Call for Applications: Professional Development Grant (Canada)

Deadline: 14 December 2023

The British Columbia Arts Council is accepting applications for the Professional Development grants to assist professional artists, cultural practitioners, production and technical personnel, and arts administrators with specific, short-term learning activities intended to advance their practice or career.

Funding Information

The maximum request amount is $7,500.

Eligible Activities

Eligible activities may include, but are not limited to:
- Course or Workshop: This may include masterclasses or private studies with a specific focus. Online courses are eligible if registration is required, live instruction or mentorship is provided, and classes follow a schedule. Self-directed online learning is not eligible. Projects with multiple courses or workshops must be connected to overarching learning goals.
- Mentorship: An individual structured relationship with a qualified professional, or group of professionals. Projects with multiple mentors must be connected to overarching learning goals.
- Learning Residency: A learning-based residency that includes significant opportunities for skill development or knowledge exchange. Self-directed residencies without significant opportunities for learning and knowledge transfer are not eligible. For creation-based residency projects, consider applying for a discipline-specific Individual Arts Grant. An individual structured relationship with a qualified professional, or group of professionals. Projects with multiple mentors must be connected to overarching learning goals.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, you must:
- be a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident who ordinarily resides in B.C. and has lived in the province for at least 12 months immediately prior to submitting an application.
- demonstrate professional status by meeting the following criteria:
  - have completed appropriate and relevant training in your discipline at a level that would be recognized as professional by other practitioners working in similar disciplines;
  - have a minimum two years of professional practice in your field following basic training;
  - be recognized as professional by other practitioners working in a similar discipline;
  - be committed to working full-time at your practice when financially possible;
  - Discipline-specific criteria:
    - Performing Artist
    - Visual or Craft Artist: at least two professionally curated shows or exhibitions where artists fees have been received;
    - Visual Arts Critic or Curator: have curated two or more exhibitions or published two or more works of critical writing for which you have received professional fees;
    - Media Artist: have directed/created or hold creative control on at least one project subsequent to basic training for which you have been paid professional fees.
    - Creative Writer: at least one book professionally published;
    - Arts Administration, Publishing, Producer, Artistic Support Staff: two or more years of full- or part-time paid employment (permanent or contract) in arts or cultural administration or artistic support at an arts and culture organization or at a professional book or periodical publisher;
    - Deaf, Disability and Mad Arts: a demonstrated body of work in or across any artistic practice;
    - Community-Engaged Arts Practice: facilitated two participatory arts projects in a community setting or learning environment;
    - Multi- and Interdisciplinary Practice: a demonstrated body of professional public work that integrates multiple fields of practice;
    - Museum or Indigenous Culture Centre Professional: two or more years of full- or part-time paid employment (permanent or contract) in a museum or Indigenous Cultural Centre;
    - Production and Technical Personnel: two or more years of full- or regular part-time paid employment (permanent or contract) in arts and cultural production or as a technician in an arts and cultural institution, organization, or venue.

Ineligible

Grants are not available to support:
- expenses incurred or activities started prior to submitting the application;
- projects focused on creation, presentation, or production;
- research not directly connected to learning activities;
- self-directed studies;
- vocational or unpaid work placements required for accreditation, e.g., apprenticeship;
- training to support teaching of non-professional artists, e.g., community-based programs or teaching children;
- training for arts therapy;
- touring expenses;
- travel solely for the purpose of attending a conference or annual general meeting.