#projectgrant

[yegarts]

Project Feature: Solidarity Film Camp

2020 Solidarity Film Camp participants. Photo by Nanc Price Photography. 

Writer, director, producer, and editor Andrea Beça is passionate about changing the world through film. With a B.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Alberta, and a M.Litt in Playwriting and Dramaturgy from the University of Glasgow, Andrea operates abeça productions and is constantly working to break down barriers and make the film industry a more inclusive space.  

In 2019, Andrea’s project, Solidarity Film Camp (SFC), received funding through a Cultural Diversity in the Arts project grant. Created and produced by Andrea, SFC is a multi-weekend film camp that aims to educate, empower, and inspire marginalized youth in Edmonton to share their stories. SFC is grounded in the belief that it is crucial to empower those who are often voiceless to speak up, to move towards a goal of equality and diverse representation in film and TV. In this context, “marginalized youth” refers to female, trans, non-binary, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA2S+ identifying youth, as well as disabled youth, between the ages of 14-24.

We caught up with Andrea to learn more about her experiences of working on this iteration of Solidarity Film Camp, and where she hopes the project and the industry will go in the future.  

Solidarity Film Camp participants. Photo by Nanc Price Photography.

Q: What motivated you to start this project and focus on working with marginalized youth?  

A: I have been in leadership roles in theatre and film for the last 15 years, and as a fat queer woman, I have always experienced major pushback. Unfortunately, these industries are most highly populated – and often gate kept – by cishet white men, and that lack of diversity and representation creates so many barriers to entry for anyone who doesn’t fit into that same demographic. As a result of years of facing blatant sexism (among other things), I decided to use the privileges I do have as a white woman to open as many doors as I can for others, and work actively to improve representation in the film industry starting right here in Edmonton. I’ve always focused the stories I tell on creating social change and on hiring as many women, IBPOC folks, queer folks, and disabled folks as I can, but I wanted to go further than just what I can do myself by empowering others with the skills and confidence to tell their own stories, too. We need under-represented voices telling stories in film and TV and all other media.

Q: What was one of your biggest learnings/takeaways from this project?  

A: I learned so much, it’s difficult to pick just one. January 2020 was the first iteration of Solidarity Film Camp. It was very much a grassroots project, created by just me. While it was amazing and I am incredibly proud of it, I am also very aware of the limitations of the camp being created and run by just me, as a cis white woman. The conversations I had throughout the camp with the participants, who represented so many different intersections, were priceless, and I learned so much about how to make future iterations of the camp even more inclusive, even more diverse, and even more accessible. That’s what I’ve been processing and working on as I start to envision and dream of future years.

Photos by Nanc Price Photography. 

Q: What was the best part of the camp for you?  

A: Watching the participants beam with excitement and confidence as their projects started to come together is a feeling I don’t know if I can even put words to. Watching them listen to actors rehearse lines they wrote and being able to feel the energy in the room was unreal. What they accomplished in two weekends was no small feat. The fact that they all showed up for one another, focused, and worked long days for one another – it still makes me tear up just writing about it! And now I get to see them on social media, staying in touch, collaborating and supporting one another. It’s just beautiful.

Q: What are changes within the film industry that you think would make it more accessible for marginalized youth?  

A: There are a lot of changes that need to happen in the film industry to make it accessible for anyone who isn’t a cishet white male. This isn’t just about youth! The fact that in Canada, only 27% of TV directors are women – with 5% of those being women of colour and a staggering 0% being Indigenous women – is just one small piece of a giant, disturbing picture of representation both on and off screen. The quickest way to start making change is simple: start funding women, IBPOC folks, LGBTQIA2S+ folks, and disabled folks to tell their own stories.

Q: Do you think you’ll do the camp again? If yes, what are your dreams and aspirations for future of Solidarity Film Camp?  

