Apply for Music Individual Project Funding (Canada)

Funding Information

• Grant Amount up to $18,000.

Eligible Expenses

• For art production projects:
  • Session musician fees
  • Commission fees
  • Production
  • Royalties
• For marketing projects:
  • Promotion and publicity
• For training and career development projects:
  • Tuition or training fees
• For all project categories:
  • Transportation and accommodation
  • Administration and contract fees
  • Basic living/subsistence expenses (housing, local transport, food, childcare, dependent care) up to $3,000/month
  • Other expenses and supplies considered by the AFA to be reasonable and necessary

Ineligible Expenses

• Expenses for capital purchases, such as buildings or property, or for capital development, and studio construction or renovations
• Recreational training projects
• Artistic activities or projects undertaken in order to fulfill credit or thesis requirements
• Artist, producer, and engineer fees for principal ensemble members
• Recording studio rental fees for studios owned by principal ensemble members
• Manufacturing expenses (CD pressing and artwork)
• Contracts for ongoing activities or artists pursuing projects similar in scope to usual activities with commissioner
• Expenses already incurred prior to the application submission, including grant writer fees

Eligible Projects

• Marketing and promotion of a commercial release
• Costs associated with performances at special events by invitation
• Promotional tours
• Workshops
• Master classes
• Retreats
• Mentorship programs
• Professional courses of study in performance, recording arts, or composition
• Composition projects (including commissioned work)
• Demo recording projects not intended for sale, including full production and basic press kit expenses
• Commercial recording projects intended for sale, including support for pre-production and song development (basic recording)

Eligibility Criteria

• Individual Eligibility Criteria
  • The AFA celebrates and supports diversity and is committed to creating equitable, inclusive, and accessible programs for all, free of barriers and discrimination. They recognize the unique contributions all artists make towards their community, and encourage applicants representing diverse communities, including Indigenous peoples, racialized communities, women, people with disabilities, and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
  • To be eligible for individual project funding, you must be a resident of Alberta. This means you:
    • Are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or Protected Person with an open work or study permit from inside Canada
    • Have had your primary residence in Alberta for at least one full year before applying
    • Ordinarily live in Alberta for a least six months of each year with the exception of attending a formal program of study
  • You must be in good standing with the AFA with no open or outstanding projects or reporting to apply. Previous grant recipients must ensure all final reporting has been approved by the AFA before new applications are accepted.
  • Applicants, including ensembles or collectives, must not be incorporated under either provincial or federal legislation.
• Collaborating artists, ensembles, and collectives
  • Collaborating artists, ensembles, and collectives are eligible to apply to this program if all project co-owners meet the individual eligibility criteria as defined above.

For more information, visit Alberta Foundation for the Arts.