edmonton artists' trust fund Edmonton Arts Council

The Edmonton Artists' Trust Fund (EATF)

Deadline: August 1, 2023

When this date falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.

The EATF was established in 1997 by John and Barbara Poole, Edmonton Community Foundation (through a transfer of funds from the ECF's Community Fund) and the Clifford E. Lee Foundation, and was intended to invest in Edmonton’s creative community. The award recognizes an artist’s work and contribution to the community as well as providing financial stability to renew, develop, create or experiment. Over the past 25 years, the EATF has invested in more than 120 multimedia, literary, music, dance, film, theatre and visual artists, and contributed more than $1M to the arts economy.

The EATF is a nomination process, where an individual artist is nominated by a member of the local arts and/or cultural community (nominator). The artist (nominee) must be a part of the EATF submission process, as documentation from them is required.

The EATF Award is open to any artist who is 18 years or older; a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident; and a resident of the greater Edmonton / amiskwaciy-waskâhikan region for at least one year prior to the deadline. This region includes the City of Edmonton, the Counties of Sturgeon, Parkland, Leduc and Strathcona, and the Indigenous communities of Enoch Cree Nation, Alexander First Nation, and Paul First Nation. Nominated artists may be asked to provide proof of residency.

Purpose

The Edmonton Artists' Trust Fund (EATF) is a joint project of the Edmonton Arts Council and the Edmonton Community Foundation. The EATF is designed to invest in Edmonton’s creative professionals and to encourage artists to stay in our community. The funds are intended to offset living and working expenses, allowing the artist to devote a concentrated period of time to their artistic activities, career enhancement and/or development.

The Edmonton Arts Council is the administrator of the award process which includes inviting Edmonton area residents to apply, appointing peer assessment committee to adjudicate all applicants, and presenting the peer assessment committee's recommendations to the Board of Directors of the Edmonton Arts Council for approval.

Awards are intended to recognize:
Artists at all stages of their professional careers, in all fields and any artistic tradition (including, but not limited to, customary and contemporary Indigenous and other cultural artforms), who demonstrate excellence in their field and commitment to working in and contributing to the Edmonton region's arts community.

The EATF is not intended to support artists who primarily work outside the Edmonton region.

Artists who have overdue Edmonton Arts Council final reports will not be eligible.

Artists may not receive an EATF award in two consecutive years.

Eligibility

Nominated artists must:

Be 18 years of age or older.
Be a resident of a resident of the greater Edmonton / amiskwaciy-waskâhikan region for at least one year prior to the deadline. This region includes the City of Edmonton, the Counties of Sturgeon, Parkland, Leduc and Strathcona, and the Indigenous communities of Enoch Cree Nation, Alexander First Nation, and Paul First Nation. Nominated artists may be asked to provide proof of residency.
Be a Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident, or have a valid work permit.

Submission Process

Nominations are submitted via the Edmonton Arts Council's online portal: eac.smartsimple.ca.

The EAC provides support to overcome barriers in preparation and submission of applications (including accessing a computer or an internet connection). Please contact us at grants@edmontonarts.ca or 780-424-2787 to discuss your submission.

Step 1: Complete a profile in the online portal. This is required by whomever is submitting the nomination. The artist (nominee) or nominator can complete and submit the nomination.

Step 1 must be completed before the EATF form is made available in SmartSimple.

Note: If the nominator is completing and submitting the online submission process, the artist (nominee) must also have a completed profile in the online portal by the EATF submission deadline.

You can register for the new online portal at eac.smartsimple.ca. Step-by-step instructions to assist with the registration process are available here. If you have any questions about the registration process, please contact the EAC at support@edmontonarts.ca.

Access Support

Those facing barriers while completing their submission may be eligible for Access Support. A barrier can include - but is not limited to - language, culture, physical or mental limitations, or any inequity that may complicate completing a submission.This initiative provides funding for specialized assistance in conveying the artists' ideas. Such assistance will normally be up to $500. For more information, contact grants@edmontonarts.ca.

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