Artist Development Microgrant 2025

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

• Language interpretation during meetings.  
• Translation of written materials.
• Transcription of verbal meetings or audio and video recordings into a written document. 
• Access to a loaner laptop from Calgary Arts Development.
• Support for other expenses that are necessary to attend any required meetings (like childcare coverage, or parking costs for any in-person meetings, if applicable).

Our team is available to answer questions and offer support during the assessment process. Please contact the program specialist as early as you can to ensure they can provide the best support possible.

The primary contact person for this program is Taylor Poitras, Community Investment Programs Lead. They can be reached at taylor.poitras@calgaryartsdevelopment.com or 403.264.5330 ext. 215.

The membership of the peer assessment committees will be chosen through public nominations and staff expertise.

Anyone can ask to participate in 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.

• Committee Size: The volume of applications received will determine the number and size of committees required to assess the program.
• Committee Membership: Individual artists and arts workers with experience and knowledge from a variety of artistic disciplines and practices, who actively participate in, experience, and advocate for the work of the arts community.

Qualifications

• Relevant skills, experience, and knowledge that will accommodate the range of applicants to be juried.
• A generous spirit, strong listening skills and a willingness and ability to embrace change, complexity and different viewpoints.
• An openness to productively and respectfully check in with bias.
• An understanding and awareness of Calgary and region, and an insight into our social and cultural climate.
• Respect of peers in the community.
• The ability to function well within a committee structure.

Assessors are responsible for participating in training sessions, the full application review process, and any scheduled assessment meetings with the rest of their committee members.

Participation in each part of the assessment process is mandatory to ensure all perspectives are present throughout the process and applied fairly to each application assigned.

TIME COMMITMENT:

Intake 1:

Early April 2025: Attend assessor training.

• Participate in a one training and orientation session (2 – 3 hours), hosted by Calgary Arts Development, in preparation for the review process. This will be hosted online or hybrid (i.e. with an option to attend online or in-person at the Calgary Arts Development office).

April – May 2025: Review applications.

• Individually review the contents of each application assigned online.
• Assessment committees are responsible for reviewing applications for eligibility. This includes ensuring that applications are complete and that requested expenses and activities align with the program guidelines and the ‘Program Considerations’ outlined in the section below.

Mid-to-late May 2025: Lottery process.

• Calgary Arts Development staff will review the final list from the assessment committees and make any final decisions on eligibility, as needed. If an application includes both eligible and ineligible activities and expenses, program staff may include the eligible portion of the grant request in the lottery.
• The $325,000 pool available for this intake will be divided between the two program streams based on the number of applicants that apply to each stream, and the dollar amount requested within each stream:
  • Stream 1: Professional and Artistic Skill Development Stream
  • 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. If anyone declines the grant after being awarded, the next person on the original randomized list is offered funding.

Intake 2:

October 2025: Review assessor training.

• Review the training and orientation session video, in preparation for the next review process.

October – November 2025: Review applications.

• Individually review the contents of each application assigned online.
• Assessment committees are responsible for reviewing applications for eligibility. This includes ensuring that applications are complete and that requested expenses and activities align with the program guidelines and the ‘Program Considerations’ outlined in the section below.

Late November 2025: Lottery process.

• Calgary Arts Development staff will review the final list from the assessment committees and make any final decisions on eligibility, as needed. If an application includes both eligible and ineligible activities and expenses, program staff may include the eligible portion of the grant request in the lottery.
• The $325,000 pool available for this intake will be divided between the two program streams based on the number of applicants that apply to each stream, and the dollar amount requested within each stream:
  • Stream 1: Professional and Artistic Skill Development Stream
  • 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. If anyone declines the grant after being awarded, the next person on the original randomized list is offered funding.

April 2025 – June 2026: Experience Arts Events.

• As part of your participation in the assessment process, Calgary Arts Development will provide up to two tickets anonymously on your behalf to up to three public events or programming that CADA has directly funded. This is to ensure that you’re able to experience the arts within the local community. Beyond participating in the assessment process, we hope that you will advocate for the arts in Calgary and encourage your respective communities to participate in Calgary’s vibrant arts sector.

Calgary Arts Development will provide an honorarium to assessors as a gift to recognize their time. Since gifts and honoraria are considered taxable under Canada Revenue Agency, Calgary Arts Development will be required to issue a T4A tax form to assessors for the full amount of their honorarium for the year in which the payment was received (for any honorarium amount over $500).

Honorarium rates for this program are as follows:

• Reading Fee: $10 per application
• Training and Orientation session: $376 (based on CARFAC flat rate per half day, under four (4) hours)

The honorarium will be provided to assessors after the reviewing process is completed.

Assessors will be reviewing applications for completeness and eligibility based on the Program Guidelines and the following five (5) program considerations:

Does the applicant appear to be eligible based on Calgary Arts Development’s definitions of Calgary-based “individual artist”, “artist collective” or “cultural worker”?

Assessor Guidance: When reviewing an application, first look to see if the applicant has applied as an artist collective, or as an individual artist. Cultural workers will apply through their individual artist accounts.

