Grants for Indigenous Artists in Communities and Schools Projects (Canada)

The Project is a multidisciplinary program which supports projects that bring together Ontario-based, professional Indigenous artists and arts professionals in communities and schools to provide access to the arts and create meaningful art experiences that transmit Indigenous artistic skills and cultural knowledge to participants.

Priorities

• Projects that provide people of all ages with access to authentic Indigenous artistic and cultural expression and experiences.
• Projects that involve, support and pay fees to Indigenous artists.
• Projects that take place in remote Northern fly-in Indigenous communities.
• Projects that take place in Indigenous communities and schools.
• Projects that use and revitalize Indigenous languages.
• Projects that use and revitalize traditional Indigenous art practices and cultural knowledge.
• Projects that apply an Indigenous approach to contemporary artistic expression.

Categories

• Indigenous Artists in Communities: provides funding for participatory activities which promote learning, collaboration, and engagement between practicing Indigenous artists and individuals (who aren’t professional artists) in communities throughout Ontario.
• Indigenous Artists in Schools: provides funding for artists to promote hands-on learning activities for children and youth in schools, with a focus on teaching creative artistic expression from an Indigenous perspective.
• Indigenous Languages Revitalization: provides funding for arts projects in which the primary purpose of the project is the creative use and transmission of Indigenous languages through the arts.
• Indigenous Artists in Northern Fly-in Communities: provides additional funding for Indigenous artists living and working in Northern fly-in communities, and funding for travel and accommodation expenses for artists to share and collaborate on art projects in Northern fly-in Indigenous communities.

Funding Information

• Indigenous Artists in Communities: maximum $15,000.
• Indigenous Artists in Schools: maximum $15,000.
• Indigenous Languages Revitalization: maximum $15,000.
• Indigenous Artists in Northern Fly-in Communities: maximum $17,000.

Eligibility Criteria

• An individual must:
  • Be a professional artist or arts professional
  • The OAC defines a professional artist or arts professional as someone who has developed skills through training or practice, is recognized by artists working in the same artistic tradition, has a history of public presentation or publication, seeks payment for their work and actively practices their art. Short breaks in artistic work history are acceptable.
  • 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 and, if requested, be able to provide documentation to verify this.
  • Be a resident of Ontario
  • To establish residency in Ontario, you must have lived in Ontario for at least 12 consecutive months before submitting an application. This applies to new Ontario residents and former Ontario residents returning after frequent or long-term absences.
• As an Ontario resident, you may be absent from the province only under the following circumstances to maintain your eligibility:
  • If you are absent from Ontario on a recurring basis, such absences must not exceed four months (cumulatively) of the 12 months before the submission of your application. This applies even if you kept an address in Ontario during your absence.
  • If you are absent from Ontario on a temporary, one-time basis (for a residency or contract, for example), such an absence must not exceed 12 months of the 12 months before the submission of your application. You must also have been in Ontario for at least 8 months of the year preceding an absence of this length. During this absence, you must not have applied to public funding agencies or ministries in the jurisdiction of your temporary residence.
  • If requested by OAC, you can, at any time, provide documentation to verify your residency information.
• An ad hoc group or collective must:
  • Be comprised of at least two members who meet the eligibility requirements for individuals listed above 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.

For more information, visit Ontario Arts Council.