A: Yes, I sure hope so! Right now, with the pandemic changing everything, it’s hard to say when the next Solidarity Film Camp will happen, but it will happen at some point. My dreams are to make it much bigger, to have a whole team of folks from all intersections developing the camp curriculum, to have an even more diverse group of workshop leaders, and so on. I want the camp to feel like home to all intersections of people who are completely left out of the film & TV industry. It's my dream that we can all learn, feel confident, and work together to change the world.

To celebrate the Cultural Diversity in the Arts project grant recipients, Cineflair produced short videos profiling the recipients and their projects. You can watch Andrea’s video here, and watch more recipient videos on the Edmonton Arts Council’s YouTube page. 

[artekunstartgr]

🧡 @prospectartproject Prospect Art is looking for visual artists that require financial assistance to finish the production of new work 🧡 https://linktr.ee/Prospect_Art ⬅️ We are looking to support work by professional artists not currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs. The New Work program provides a $1000 mini-grant twice a year to an individual artist or artists' collective. The grant is to help fund a project that is already in progress. We are interested in conceptual based projects. Previous recipients @luca_._spano @outside_observer.art @sylvain.souklaye . This opportunity is for artists based anywhere in the world. Proposals due January 31st, 2023. Link in Bio to apply. #prospectart #opencall #opencallforartists #projectgrant #artistrun #artistsupport #artistrunspace #artistinitiative #contemporaryart (at Worldwide) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmuAcipqQbS/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[artistopencalls]

🧡 @prospectartproject Prospect Art is looking for visual artists that require financial assistance to finish the production of new work 🧡 https://linktr.ee/Prospect_Art ⬅️ We are looking to support work by professional artists not currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs. The New Work program provides a $1000 mini-grant twice a year to an individual artist or artists' collective. The grant is to help fund a project that is already in progress. We are interested in conceptual based projects. Previous recipients @luca_._spano @outside_observer.art @sylvain.souklaye . This opportunity is for artists based anywhere in the world. Proposals due January 31st, 2023. Link in Bio to apply. #prospectart #opencall #opencallforartists #projectgrant #artistrun #artistsupport #artistrunspace #artistinitiative #contemporaryart (at Worldwide) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmpCYC7I5Pu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[ajwang-caren-nancy]

Our Mission is to take pressure off your time and the pain points on your writing and training needs so that you can focus on more important daily tasks and what you do best!

[nyfacurrent]

Announcing | Keep NYS Creating Project Grant Recipients

The Keep NYS Creating program is helping to support 42 projects from across New York State.

New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), in partnership with New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), is proud to announce the recipients of the Keep NYS Creating Project Grant. The program was established to help artists in Western New York, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Central New York, North Country, Mohawk Valley, Capital District, Mid-Hudson, and Long Island continue their creative projects that have been interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is made possible by NYSCA, with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Keep NYS Creating Project Grant was open to artists who previously applied to the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship program in 2018, 2019, and/or 2020 who work in the categories of Architecture/Environmental Structures/Design, Choreography, Craft/Sculpture, Digital/Electronic Arts, Fiction, Folk/Traditional Arts, Interdisciplinary Work, Music/Sound, Nonfiction Literature, Painting, Photography, Playwriting/Screenwriting, Poetry, Printmaking/Drawing/Book Arts, and/or Video/Film.

The grant will enable 2D, 3D, and installation artist Elisa Pritzker (Mid-Hudson) to design a print a full color catalog of an installation that was unveiled ABClatino Art Space in Poughkeepsie, NY in March 2020 and has since gone unseen due to COVID-19. It will enable poet Jacob Rakovan (Finger Lakes) to perform a cycle of poems that were recently awarded the Thornwillow Press Patron’s Prize, bringing the work to new audiences. Painter Suzanne Onodera (Southern Tier) will use the grant to complete a project that illustrates the emotional landscape of the paternal and maternal sides of her Japanese American family who were and were not incarcerated under Executive Order 9066 during World War II. 

For Onodera, receiving the Keep NYS Creating Project Grant “feels as though you can take that extra mile in the pursuit of your work, that someone out there believes in your vision, and most importantly: that you can keep creating.” 

