This program is intended to provide one-time project funding to individual artists, collectives and Indigenous-led and centred arts organizations in Treaty 7.

The Original Peoples Investment Program (OPIP) supports the innovation, preservation and revitalization of First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) art through art-based projects that are supported and validated by FNMI artists, community, Elders and Knowledge Keepers. We recognize and support both traditional and contemporary Indigenous artists and arts practices.

Projects can begin before the application deadline, but they cannot be fully completed before the application deadline of October 4, 2023. Projects funded through this program must be completed by July 1, 2025.

Individual artists may apply for up to $15,000, artist collectives may apply for up to $20,000, and arts organizations may apply for up to $25,000. 

Total funding available for this program is $650,000.

This program is developed and validated annually with the support of our Indigenous Advisory Committee.

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 Îyâxe Nakoda Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney First Nations. Today this land is home to the Metis of Region 3 as well as many First Nations and Inuit peoples 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.

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 about eligibility, please reach out to discuss this with the program specialist before applying. You’ll also find answers to some common questions in our Investment Program FAQ.

There are two policies available for potential applicants who may need accommodations or assistance to apply to this program such as translating program guidelines and applications. These policies are available to potential applicants even if they decide not to apply to the program.

• An Accommodation & Accessibility Policy is available for potential applicants who experience barriers to access, to develop accommodations that suit their abilities and situations.
• The Application Assistance Policy provides financial support for eligible applicants to alleviate some of the costs associated with preparing and submitting an application.

Calgary Arts Development is committed to open, fair and transparent processes. If you have any questions, want help with feedback on your application or if it’s your first time applying, please don’t hesitate to 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 10 days before application deadlines.

This program is open to First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) individual artists, FNMI artist collectives and Indigenous-led and centred arts organizations practising and operating in the Treaty 7 Calgary region working in any artistic discipline. We have also opened up eligibility to include projects from FNMI cultural workers, collaborations with artists (projects that may not be led by artists, but which collaborate with and primarily support artists), arts administrators and curators (as long as they are the lead artist/organizer for the creative process and artistic vision).

Please review the full definitions for each below to ensure eligibility before applying:

Individual Artists

• Individual artists applying to this program must have a serious dedication towards developing and sharing their career and work.
• Artists may have formal or informal training including but not limited to: apprenticeships, sustained relationships and learning from Elders/artist mentors and/or post-secondary education. 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 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 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 processes 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 Treaty 7-based artists (i.e., 50% or more).
• An artist collective does not include for-profit organizations or businesses, groups that are formally registered as a non-profit society, or those which intend to govern themselves like a non-profit society.

If a majority of the collective membership is not FNMI artists, a conversation should be initiated with the Indigenous Program Specialist morgan.possberg@calgaryartsdevelopment.com in order to determine eligibility. Eligibility will be determined based on whether the Indigenous artist(s) are leading and guiding the proposed project.

Collaborations with Artists

• We will consider applications from First Nations, Métis or Inuit individuals working in the arts and culture sector who do not meet the definition of an individual artist or artist collective as long as they can demonstrate the below, and at the discretion of Calgary Arts Development staff:
  • FNMI artists are core collaborators or participants in the planning, development and implementation of the project.
  • The project and budget provide financial and non-financial support to artists.
  • The applicant has a demonstrated history of working with artists and the arts sector.

Cultural Workers

• For the purposes of Calgary Arts Development programs, cultural workers typically 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 costume designer or cutter, sound designer/operator, lighting designer/operator, set designer, etc.
• We will consider applications from cultural workers as long as they are the lead artist for the creative process and artistic vision. The application and project should be primarily focused on their own artistic practice, vision and goals.

Arts Administrators & Curators 

• FNMI Arts Administrators refers to individuals who facilitate programming within cultural organizations. In this case, the arts administrator must have their own independent project they are wanting to pursue independently of an arts organization, such as taking a professional development course, for example: the Indigenous Leadership courses at the Banff Centre; or undergoing research projects of their own accord.
• Curators must also have their own project independent of an arts organization they are wanting to pursue, such as curating an independent show, pursuing research for future shows, undergoing curatorial residencies, etc.

