Applications open for Equity & Access Arts Grant Program (Canada)

The purpose of the program is to invest in a thriving and diverse arts community in Edmonton by supporting Edmonton based artists and collectives from communities that face barriers to access. This includes, but is not limited to, groups whose members are treated differently because of systemic barriers that disadvantage people based on their Indigenous heritage, racialized backgrounds, identifying as Deaf or having a disability, sexual orientation and gender identity, and/​or immigration status.

Streams

• Stream 1: Exploration & Experimentation
  • Stream 1 supports an individual artist in the creation, research, development, and revision of work, by financially supporting the artist to dedicate time to that work.
  • Examples of work that might fit within Stream 1:
    • An Indigenous musician wishes to research and document their community’s traditions and protocols as they consider how to integrate them into future composition and performance work.
    • A documentary filmmaker is considering the evolving use of land expropriation in western Canada. They are researching the nature of existing laws, and shaping their understanding of the issues surrounding this law to inform a future film project.
    • A choreographer wants to research and explore new movement vocabulary on a dancer in preparation for the development of a new work.
    • A visual artist whose existing practice is focused on encaustic painting wants to experiment with the addition of mud and other found materials into their work.
    • A playwright wishes to spend creative time on the second draft of their current play based on a Middle Ages myth.
  • Stream 1 is not intended to support live production or presentation costs of any kind.
• Stream 2: Skills & Career Development
  • Stream 2 is intended to support receiving 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 based on projected expenses, including artist subsistence.
  • Examples of work that might fit within the Skills & Career Development stream:
    • A costume designer is receiving mentorship from an international designer known primarily for their work on large-scale period pieces.
    • An Indigenous improv trio plans to learn how to record and shape their own web series. They propose working with a named expert who will teach them the appropriate skills, and include the purchase of some recording equipment.
    • A literary agent and manager wishing to enroll in a conference focusing on methods of maximizing sales on online platforms.
    • A sculptor seeking to incorporate arc welding into their practice wants to take a beginner’s course at NAIT. They include the fees for the course, as well as equipment to continue the work.
    • A collective of dancers plans to attend a week-long residency focusing on new movement techniques and choreographic approaches. They include costs for travel and accommodations.
  • Stream 2 is not intended to support research, exploration and experimentation, or work that is materially ready for production and/​or presentation.
• Stream 3: Artist-Driven Major Projects
  • Stream 3 supports artistic projects ready for implementation. This can include production and/​or presentation, creation directly for production and/​or presentation, subsistence for individual or collective creation, and may include travel and/​or mentorship when the primary focus of the project is production and/​or presentation.
  • Examples of Artist-Driven Major Projects might include:
    • A visual artist plans to 3D print a thousand magpies, each in a slightly different pose, and has permission to install them along the railing of the High Level Bridge for a summer.
    • A collective of capoeira dance artists seek to develop and present a new work designed to be performed as part of a presentation series.
    • An illustrator and writer team collaborate on completing and self-publishing a graphic novel telling the experience of an immigrant family learning to integrate into a Terwillegar neighbourhood.
    • A contemporary string quartet works as a collective to compose, rehearse, and record an album. They include costs for studio time, production/​engineering, mixing and mastering.
    • A game designer seeks funds to prototype character and setting design for their new cooperative game.
  • Stream 3 is not intended to support research, exploration and experimentation, or mentorship, residencies and professional development not specifically connected to the production and/​or presentation

Funding Information

• Eligible assistance will be supported up to $500.
• Stream 1: Grants in Stream 1 are fixed at $5,000 to support the artist’s living expenses and any additional costs while they pursue their artistic work.
• Stream 2: Applicants may request up to $10,000 based on the anticipated costs of the project, including artist subsistence.
• Stream 3: Applicants may request up to $25,000 based on the anticipated costs of the project, including artist subsistence.

Eligibility Criteria

• 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 Edmonton / amiskwaciy- waskâhikan region at the time of the application and for the duration of the project. This region includes the City of Edmonton and the Indigenous communities of Enoch Cree Nation, Alexander First Nation, Paul First Nation and Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation (artists may be asked to provide proof of residency);
  • Be a Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident, or have a valid open work permit.
  • An individual or collective may receive one grant from this program annually from January to December.
  • Individuals or collectives who have overdue Edmonton Arts Council final reports will not be eligible.
• Collectives also must:
  • Have a majority of members who are eligible individuals as described above; and
  • Have one individual (the primary applicant) apply on behalf of the collective.

What is not supported?

• Advanced education, such as would lead to a degree or diploma.
• Projects that primarily benefit an organization rather than an individual or collective.
• Costs already supported by the EAC through other programs.

For more information, visit EAC.