Keep NYS Creating Project Grant Recipients

Julie Ann Bero-Emerson, Finger Lakes

Tiffany Bradley, Mid-Hudson 

Anita Brown, Mid-Hudson 

Adrian D. Carr, North Country 

Veena Chandra, Capital District 

Natasha Chuk, Capital District 

Robert M. Doyle, Finger Lakes 

Boryana Dimitrova Dragoeva, Central New York 

Walter Early, North Country 

Seth Faergolzia, Western New York

Matthew Friday, Mid-Hudson

Jeremiah Jamel Gaines, Mid-Hudson

Frederic Glover, North Country

Phil Hastings, Western New York

Annie Hayes, Southern Tier

Christine N Heller, Mohawk Valley

Kenneth J Jackson, Long Island

Maria Kozak, Mohawk Valley

Colin Lyons, Souther Tier

Timothy Manley, Long Island

Patricia Maurides, Long Island

Lacey McKinney, Central New York

Shayok Mukhopadhyay, Mid-Hudson

Onel Naar, Long Island

Byron Nilsson, Mohawk Valley

Suzanne Onodera, Southern Tier

Elisa Pritzker, Mid-Hudson

Jacob Rakovan, Finger Lakes

Aidan Ryan, Western New York

Jamie Leigh Sampson, Western New York

Marianne Schultz, Capital District

Rachel Shelton, Western New York

Madeline Silber, Mohawk Valley

Rebecca Soderholm, North Country

Jeffrey Alan Starr, Capital District

Becca Van K, Mid-Hudson

Kathryn Walat, Capital District

Anna Warfield, Southern Tier

Matthew E. Wilson, Long Island

Hannah Wnorowski, Central New York

Rebecca Ruige Xu, Central New York

Annemarie Zwack, Finger Lakes

If you need resources, please check our Emergency Grants page on NYFA’s website. We are updating it regularly as new funding comes in. You can find more articles on arts career topics by visiting the Business of Art section of NYFA.org. Sign up for NYFA News and receive artist resources and upcoming events straight to your inbox.

The Keep NYS Creating Project Grant is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Image: Lacey McKinney (Central New York), Reconfiguration 16, 2020, oil and acrylic on panel

[sophiaede]

Arts Council Funding Masterclass

In planning my professional practice after graduation this year I think it will be likely I will apply for funding. This will most likely be for the Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) funding but I am also interested in creating community events in the future which may require project funding. Through my connection with Ideas Hub Chelmsford charity I was invited to a masterclass in applying for Arts Council England’s Let’s Create funding. Prior to this masterclass I had no knowledge of how to apply for funding and found the masterclass class highly useful in understanding the steps required. Below are the notes I took away from the session:

At Mercury Theatre, Colchester on 11.01.22

Delivered by Dilek Latif, Talent Development Producer at Mercury Theatre, and Abbi Roberts, Development Director at Mercury Theatre.

Applying for Arts Council England (ACE), Let’s Create funding. Projects that focus on public engagement.

https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/letscreate

Applications must cover the following Investment Principles:

- Ambition & Quality

- Dynamism

- Environmental Responsibility

- Inclusivity & Relevance

All applications are done through Grantium, the online grant system.

https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/get-funding/our-application-portal-grantium

Create an account as early as possible as needs to go through a verification period and acceptance before any application can be started. An account can be set up as either an individual or as an organisation. As an organisation multiple individuals can perform as admin so it doesn’t matter if you have already made an individual account prior to joining an organisation. If access support is needed, for example in the case of disability, ACE will fund that support.

National Lottery Project Grants

https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/ProjectGrants

There is an eligibility quiz available on ACE website before starting the application. Applications for less than £30,000 can be up to 8 weeks to be decided. Applications over £30,000 can take up to 12 weeks. Funding can be for projects between 1 and 3 years. There is separate guidance on the ACE website for under £30,000 applications and over £30,000. The project grants are for work that benefits others. The decision period can be extended by ACE and they would post about it on the website. Funding applications on Grantium doesn’t allow progress to be saved so it is best to write your application in a word document and then copy and paste into Grantium.

