Early Career Development – Individuals Art Grants (Canada)

Funding Information

• Maximum request amount is $30,000.

Eligible Expenses

• Travel and accommodation costs (for applicant and/or mentor) that are directly related to the activity.
• Supplies, materials, and other reasonable costs directly related to your eligible activities (not including capital expenses.
• Purchase of equipment directly related to the project up to $2,500.
• Rental or lease of specialized equipment or space directly related to the learning activities.
• Residency fees paid to a host organization.
• Fees paid to mentors and other professionals. Compensation rates for mentors may vary depending on the activity and the nature of the mentorship. Keep these notes in mind:
  • A mentor should be compensated at a level appropriate to their experience and involvement and reflecting industry standards. This may be an hourly or project rate, or other appropriate structure determined in consultation with the mentor.
• If the applicant is working with or shadowing a mentor at the mentor’s place of work, that mentor may already be receiving compensation for their time. Under these circumstances, it may be appropriate to negotiate a flat mentorship fee.
• If a mentor chooses to not receive payment for their contribution, they must acknowledge this in their letter.
• Successful applicants should develop a formal contract with the mentor confirming rate of pay, time commitment, and other arrangements as determined in advance.
• Childcare costs associated with time off for learning activities.
• Accessibility costs directly related to the project that are not eligible in the Access Support program.

Ineligible Expenses

• Project phases or activities that begin before the application closing date.
• Project deficits, budget deficits, or contingency funds.
• Capital expenses. For example, construction or renovation costs, purchase of property, or equipment purchases over $2,500.
• Feasibility studies, start-up costs, or seed money.
• Activities where arts and culture are not the primary focus.
• Activities that require payment from artists to participate; fundraising activities; conferences and conventions; family, religious, anniversary, or community celebrations.
• Contests and competitions, except if competition is integral to the art form or cultural practice, for example: hip-hop and street dance, poetry slams, powwows.
• Costs of producing commercial recordings or demo reels.
• Podcasts and radio programming that are not embedded within an established artistic practice or specifically dedicated to the dissemination of artistic works.
• Activities where art therapy, health or therapeutic work is the primary focus or outcome.
• Creation, development, or preparation of work, including for performances, and exhibitions.
• Touring or travel expenses not directly associated with the proposed activity.

Eligible Activities

• Activities must prioritize learning, knowledge transfer, and skill development, and include specific learning objectives with tangible outcomes for the Early Arts Practitioner.
• Activities may include a combination of learning and creation. However, creation, development, and revision of new work cannot be the sole or primary objective.
• Interdisciplinary knowledge transfer is eligible, but this grant program is not intended to provide basic training for applicants seeking to pivot to a new field of practice.
• Activities must take place over a minimum of eight weeks to a maximum of one year.
• Activities may take place in B.C., in Canada, or internationally.
• Virtual projects are eligible if all other criteria are met.
• It is possible to have more than one mentor or to identify a main mentor and other sources of expertise. However, a series of unrelated mentorships is not eligible. Applicants must clearly describe how different mentors contribute to a cohesive residency or mentorship project.
• You must fairly compensate arts and culture practitioners in alignment with standards in the field of practice.
• You must follow international intellectual property rights standards and cultural ownership protocols.
• A Mentorship where two or more Early Arts Practitioners engage in the same learning activities with the same mentor is eligible with these requirements:
  • Each participant and the proposed activities must meet the eligibility criteria.
  • Each participant must apply separately.
  • Each application will be assessed on its individual merit.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible, an Early Arts Practitioner must:
  • Be working or practicing in an area funded by the BC Arts Council, including but not only:
    • Arts Administration
    • Community-Based Arts
    • D/deaf, Disability and Mad Arts
    • Literary Arts (creative writing, publishing)
    • Media Arts
    • Multi- and Interdisciplinary Arts
    • Museums or Indigenous Culture Centres
    • Performing Arts (music, theatre, dance, circus arts, comedy, production and/or technical)
    • Visual Arts (critic, curator, artist in contemporary or traditional visual arts and/or craft, including Indigenous Arts)
  • Be legally allowed to work in Canada as a Canadian citizen or a Permanent Resident.
  • Ordinarily reside in B.C. and have lived in the province for at least 12 months immediately prior to the application deadline. For more information, review our Determining B.C. Residency page. The Early Arts Practitioner must be prepared to provide documentation to support residency status upon request.
  • Not be enrolled in full-time studies when the project is taking place.
  • Not have participated in two previously successful Early Career Development applications regardless of component. In other words, an individual may participate in a maximum of two Early Career Development projects in their lifetime.
  • Not be a participant in any other application in this program’s current intake.
  • Not have any overdue final reports on previous BC Arts Council grants.

For more information, visit BCA.