OAC Chalmers Arts Fellowships – Canada

The program provides support at a time in an artist’s career when a concentration on artistic growth will have a transformative impact on their long-term artistic development. Professional artists in all disciplines with an artistic practice of more than 10 years are eligible.

Grant Amount(s)

• Minimum $30,000, maximum $50,000

What this program funds?

• Projects in which the individual artist takes a significant block of time to examine and investigate their artistic practice, without the responsibility of creating and producing artworks.
• The project work plan must show concentrated periods of time dedicated to this activity, totalling six to 12 months.
• Projects can take place in Ontario, Canada and/or internationally, and in a single location or multiple locations.
• Examples of past Chalmers Arts Fellowships awarded:
  • A writer investigated the nature of storytelling and listening. The grant enabled the artist to travel, meet poets, folklorists, anthropologists, activists, writers, composers and other artists, and examine how new stories, myths and traditions are being sustained and reinvented in the modern world.
  • A musician explored the traditional instruments and songs of a local culture. This artist met musicians to explore the foundations of their craft. The artist became more aware of the communal aspect of making music, particularly the powerful effect it has on people’s daily life, emotional experience, sense of ritual and feeling of belonging.

Eligible Applicants

• Individual professional artists who:
  • have been practicing for more than 10 years
  • are Ontario residents
  • are working in an arts practice supported at OAC
• Artists’ résumés must show more than 10 years in which they were actively practicing. Professional practice must include publication or public presentation/exhibition.
• An individual must:
  • be 18 years of age or older
  • be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, or have an application pending for permanent resident status
• An ad hoc group or collective must:
  • be comprised of at least two members who meet the eligibility requirements for individuals listed and who will be responsible for the administration of the grant on behalf of the ad hoc group or collective
  • have at least 50 per cent of its members residing in Ontario (or both members in the case of two-person collectives)
  • not be a corporation
  • be able to deposit a grant cheque in the name of the ad hoc group or collective
• An incorporated not-for-profit organization must:
  • be incorporated in Ontario or federally
  • have a head office in Ontario
  • be governed by a volunteer board of directors or an advisory board
• A for-profit organization must:
  • be an Ontario-based, Canadian-owned book or magazine publisher eligible for funding in OAC’s publishing programs
  • be incorporated in Ontario or federally
  • have a head office in Ontario
• A college or university must:
  • be Ontario-based
  • present or produce professional Ontario artists, arts professionals, arts groups, arts collectives or arts organizations
  • be registered through the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities
  • have a staff member responsible for arts programming
• A municipality, school board, First Nation, or school administered by a First Nation or an Indigenous administered authority must:
  • be Ontario-based
  • engage professional Ontario artists, or present, produce or publish the work of professional Ontario artists, arts groups, arts collectives or arts organizations
  • have a staff member responsible for arts programming

Ineligible 

• individuals with a professional artistic practice of 10 years or fewer
• individuals who have received a Chalmers Arts Fellowships grant in the last three years
• individuals who have received two Chalmers Arts Fellowships grants
• ad hoc groups, collectives or organizations
• arts administrators, arts managers, or producers
• arts presenters, including programmers, curators, artistic directors, distributors, broadcasters, publishers, booksellers and gallerists
• post-secondary educators and researchers whose positions are eligible for Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) funding
• students enrolled full- or part-time at a college or university, including graduate students, regardless of the program of study.

For more information, visit Ontario Arts Council.