Guidelines: Project Grant Program – Individuals and Collectives

Calgary Arts Development is committed to open, fair, and transparent processes. If you have any questions, want feedback on your application or if it’s your first time applying, please don’t hesitate to contact us for support.

While we may not be able to meet in person at this time, our team will be available to provide support over the phone, through email, or through the use of audio and video platforms.

Please see Investment Program FAQ for answers to common questions, and contact the program specialist as early as you can to ensure they can provide the best support possible. Staff can provide feedback on your application up to one week before application deadlines.

We will work one-on-one with applicants who experience barriers to access to develop accommodations that suit their abilities and situations. Some examples of accommodations are:

• Translation of written materials into other languages.
• Transcription of verbal meetings or audio and video recordings into a written document.
• Verbal video or audio applications. If you would prefer to answer the application questions verbally you can submit an audio or video recording of yourself or our staff can help record your responses using an online platform, such as Zoom.
• Language interpretation for phone or video meetings (Note: this will depend on the availability of external service agencies).
• Grant writing assistance if you need help.

You may be eligible for application assistance to pay someone to help you prepare and submit an application if you need it or for any of the reasons listed below:

• An artist who is Deaf, hard of hearing, has a disability or is living with a mental illness.
• An artist facing language, geographic or cultural barriers.

Please contact Taylor Poitras, Specialist, Individuals and Collectives Programs, at 403.264.5330 ext.215 or taylor.poitras@calgaryartsdevelopment.com to inquire about application assistance.

The Project Grant Program seeks to support projects that contribute to the vibrancy and vitality of Calgary’s arts sector. This program is intended to provide one-time project funding to individual artists and artist collectives in Calgary (known as Mohkinsstsis in Blackfoot) working in any artistic discipline who pursue a professional practice.

This program is not open to arts administrators, cultural workers or registered non-profit or for-profit organizations. For a glossary of terms and more important information about eligibility, please refer to the Investment Program FAQ.

Projects may include the creation, development, production, presentation or dissemination of artistic work. Applicants may also apply for professional or career development projects.

An applicant may only apply to this program for one project or one distinct phase of a project. We will only accept one application per individual or collective, and one application per project. You may not receive more than one Calgary Arts Development grant for the same project or phase of a project. Success in this program does not affect your eligibility to apply to other Calgary Arts Development grant investment programs.

This program cannot fund projects retroactively, meaning that projects can begin before the application deadline, but projects that will be fully complete before the application deadline of June 14, 2021 are not eligible.

Projects funded through this program must be complete by December 31, 2022.

Total funding available for this program is $1,100,000.

Applicants may apply for almost any expense related to their project.

• Individual artists may apply for up to $15,000:
  • 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. Professional artists may have formal training, have shared their work publicly, have been compensated for their work, and have a relationship with their artistic communities and peers.
  • We recognize that barriers within the arts community exist, particularly for equity seeking communities, and that there are many unique entry points into an artistic practice and career in the arts. If you are unsure, please reach out to discuss eligibility with the program specialist before applying.
• Artist collectives may apply for up to $20,000:
  • We consider an artist collective to be two or more individual artists who work together in either an ongoing or ad hoc way, who have a shared artistic practice that is distinct from their own individual artistic practices. Collectives need to define their collective practice, vision, goals, and process in order to demonstrate that collective members have equal and shared ownership and accountability for the vision, success and completion of the proposed project or activities.
  • A majority of collective members must be Calgary-based artists.
  • An artist collective does not include for-profit organizations and businesses or groups that are formally registered as a non-profit society or those which intend to govern themselves like a non-profit society.
  • Collectives must create an account that is separate from their individual account in the grant interface and apply through their collective account.

This program is open to individual artists and artist collectives in Calgary (known as Mohkinsstsis in Blackfoot) working in any artistic discipline who pursue a professional practice. This program is not open to arts administrators, cultural workers or registered non-profit or for-profit organizations.

For a glossary of terms and more important information about eligibility, please refer to the Investment Program FAQ.

We welcome applications from those working in all artistic disciplines and their various cultural forms, including but not limited to: circus arts, craft arts, community and social practice, curation, dance, Deaf/deaf arts, digital arts, disability arts, film, Indigenous arts, literature, media arts, multidisciplinary practice, music and sound, performance, theatre, and visual arts.