Arts Organizations

• Indigenous arts organizations applying to this program must have a serious dedication towards developing and sharing their work and organizational mandate.
• Indigenous arts organizations should have a mandate to serve the Indigenous arts community and are led by FNMI people.

If all of the organization’s membership/staff are not FNMI people, a conversation should be initiated with the Indigenous Program Specialist, morgan.possberg@calgaryartsdevelopment.com, to determine eligibility. Eligibility will be determined based on how organizational decisions are made, how this process is undertaken, who is being called to the decision-making table and who is leading the work.

All Artistic Disciplines & Forms

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.

Other Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants may submit only one application per program deadline.
  • Individual artists may be involved in more than one application, either as a participant in another artist’s application or as a member of an artist collective.
• Individual artists must apply using their individual account and artist collectives must apply using their collective account. We will not accept more than one application from the same account in the grant interface.
• A project may only be submitted by one applicant per program deadline. (i.e., multiple members of the group cannot submit for the same project to the same program deadline).
• Projects (or distinct phases of a project) may only receive one grant in total from Calgary Arts Development, regardless of calendar year.
• 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 final reports past their due date for prior grants.
• As of January 2023, you may not have more than four open grants with Calgary Arts Development, including grants for which a deadline extension has been approved. A request for an exception to this eligibility requirement must be submitted in writing and in discussion with the program specialist.

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

Applicants may apply to this program for one-time project funding, or one distinct phase of a larger project.

Projects may include: 

• Research, creation, development, production, presentation or dissemination of artistic work, or the experimentation or development of new or adapted approaches to practice.
• Professional, business or artistic career development projects.
• Arts-centred projects which encourage creativity, including cross-sector collaboration, creative economy, neighbourhood level initiatives and youth initiatives.
• Projects which reflect and contribute to the vibrancy and vitality of Calgary’s arts sector and create opportunities for Calgarians to access artistic experiences.

Projects should have a clear start and end date, with a specific set of activities and goals.

Projects can begin before the application deadline, but projects that will be fully complete before the application deadline in October 2023 are not eligible.

Projects funded through this program must be completed by July 1, 2025.

Individual artists may apply for up to $15,000, artist collectives may apply for up to $20,000, and arts organizations may apply for up to $25,000.

When you apply, you will be asked to select one of two Program Streams.

Applicants should select the Program Stream that best suits their current life experience. It is possible that one or more points that define a stream do not apply to your situation, and in that case, choose the best fit. A description of each stream is shared below, If you have questions about which stream to choose, please contact the program specialist before applying.

New Voices 

• I have completed the basic training, development and learning necessary to begin sharing my art seriously.
• I am seeking opportunities to develop a mature artistic practice.
• I am only beginning to create relationships with other serious artists in my communities.
• I would like more experience in things like project planning and budgeting.
• I would like the mentorship of a more experienced artist or organization.

New voices is intended as a space for learning and testing ideas both with the artist’s practice and techniques, but also with their career itself.

Next Steps 

• I have experienced some successes and recognition for my artistic practice that I would like to build on.
• I have confidence in the techniques, concepts and execution of my artistic practice but have room to grow.
• I feel that I have something to offer as a mentor to other artists or organizations.

Next Steps is intended as a space for exponential growth; the artist has established ideas, concepts and techniques, and is aiming to build on their current knowledge.

These streams are intended to acknowledge and value that artists all exist at different stages in their own practice and have different needs. There is no benefit to choosing one stream over another; it is best to choose to be assessed with the applicant pool that is at a similar stage in their career. There will be separate peer assessment committees for each of these streams. Funding from the total pool will be split between each stream proportionally based on how many applicants apply to them.

