Original Peoples Investment Program 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 Richelle Bear Hat, Program Specialist. They can be reached at richelle.bearhat@calgaryartsdevelopment.com or 403-264-5330 ext. 125.

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 for Indigenous Programs are made up of First Nations, Metis and Inuit artist peers and community members. Assessment membership of each committee is designed to create context, understanding and respect for artistic discipline, gender, sexuality, age, religion, beliefs, First 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:

September 2025: Attend assessor training.

• Participate in one (1) training and orientation session (2-3 hours), hosted by Calgary Arts Development, in preparation for the review process. These will either be hosted online or hybrid (i.e. with an option to attend online or in-person at the Calgary Arts Development office).

Early October – Mid November: Review, meet and discuss applications.

• Individually review the contents of each application assigned online.
  • Submit initial scores in the online grant platform, according to the program considerations outlined in the program guidelines.

• Attend up to three (3) assessment meetings to discuss applications as a committee.
  • Meeting schedule TBD based on assessor availability and application volume.
  • Meetings will not exceed six (6) hours, including regularly scheduled breaks.
  • Assessment meetings will either take place exclusively online using an online meeting platform like Zoom, or there may be hybrid options (i.e. either online or in-person at the Calgary Arts Development office).
  • Throughout the meetings assessors may update their initial scores.

• Finalizing Scores & Decisions:
  • Assessors will confirm their final scores, resulting in a list of applications recommended for funding, sorted by total average score. 
  • Calgary Arts Development staff will review the final list and confirm grant amounts. Partial funding may be allocated.
  • In the final 10 per cent of funding, if there are applications that are tied, but insufficient funds in the grant budget to support all tied applications, priority may be given based on the following considerations:
    • Projects from artists who have not received a Calgary Arts Development grant before, or within the past two (2) years.

October 2025 – March 2027: 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 Calgary Arts Development 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:

• Training and Orientation session (2-3 hours): $376 (based on CARFAC flat rate per half day, under 4 hours)
• Assessment Meetings (4-6 hours): $664 per meeting (based on CARFAC flat rate per day over 4 hours)
  • Note: this fee is inclusive of reading and prep time for up to 40 applications total.
  • If a committee receives over 40 applications for review (up to 60 applications maximum), an additional $200 flat fee will be added to the total honorarium to account for the increased reading and prep time.

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

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.

Original Peoples Investment Program Guidelines
Group Agreements
Conflict of Interest Policy
Confidentiality Policy
Assessor Nomination Form
Equity Priority Group Descriptions