While activities do not have to take place in Calgary, applicants must either be Calgary-based, or be able to demonstrate that they regularly make significant contributions to the arts that are accessible to Calgary citizens. If you are not based in the city, Calgary Arts Development staff will determine eligibility through the applicant’s commitment to the arts and the scope of activities within Calgary’s arts community.

We acknowledge that there are many artists who are new to the city of Calgary and may not be familiar with grant programs, if they are eligible to apply or if they’re able to receive a grant from a public funder. Artists do not need to be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident in order to receive a grant, but you do need to be able to report on this grant to Canada Revenue Agency. If you are a newcomer, immigrant or refugee artist and have questions or concerns, please know that our program staff are available to help navigate your unique circumstances and provide support.

An applicant may only apply to this program for one project, or one distinct phase of a project. We will only accept one application per individual or collective, and one application per project. You may not receive more than one Calgary Arts Development grant for the same project or phase of a project. Success in this program does not affect your eligibility to apply to other Calgary Arts Development grant investment programs.

Please reach out with any questions about eligibility before you begin your application.

Projects should have a clear start and end date, with a specific set of goals. This could include one distinct phase of a larger project. This program cannot fund projects retroactively, meaning that projects can begin before the application deadline, but projects that will be fully complete before the application deadline of June 14, 2021 are not eligible.

This program supports projects that must be complete by December 31, 2022.

Please note that the eligible and ineligible expenses and activities listed below are given as examples and are not exclusive. If you have questions about eligible expenses or activities, please contact the program specialist.

Eligible Expenses

Funds from this program may go towards almost any expenses that are directly related to your project and its goals, for example:

• Accessibility expenses
• Artist fees
• Course fees (for individual courses which do not count toward a credit, diploma, certificate, or degree granting program)
• Documentation
• Honorariums
• Materials
• Marketing, publicity or outreach
• Per diems (fixed daily rate for lodging, meals and incidentals while not at your primary residence—e.g., in order to participate in a professional development opportunity)
• Purchase of equipment, including hardware and permanent software (up to a maximum of $1,000 total) *
• Professional fees (e.g., fees paid to individuals offering professional services such as web design, publicity or marketing, financial, accounting or legal services, etc.)
• Rental of equipment or space
• Subsistence expenses (e.g., rent, food, child care, etc.)
• Technical fees (e.g., web service fees, licensing fees etc.)
• Travel expenses

*If you request grant funds for the purchase of equipment, please consult the Investment Program FAQ for information on making a case.

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 project budget. For more information about taxes, please consult the Investment Program FAQ.

Ineligible Expenses

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

• Lost wages or salaries
• Purchase of or financial contribution towards equipment, land, or buildings over a total of $1,000 (capital expenditures)
• Purchase of any equipment not directly related to the project
• Tuition, or other costs related to post-secondary or credit, degree, certificate, or diploma granting educational programs or artistic work related to those educational programs

Ineligible Activities

This program is not intended to support any of the following:

• Projects that are fully complete before the application deadline.
• Projects that have already received funding from another Calgary Arts Development grant program.
• Projects related to post-secondary or credit, degree, certificate, or diploma granting educational programs or artistic work related to those educational programs.
• Fundraising activities (e.g., activities undertaken for the purpose of raising funds on behalf of a political party or charity).
• Contests and competitions (e.g., grant funding cannot be re-granted in the form of prizes or awards).
• Activities that do not comply with or respect cultural protocols.
• Activities that use or present Indigenous cultural material, traditional knowledge or stories without permission from the community.
• Activities that promote hatred or intolerance.
• Activities that are illegal or contravene provincial or federal law.
• Activities related to campaigning for a specific political candidate or party in an election.

As part of our responsibility to Calgarians to ensure equitable access to public funding, Calgary Arts Development is dedicated to addressing and working to eliminate institutional inequity in our programs, policies, and practices. We also acknowledge that our actions—both conscious and unconscious, past and present—have benefited some communities while limiting opportunities and outcomes for others.