Eligible Expenses:

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

• Elder and Knowledge Keeper fees.
• Expenses related to protocol and ceremony.
• 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 $2,500 maximum — must be directly related to the completion and success of your project).
• 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, childcare, etc.).
• Technical fees (e.g., web service fees, licensing fees etc.).
• Travel expenses.

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.

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 $2,500 (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.

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.

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). Note: this grant can fund activities related to pow wow such as the creation of regalia or song, but not pow wow prizes.
• 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 and or clear connection to the originating community.
• Activities that promote hatred or intolerance.
• Activities that are illegal or contravene provincial or federal law.
• Activities that contravene municipal bylaws.
• Activities related to campaigning for a specific political candidate or party in an election.

Please note that the eligible and ineligible expenses and activities listed are given as examples and are not exclusive. Review the Investment Program FAQ for further information about ineligible expenses or email morgan.possberg@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.

Program Considerations

Artistic Impact  

1. The applicant shows a clear and in depth understanding of their artistic practice, artistic goals and what success will mean for them.

Community Connection 

2. The applicant shows a clear and in depth understanding of the relationships and communities connected to this project, their community-related goals and what success will mean for them. This can include future relationships and community connections, as well as those occurring during the project itself.

Planning 

3. The applicant has included enough information to clearly show what they want to do and how they will do it. There is an in depth understanding of what is required to undertake the project and achieve their goals. This is demonstrated by a clear, achievable and well-supported application (for example, they have adequate experience and/or support in place, a feasible timeline and budget, suitable partners/collaborators/mentors, etc.).

Scoring Process 

Committee members will review applications and rate the level to which they agree or disagree with each of the program considerations listed in the section above, based on the information provided in the application.

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

In the event of a tie, priority may be given based on the following considerations: 

• Opportunities that are fully confirmed
• Opportunities that are urgent or time sensitive
• Opportunities from equity priority groups

Applications to the program will be reviewed by an independent assessment committee made up of First Nations, Metis and Inuit artist peers and community members. The membership of the committee 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.

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, etc. Creation of the committees will adhere to the following guidelines:

• Five to seven-member committee for each stream.
• Representation from Blackfoot, Tsuu’tina, Stoney Nakoda, Métis, Inuit and other First Nations.
• Representation from Two Spirit, transgender and Indigiqueer peoples.
• Representation across artistic disciplines and practices.
• Representation from artist peers and community members.

Committee members must review, understand and adhere to the Terms of Reference, Conflict of Interest Policy, the Program Guidelines and to Calgary Arts Development’s Group Agreements.

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. Committee members who have submitted an application to the program will assess the other stream. (e.g., If they submitted an application to the Next Steps stream, they will assess the New Voices stream).

Assessment process

Applications will be assigned to assessment committees based on program stream. The number of applications received to each program stream will determine the number of assessment committees required to review all applications within that stream.

The total pool of funding available for the program this year is $650,000. This amount will be divided (prorated) across both program streams, based on the total requested grant amount received within each stream.

Assessment committees will review applications assigned to them in the online granting interface and evaluate each application according to the considerations outlined in the Program Considerations & Scoring section above.

Calgary Arts Development staff will download assessor evaluations into a scoresheet and assign numerical scores to the ratings. Each consideration will be weighted equally. The score assigned to each rating will be consistent (e.g., ‘Strongly Agree’ will always equal the same number of points).

The committee will discuss applications in a meeting facilitated by the Indigenous Program Specialist. The committee’s final scores will result in a list of projects recommended for funding. Calgary Arts Development staff will review these recommendations and finalize the funding list. Partial funding may be allocated.

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

We accept applications through an online grant platform called Smart Simple. If you don’t already have a Smart Simple account with us, you will need to create an account and set up your user profile before you can apply. Artist collectives must create a collective account that is separate from their individual account, then apply through their collective account. Please note: you cannot use the same email address for both your individual and collective account. You must use a unique email address for each.

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

The application process for this program will open on June 1, 2023.

This application may be submitted entirely in writing or using a combination of written documents and audio or video links.