Based on the application and profile (which includes their resume and artistic practice statement), please evaluate if the applicant appears to meet the definition of either an “individual artist”, “artist collective” or “cultural worker” as well as Calgary Arts Development’s definition of “Calgary-based artist”. Each of these definitions are fully outlined in the Program Guidelines under “Who Can Apply”.

Do the activities included appear to be eligible within one of the two program streams, based on the program guidelines?

Assessor Guidance: When reviewing an application, please evaluate if the activities included are eligible. This involves reviewing for two specific things:

First, please ensure that the activities included are not primarily focused on the research, creation or production of artistic work or the creation or production of shows, events, workshops, tours, or exhibitions. Artistic creation or production cannot be the primary activity or focus of an application, but it may be a byproduct.

• For example, a secondary outcome of attending an artist residency may be the creation of work but it is not the primary focus. Also, please keep in mind that this year we have made allowance for launch events or releases of newly completed work, as well as the production of music videos within the ‘Business & Career Development Stream’ as a form of marketing and promotion.

Secondly, while multiple activities may be included within the same program stream, please ensure that the applicant is applying for activities that fall into EITHER the ‘Professional and Artistic Skill Development Stream’ or the ‘Business and Career Development Stream’, but not both.

• For example, an applicant may apply to build a new artist website while also taking a marketing course to learn how to promote and sell their work online. This would be eligible since both activities are within the ‘Business and Career Development Stream’. However, if an applicant applied to attend a residency in Spain and take a legal workshop about developing artist contracts, this would not be eligible because these activities do not fall within the same program stream.

Do all expenses in the budget appear to be eligible expenses, based on the program guidelines?

Assessor Guidance: When reviewing an application, please review the budget to evaluate whether or not all included expenses are eligible within this program.

This includes:

• Ensuring that any requests for equipment purchases, materials, space rentals or subsistence have been clearly described and appear to be necessary to fully access, participate in, or undertake their professional development or business development activity.
• A subsistence request must include a breakdown of time and space needed to carry out the proposed activity.
• Flagging any request for artist fees or other payments made to support artistic creation and production (as fees for creation are generally ineligible within this program). While there may be some exceptions, staff will need to review these requests.
• Ensuring that all requested expenses align with the list of eligible or ineligible expenses outlined in the Program Guidelines under “Program Streams” and are directly related to the applicant’s proposed activities.

Does the application present sufficient support material to describe their proposed activities and expenses?

Assessor Guidance: If activities are not fully complete or fully confirmed at the time of applying, the application must include specific details about planned activities. For example, applicants cannot be vague about details such as who they will engage as a mentor, which course they will be taking or which residency they are applying to.

The type of support material included in an application will vary and depend on the type of activities and expenses they are applying for.

When reviewing an application, pay attention to the type of activities being applied for and if they have already occurred or have yet to occur.

The support material in an application should include documents that help indicate what will occur, when it will occur, and how much it will cost. Depending on the activity the support material should include things like:

• For mentorships: A confirmation letter from the mentor outlining the terms of the mentorship including goals, outcomes, time commitment and compensation
• Bios or resumes of mentors, teachers or service providers
• Course descriptions
• Letters of acceptance, confirmation or invitation
• Quotes, negotiated rates or researched costs (especially for any larger budget items or fees)
• Descriptions of any specific equipment being purchased or rented
• Event information for things like conferences, conventions, markets, fairs, networking events, etc.

Not every expense item to needs be backed up with documentation or proof, but we want to understand where the applicant is currently at in the process and ensure they have a clear understanding of what is required to undertake their proposed activities, how much it will cost, and who is involved.

Does there appear to be clear and supported relationships and compensation for others involved, if relevant?

Assessor Guidance: When reviewing an application, make note of if anyone else is involved in the activities being proposed.

If an application involves accessing mentorship from a specific person, outside of a formal course, has the applicant clearly described the benefit of the mentorship, their learning goals, the mentor’s role, time commitment and compensation? This can be in the form of an email or letter of confirmation from the mentor directly.

If there are other people that are being hired or engaged (such as photographers, website designers, service providers, a marketing company, trainer, legal expert, etc.), has the applicant clearly included information that demonstrates the service they are providing, the scope of the work and their payment (from either a quote, negotiated rate or researched cost)?

We include this in assessment to ensure that there are clear and supported relationships with anyone else involved in the applicant’s activities and to ensure fair/equitable compensation for those involved.

Confidentiality

All deliberations of the assessment committee and all records, material, and information obtained by a member and not generally available to the public shall be considered confidential.

Adhering to the Confidentiality Policy, assessors shall maintain the confidentiality of their deliberations and shall safeguard such records and information from improper access.

Conflicts of Interest

Assessors are required to declare conflicts of interest according to the Conflict of Interest Policy. 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.

Lines of Accountability

Assessors will report to Calgary Arts Development program staff.

Calgary Arts Development reserves the right to remove individuals from the process or assessment committee if they do not adhere to the terms of reference, program guidelines, group agreements, conflict of interest policy, or confidentiality policy, or if their conduct is otherwise counter to the stated values and expectations of this program.

Artist Development Microgrant Guidelines
Group Agreements
Conflict of Interest Policy
Confidentiality Policy
Assessor Nomination Form