Equity Priorities

If there are applications with tied final scores but insufficient funds in the grant budget to support these applications, projects proposed by artists belonging to an equity priority group (or in the case of a collective, where the majority are artists from equity priority groups) will be prioritized.

Applicants that self-identify on the voluntary demographic survey included in the grant application as belonging to these equity priority groups are automatically considered for this equity measure. Information provided in the voluntary demographic survey will not be shared with assessors and will only be viewable by program staff. Any information provided in the voluntary demographic survey will only be attached to this application process, not to the applicant’s profile in the grant interface.

The equity priority groups identified for this program are Indigenous, Black, persons of colour, Deaf persons, persons with disabilities, persons living with mental illness, and 2SLGBTQIAP+ individuals. For details on each of these equity priority groups, please refer to the equity priority group descriptions.

Calgary Arts Development has adapted these priorities and descriptions from the Toronto Arts Council’s Equity Framework. We are grateful to the Toronto Arts Council for their work in this area.

Applications to this program will be assessed by arms-length peer committees in two streams. The below table outlines a general recommendation for stream selection.

Create & Develop

• This project will not result in something that will be shared with an audience or the general public at this time. It may eventually be shared publicly, but it is not part of the project timeline and goals for this grant application.
• This project is internally focused on my artistic practice, like developing new skills or techniques, research, artistic development or creation, or career development.

Program & Present

• This project will result in something that will be shared with an audience or the general public as part of the project timeline and goals for this grant application.
• This project is externally focused, and is about sharing my work with the public, raising awareness of my artistic work, or involves the creation and production of work all the way to presenting it to an audience.

The intention of streaming is to help manage volume by grouping projects that are most similar together in assessment and to have criteria that align to that particular stream. If you are having difficulty selecting a stream, please refer to the Investment Program FAQ or contact the program specialist.

Please see the assessment process below and Terms of Reference for further information.

Projects will be funded based on the criteria of artistic impact, community connection, and planning. The Create & Develop and Program & Present streams are each defined by a unique set of criteria statements. Assessors will evaluate applications by rating each criteria statement as exceptional, good, or weak according to the below matrix, based on the information provided in the application:

Exceptional

• Exceptional applications demonstrate a deep understanding of their practice and goals, their role and relationship to communities and what is required to undertake the proposed project.
• Exceptional applications have clear, detailed, thoughtful responses that directly address the criteria of the program.
• Exceptional applications include all the relevant information and support required to create overwhelming trust and confidence that the project will be completed as described and that the applicant will reach their goals.
• There is a clear sense of readiness and critical awareness within the application.

Good

• Good applications demonstrate a general understanding of their practice and goals, their relationship to communities and what is required to undertake the proposed project.
• Good applications have sufficient responses that address the criteria of the program, but they may be lacking detail or rationale.
• Good applications include most of the relevant information required to create trust that the project will be completed as described and that the applicant will reach their goals.
• There may be some information, support or evidence missing that would have created more confidence.

Weak

• Weak applications do not demonstrate a clear understanding of their practice and goals, their relationship to communities or what is required to undertake the proposed project.
• Weak applications have limited or insufficient responses that do not sufficiently address the criteria of the program.
• Weak applications do not provide enough information, support or evidence to create trust and confidence that the project will be completed as described and that the applicant will reach their goals.
• There is a lack of readiness or critical awareness present in the application and the applicant would benefit from feedback.

Create & Develop Criteria Statements

Artistic Impact

• The applicant has demonstrated a deep understanding of their artistic practice and the role they play in their artistic communities or disciplines.
• The proposed project and applicant’s goals are clearly described and align with their artistic practice.
• The applicant has demonstrated clear reasons why this project is compelling and relevant and how it will allow them to advance their goals, discipline or practice.

Community Connection

• The applicant has clearly demonstrated who they connect with through their artistic practice. This could include artists, collaborators, partners, mentors, participants or audiences. If the project will result in artistic work that may eventually be shared with the public, the applicant has identified who the community will be for that work.
• The applicant has clearly demonstrated how this project will further their ability to connect with their communities. If the project will result in artistic work that may eventually be shared with the public, the applicant has demonstrated why this project is important to their communities and how they are considering them at this phase of the work.

