grants for individuals and collectives Edmonton Arts Council

Grants for Individuals & Collectives

Deadlines: 11:59 PM MDT on February 15, 2022 and October 3, 2022

Artists and their work are the foundation of our arts community. Working as Individuals or Collectives, artists pursue work that develops their practice, advances creative thought, contributes to an art form and provides our community with a reflection of itself. Through Connections & Exchanges: A Ten-Year Plan To Transform Arts and Heritage In Edmonton, the Edmonton Arts Council has committed to supporting a wide range of art forms and practices to foster experimentation, creative collaborations with community and public presentations, as well as activities to advance individual skills, including mentorships and professional development.

Purpose

The Edmonton Arts Council's (EAC) Individuals & Collectives grant has three distinct streams, each with their own evaluation criteria and assessment process. An Individual or Collective may only apply to one stream at each deadline and may only receive one grant from this program annually from January to December.

Approximately $2.4 million is budgeted for this program in 2022.

Stream 1: Exploration & Experimentation
Supports an Individual artist to work on creation, experimentation, or research activities. Grant amounts are fixed at $5,000 to support subsistence and any additional costs to the Individual while they take the time to pursue artistic work.

Stream 2: Skills & Career Development
Supports mentorship, attending a residency, or other forms of professional development for artists and arts professionals. Projects may be Individual or Collective, and grants are available up to $10,000 based on projected expenses, including artist subsistence.

Stream 3: Artist-Driven Major Projects
supports artistic projects materially ready for production and/or presentation. Projects may be Individual or Collective, and grants will be available up to $25,000 based on projected expenses, including artist subsistence.

Eligibility

Individuals must:

Have an existing and committed practice in any arts discipline (including but not limited to customary and contemporary Indigenous or other cultural work) or have a history of other professional activity in the arts sector;
Be 18 years of age or older;
Be a resident of the City of Edmonton at the time of application, and for the duration of the project (applicant may be asked to provide proof of residency); and be a Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident, or have a valid open work permit.

Collectives must:

Have a majority of members who are eligible Individuals as described above; and
Have one Individual (the primary applicant) submit an application on behalf of the Collective.

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 support provides funding for specialized assistance in conveying the artists' ideas. Such assistance will be supported up to $500. For more information, contact grants@edmontonarts.ca.

Application Process

Your application will be submitted through the Edmonton Arts Council's online portal SmartSimple:

Complete (or update) a Individual profile in the online portal eac.smartsimple.ca. This is required by whomever is submitting the application (the primary applicant).
Once a profile has been made, the Individuals & Collectives grant application form is made available in SmartSimple under the "Open Opportunities" icon. If the applicant already has a profile, the Individuals & Collectives grant application will be visible a minimum 30 days before the application deadline.
If the application is for a Collective, all named members of the Collective based in Edmonton will need profiles in SmartSimple by the application deadline.

If you have any questions about the SmartSimple registration process, please contact support@edmontonarts.ca.

For information or clarification on any aspect of your application please call 780-424-ARTS (2787) or contact grants@edmontonarts.ca.

Download the guidelines

Individuals & Collectives Grant Drop-in Q&A Sessions

Are you considering applying to the upcoming grant for Individual & Collectives deadline? If yes, we are offering two online drop-in question and answer sessions on September 14, 2022.

Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm (MST)

>> Click here to join the afternoon (1:00 -3:00 pm) session.

>> Click here to join the evening (5:00 - 7:00 pm) session.

Grant-writing tips

Click here to download a tip-sheet that covers grant-writing tips, program guidelines and assessment criteria for this grant program.

Click here for answers to frequently asked questions about EAC grants, including eligibility, the EAC definition of professional artist, how grants are assessed and more.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact EAC grants staff.

Online applications open a month before the deadline at eac.smartsimple.ca
The EAC has launched its new online application portal, SmartSimple, at eac.smartsimple.ca. In order to create an application, you must complete and submit your profile first. If you are having any issues, please contact our support team at support@edmontonarts.ca
Complete your registration for the Online Portal at eac.smartsimple.ca. Step-by-step instructions for completing your registration are available here.

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