant Program 2017
Application Opens: May 15, 2017, 9:00am MST
Application Deadline: June 30, 2017, 4:30pm MST
Program Goal
The goal of this program is to support the creation of work that ensures citizens of Calgary continue to have access to meaningful, high-quality artistic experiences.
Program Description
This program invests in artistic projects that exemplify what our artistic community has to offer.
Eligibility
You may apply to this program as one of the following:
- A professional artist (1) or collective.
- A non-profit arts organization—community (2) or professional (3)—registered as a society in the province of Alberta.
We welcome applications from those working in all artistic disciplines and their various cultural forms, including: Indigenous arts; circus arts; curation; dance; deaf and disability arts; digital arts; literature; film and media arts; multidisciplinary practice; music and sound; theatre; and visual arts.
1) We consider a professional artist to be one who: has specialized training in the artistic field (not necessarily in academic institutions); is recognized as a professional by their peers (artists working in the same artistic tradition); is committed to devoting time to artistic activity, if possible financially; has had at least one presentation or publication within a professional context. What defines a professional context can be different for all disciplines; generally speaking this does not include: work within a degree-granting program, and presentations or publications of a university or post-secondary institution.
2) Arts organizations that primarily support, present or produce the work of non-professional artists or volunteer professional artists. Organizations that do not intend to provide standard professional artist are considered here as well.
3) Arts organizations that present or produce the work of professional artists (1) (whether emerging or established), and either provide or intend to provide standard professional artist fees.
While projects do not have to take place in Calgary, applicants must either be Calgary-based, or able to demonstrate that they consistently make significant contributions to the arts that are accessible to Calgary citizens.
Calgary Arts Development staff review all applications for eligibility. For applicants that also have non-arts-related programming or operate in areas outside of Calgary, Calgary Arts Development will determine eligibility through the applicant’s commitment to the arts and the scope of its activities within Calgary’s arts community.
Projects more than halfway complete by the time of the deadline are not eligible.
What You Can Apply For
This program offers funding through two streams:
- Professional Artists and Collectives: Total pool $60,000 ($5,000 max request)
- Organizations: Total pool $90,000 ($10,000 max request)
For the purposes of this program, a project is the creation, research, development, curation, exhibition or production of work in any art form, as well as developmental projects.
Funds may go towards almost any expenses directly related to the creation, development and presentation of your project, for example:
- Artist fees
- Professional fees or wages for labour related to the project
- Materials
- Equipment
- Travel
- Documentation
This program is not intended to support any of the following:
- Costs related to subsistence or lost wages related to your project.
- Post-secondary degree-granting programs.
- Purchase of equipment costing more than $500.
- Purchase of any equipment not directly related to the project.
If you have questions about any other possible expenses, please contact staff.
Projects must be completed by April 30, 2018.
How to Apply
All applications must be submitted through the online granting interface found at grantinterface.com.
New users must set up an account to access the interface. For instructions on how to use the online grant interface, please refer to the Granting Interface Questions in our Investment Program FAQ.
If you are applying on behalf of an organization that already has an account and you require access to it, please contact us at grants@calgaryartsdevelopment.com or 403.476.2031.
The application process will be open as of Monday, May 15, 2017 through our online grant interface.
Application deadline is Friday, June 30, 2017, 4:30 pm MST.
If a deadline extension is required, Calgary Arts Development must receive a written request before this deadline. Read the full Deadline Extension Policy.
Assessment Process
Applications will be assessed by an independent, arm’s-length assessment committee made up of artistic peers and community members.
Community members are Calgarians with an appreciation for the arts (any discipline) who actively attend arts performances and presentations. Artistic peers are artists and arts workers who possess professional experience and knowledge directly relevant to the arts sector.
All applications will be considered according to three criteria:
- Artistic Impact (50%): The artistic quality of the work being proposed, its potential to further applicant’s artistic goals, and its potential to meaningfully contribute to a related artistic discipline or milieu.
- Public Impact (25%): How meaningful, intentional and thoughtfully you propose to engage with audiences and participants, as well as any contribution to the Calgary community.
- Planning (25%): How effectively the project has been planned and budgeted.
Application
- Contact information.
- Resume/CV (individuals and collectives only), including dates and descriptions of experiences, especially those related to training, professional presentation and those relevant to the professional development of your practice and career. Please list professional experiences separately from others.
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Mandate and past year’s programming (organizations only). Organizations may submit their programming using our standard form (those already receiving operational funding may resubmit the programming form used in their 2017 reporting).
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Financial Statements (organizations only). Include a Statement of Operations and a Balance Sheet for your last completed fiscal year. Statements that have not undergone an audit or review engagement must be signed by two board members not involved in their creation.
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Briefly describe your artistic practice in terms of how you make your work and what is important to you (100 words max). Alternatively, you may upload an existing artist statement (100 words max).
- Project Description: Describe the tasks, activities and/or events related to your project including the various individuals and roles that may be involved (300 words max).
- Artistic Impact: Describe the artistic goals for your project. Describe the relationship between this project and your overall practice as you described it. Be specific and speak to previous experiences (200 words max).
- Public Impact: Describe how you plan to interact with the public, in terms of audience, participants and/or communities? (200 words max).
- Timeline for Project. If the opportunity begins before you receive the results from your Project Grant application, how will you begin the work?
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Project Budget. Account for the entire scope of the project. If your overall expenses exceed the limit for the stream you are applying for, explain how you will cover additional costs. Use the notes section to clarify line items and specify whether other revenue or in-kind support is confirmed or pending.
- Support Material. Attach files or links that are related to your opportunity and help strengthen your case, such as examples of previous work, documentation related to expenses, materials describing the project, and so on (up to four attachments, each with a maximum size of 4MB; PDF, JPG, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX file types only).
- Reference (individuals and collectives only): Provide the name and contact information of one professional peer that can speak to your practice. No formal support letter from this individual is necessary.
- Proof of Filing (organizations only): Evidence that you have filed with Alberta Registries in the last year to maintain your non-profit status.
Conditions of Receiving a Grant
Successful applications will be required to sign and return an investment agreement within 30 days of notification to receive funding.
A Final Report will be due within 90 days of the end of the term of the investment agreement:
- Did your project achieve the goals stated in your original application? (100 words)
- How has your project enhanced your practice or artistic mandate? (100 words)
- Rate the level of artistic growth on a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
- How has your project contributed to furthering your career or the viability of your work? (100 words)
- Rate the level of career/viability enhancement on a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
- How would you describe your engagement with the public through your project? (100 words)
- Rate the quality of your project’s public engagement on a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
- Provide an updated timeline with the actual dates.
- Provide an updated budget with actuals. Applicants should be prepared to submit receipts upon request.
Questions
Our team is here to support you! If you have any questions about the program contact the Community Investment team at grants@calgaryartsdevelopment.com or 403.476.2031.