Planning

• The applicant has a clear understanding of what is required to complete the project. This is demonstrated by a clear, well-researched and achievable timeline, plan and budget that outlines who they will work with, what it will cost, how much time it will take, and what tasks and activities are required.
• The applicant has created overwhelming trust and confidence that the project will be completed as described and that the applicant will reach their goals.

Program & Present Criteria Statements

Artistic Impact

• The applicant has demonstrated a deep understanding of their artistic practice and the role they play in their artistic communities or disciplines.
• The proposed project and applicant’s goals are clearly described and align with their artistic practice.
• The applicant has demonstrated clear reasons why this project is compelling and relevant and how it will allow them to advance their goals, discipline or practice.

Community Connection

• The applicant has clearly demonstrated who they will connect with through this project. This could include artists, collaborators, partners, mentors, participants or audiences that are part of their overall artistic practice, or who will experience this work.
• The applicant has clearly demonstrated how they will connect with the communities they’ve identified through this project, or how the project will allow them to connect with their communities in the future.
• The applicant has clearly demonstrated why this project is important to the communities they’ve identified and how they are considering them.

Planning

• The applicant has a clear understanding of what is required to complete the project. This is demonstrated by a clear, well-researched and achievable timeline, plan and budget that outlines who they will work with, what it will cost, how much time it will take, and what tasks and activities are required.
• The applicant has created overwhelming trust and confidence that the project will be completed as described and that the applicant will reach their goals.

Applications to the program will be evaluated by independent arm’s-length assessment committees made up of artist peers and community members. The program specialist and Calgary Arts Development staff will select committee members.

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

Assessment committees are chosen to represent the broad diversity of Calgary and its artistic communities, including but not limited to: artistic discipline, gender, sexuality, age, religion, beliefs, nation, physical and neurological identities, etc.

• Seven-Member Committees: Each stream will be split into sub-committees dependent on the volume of applications.
• Artist Peers: These will be from a variety of artistic disciplines and practices and can also include arts workers with experience and knowledge in the arts community for example, staff, volunteers, board members, etc.
• Arts Champions and Artistic Community Members: These are people who actively participate in, experience, and advocate for the work of the arts community. They may also have perspectives and skill-sets transferable to the arts sector.
• Conflicts of Interest: Calgary Arts Development thinks of conflicts of interest as close family members, people who are involved in the activity being applied for or where there is a real or perceived financial benefit. If in doubt, assessors are encouraged to talk with Calgary Arts Development staff.
• If a committee member has applied to the program or declared a conflict of interest they will not assess those specific applications or be present for any discussions of those applications.

Assessment Process

• Committees will read applications in the online granting interface, and rate each criteria statement according to the matrix outlined in the program criteria and matrix sections of the guidelines.
• Calgary Arts Development staff will download each assessor’s evaluations into a scoresheet and assign numerical scores to the ratings. Each criteria statement will be weighted equally. The score assigned to each rating will be consistent across all criteria statements (e.g.: Exceptional will always equal the same number of points).
• The committee will discuss each application and make final funding decisions in a meeting facilitated by the specialist for individuals and collectives.

If there are applications with tied final scores but insufficient funds in the grant budget to support these applications, activities proposed by artists belonging to an equity priority group (or in the case of a collective, where the majority are artists from equity priority groups) will be prioritized.

Applicants that self-identify on the voluntary demographic survey included in the grant application as belonging to these equity priority groups are automatically considered for this equity measure. Information provided in the voluntary demographic survey will not be shared with assessors and will only be viewable by program staff. Any information provided in the voluntary demographic survey will only be attached to this application process, not to the applicant’s profile in the grant interface.

The equity priority groups identified for this program are Indigenous, Black, persons of colour, Deaf persons, persons with disabilities, persons living with mental illness and 2SLGBTQIAP+ individuals. For details on each of these equity priority groups, please refer to the equity priority group descriptions.

Assessment committees are held to the Terms of Reference and Group Agreements intended to commit to open, generous, and respectful evaluations and communications.

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

Calgary Arts Development has begun collecting voluntary demographic information from applicants to investment programs. These questions are an important part of Calgary Arts Development’s aim to increase understanding, at an aggregate level, of the individuals seeking funding, while providing the arts sector with much needed data on the demographics of its workforce.