The specialist for Indigenous programs can assist with both recording and uploading video or audio files to the application until one week before the deadline. Please make an appointment if you would like assistance and reach out as early as you can to ensure they can provide the best support possible. Please note that due to ongoing shifts to health restrictions and guidance, in-person support may not be possible, for your safety and ours.

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.

Complete/Update Your Profile 

In the Smart Simple grant platform you will need to ensure your ‘individual artist’ or ‘artist collective’ profile is filled out and up to date before you begin to apply and submit your grant application.

Your profile includes important information, such as:

• Contact information (name, email, phone, mailing address)
• Years of practice
• Artistic discipline(s)
• (Optional) Artistic resume or curriculum vitae (CV)
• Artistic practice statement (100 – 300 words)

Begin Your Application 

To begin your application, login to the grant platform and select ’Open Opportunities.’ There you will see any grant programs that are currently open. Select this program and begin a draft application. As you work on your application, remember to save your progress regularly. Once your application is complete, please ‘submit’ before the stated application deadline.

The application form will ask for the following information:

• Project Name
• Program Stream (New Voices or Next Steps)
• Primary Discipline 
  • Select the artistic discipline that is most relevant to this application.
• Funding Request (up to $15,000 for individuals, up to $20,000 for collectives, and up to $25,000 for arts organizations)
• Project Description (150 – 450 words)
• Budget 
• Start and end date of project
• Budget Support
  • Budget related support material to help demonstrate your budget estimates. For example: research, quotes, standard fee schedules, correspondence that confirms rates, past examples of revenue etc.
• Support Material (up to four upload fields, maximum 3MB each)
  • Additional files or links that strengthen your case or help assessors understand more about your project or your artistic practice. For example: samples of work, mock-ups/drafts/works in progress, relevant research, confirmation or planning documents, relevant letters of support, resumes/CVs of collaborators, etc.
• Project Plan and Timeline
  • A timeline that clearly outlines how you will accomplish this project. Include dates and other relevant details for all important activities, tasks, events, milestones or process periods.

Written, Audio or Video Selections 

The below questions may be answered either in writing, or through a video or audio recording no more than 10 minutes long. Applicants may select someone they trust to speak on their behalf if they do not feel comfortable being recorded. Audio or video files should be directly uploaded to the granting interface.

• What does it mean for you to be an Indigenous artist (or for organizations) to represent an Indigenous arts perspective or identity?
• How do you think about your sense of connection and relationship to Indigenous community and the land and what does it mean to you?
• Describe your artistic practice. What is the work you create and why is it important to you? How do you approach the creation of your work?
• Describe your project and how it relates to the above as well as your own artistic goals.
• Describe the opportunities for relationship-building created by your project, including but not limited to collaboration, mentorship, discussions, forums, participatory activities, workshops, artist talk-backs, audience experience, etc.

Applicants will be notified of their results by email.

Notifications will be sent to the email address listed in your profile on the grant platform. If you do not receive an email notification by the date listed in the program guidelines, please check your junk/spam folder before reaching out to grants@calgaryartsdevelopment.com. It can also be helpful to add this email address to your email contact list, so that it is less likely to be filtered or blocked.

Successful applications

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 2023 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 Canada Revenue Agency guidelines. There is also 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. Final reports are due 90 days after your project end date.

In your final report, we would like to know:

• What you accomplished and how this changed or helped your goal. We are curious about any learnings or changes from your original proposal.
• How the grant funds were spent. You’ll be asked to share an updated budget with actuals. 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.
• Optional: Anything else you’d like to share with Calgary Arts Development.

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

Unsuccessful applications

Applicants who are not successful in their application may reapply for the same project to other Calgary Arts Development grant programs, as long as the project still meets eligibility requirements.

Applicants may reach out to staff to request feedback from the assessment committee on their application. We also welcome any feedback you may have on the application process.

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

Deadline Extension Policy
Accessibility & Accommodation Policy
Application Assistance Policy
Disclosure of Grant Information Policy

Other

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