Completion of the demographic questions is not required, and is being collected on a voluntary basis. You are not required to complete these questions, and you can choose which questions not to answer as there is a “prefer not to answer” option for each.

Your responses to these questions:

• Are voluntary.
• Will remain anonymous.
• Will not be provided to assessors.
• Will only be visible to program staff.
• Will only be shared in combination with many other responses (in aggregate form).
• Will not be connected to you personally.
• Will not be saved to your applicant profile in the grant interface.

The Investment Program FAQ includes answers to common questions, definitions of terms, and some helpful suggestions. It may be helpful to review these as well as the program criteria as you work through your application.

Taylor Poitras, Specialist, Individuals and Collectives Programs, is available to assist applicants, answer questions and provide feedback on your drafted application, up to one week before the program deadline. If you would like assistance or feedback, please call 403.264.5330 ext.215 or email taylor.poitras@calgaryartsdevelopment.com as early as you can to ensure they can provide the best support possible.

Application

Further description and information about each application requirement can be found in the application form in the grant interface.

Please note that the grant interface uses character counts, rather than word counts. Keep in mind that the maximum character amounts listed below are not necessarily the goal—if you can be clear and succinct in fewer words that is great. These ranges are merely suggestions for each of the written sections.

• Contact Information (name, address, phone, email)
• Project Name
• Brief Description (up to 250 characters)
• Funding Request (up to $15,000 for individuals, up to $20,000 for collectives)
• Start and End Date of Project
• Artistic Discipline
• Years of Practice
• Artistic Resume or CV (upload)
• Introduction to Artistic Practice (1,000 to 2,500 characters or 100 to 250 words)
• Project Description (1,500 to 4,500 characters or 150 to 450 words)
• Artistic Impact (1,500 to 4,500 characters or 150 to 450 words)
• Community Connection (1,500 to 4,500 characters or 150 to 450 words)
• Project Timeline or Work Plan (upload)
• Project Budget (upload and use the required standard template)
• Support Material (up to four optional upload fields, maximum 3MB each, video and audio material should be provided as a link)

Audio or video files cannot be directly uploaded to the granting interface. Instead, they must be uploaded to a file sharing site such as YouTube, Vimeo or Dropbox with the link provided in the application. If the link requires a password to access the audio or video file, please provide that in your application as well. Please contact us early on if you require assistance.

Application Templates

Project Budget

Policies

Deadline Extension Policy
Accessibility & Accommodation Policy
Disclosure of Grant Information Policy
Individual Artist Grant Payment Instalment Policy

Other

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

Applicants will be notified of their results by email. Successful applicants will be sent an investment agreement via Docusign and are required to sign and return the agreement within 30 days of receiving it in order to receive funding.

We use electronic fund transfers to make grant payments. If your application is approved, you will be required to provide a void cheque or direct deposit form with your banking information. Please let us know if you need any help with this.

Calgary Arts Development will provide a T4A tax form for individuals who receive more than $500 in total during the 2021 tax year. This includes the primary applicant who may be representing a collective of artists. 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 CRA guidelines. There is also additional tax information in our Investment Program FAQ.

We’re interested in hearing how the grant benefitted your practice and communities and what you learned through the process. We will ask you to report this back to us through a final report online, due 90 days after your final activity.

We would like to know:

• What you accomplished and how this changed or helped your artistic practice. We are also curious about any learnings or changes from your original proposal (500 words maximum).
• How this funding impacted your communities (others involved) or your own sense of community (500 words maximum).
• How the grant funds were spent. Please upload a new budget with actuals. (2MB) Please keep receipts and invoices for tax purposes. You may also be asked to provide them.
• Optional: Please share any materials that resulted from your activities, such as images, website links, video or audio material, written samples, etc. (up to two upload fields, maximum 3MB each, video and audio material should be provided as a link).
• Optional: Anything else you’d like to share with Calgary Arts Development (250 words maximum).

Successful applicants may also be asked to participate in optional surveys, research, and peer-to-peer learning. Please contact grants@calgaryartsdevelopment.com with any questions about reporting requirements.