Your Project:

- A 50 word summary (300 character limit that includes spaces)

- A more detailed description (800 characters). Spell out the obvious.

- What type of activity does your project mainly focus on?

- Audience and participants. How many people will experience your project, including those involved and how/why?

Project Plan – a fixed table. Summarise the main stages and tasks of the project. Include start and date, activity details and task lead. Do not forget to include planning time, admin time and evaluation time in calculations. The start date must be at least 10 weeks after the application submission to allow for the 8 weeks decision period by ACE.

Finance,

Table templates are available on ACE website. Include calculations in the description and ensure they are correct. It will need to include earned outcome and how it is a realistic value. If the project receives less income how will you still meet the project’s aims. ACE won’t fully cover the fee and you will require match funding. This can be money you raise or can be in kind from others and you use the monetary value. Match funding must be at least 10%. Expenditure is completed in another table. It is important to include a budget for marketing for the project. It is good to include a contingency of 10% extra.

ACE love projects with partners and collaborators. Collaborators can write a letter of support as proof for submission. ACE like this as it is likely to avoid later problems.

There are three categories for applying for funding:

Creative People – Individuals

Cultural Communities – Groups

A Creative and Cultural Country – unlikely to be applied to unless a large company.

Investment Principles

Applications for over £100,000 only need to complete the section on Inclusivity and Relevance.

Dynamism – work in reaction to the environment.

Diversity – Think about how diversity strengthens your project. How will you include diversity and how will you encourage diversity in your audience.

Attachments in the submission must be made up of only 1 document with a maximum of 5 pages. The only attachment that may be mandatory if relevant, is if you need permission to apply. This may be because you have already submitted a grant application for another project or for another organisation.

There are plenty of fact sheets available on the ACE website for guidance. You can also call them.

[nicolaslaborie]

Fascinating talk by @aceagrams #projectgrants #artscouncil #england #art #multidisciplinary with @gem_seltz and Andrew Ellerby @toynbeestudios (at Toynbee Studios (Artsadmin))

[artistopencalls]

💙🧡 @prospectartproject NEW WORK – Open Call - $1000 Project Grant 💙🧡➡️ https://linktr.ee/Prospect_Art 👀 We have increased the project grant from $500 to $1000 and have slightly changed the criteria to be early stage projects and not completion funds. Prospect Art is looking for visual artists that require financial assistance to finish the production of new work. We are looking to support work by professional artists not currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs. The New Work program provides a $1000 mini-grant twice a year to an individual artist or artists' collective. A new project should be in its initial stages and can be completed within the next 6 months. For the summer NEW WORK grant we are specifically looking for works that are not completed and have just been started. Link in Bio to apply! Proposals Due July 20th, 2022 #opencall #opencallforartists #grant #projectgrant #prospectart https://www.instagram.com/p/CfEYLETIktz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[ajwang-caren-nancy]

HOW TO WRITE GRANT PROPOSALS THAT WIN

What Entails Grant Proposal Writing

Proposal writing is both an art and a science. Whereas everyone can learn the “science” of proposal writing, the “art” part may seem a bit difficult. Writing a grant proposal is an exercise in logic. A winning grant proposal is one written that follows the rules set by the funder and/or in a manner that makes sense to the reviewers.

What a Winning Grant Proposal Does

The key to success is in creating a proposal that is well thought out, and the argument must flow rationally through the proposal’s various sections, building the impression that funding of the proposed project is reasonable, sensible, and desirable. Therefore, a winning grant proposal:-

• Identifies a problem;

• Explains the project’s intent to resolve the problem and sets measurable markers of success;

• Describes steps that will be taken to reach the objectives;

• Introduces the individuals who will carry out the activities;

• Outlines procedures for measuring the project’s success in meeting its objectives; and

• Estimates the funding needed to complete the project as proposed (Budget).

Component of a Winning Grant Proposal

ABSTRACT (OR EXECUTIVE SUMMARY): Usually at most a one-page (or less) summary of the core concepts presented in the proposal. It appears before the narrative and gives the reader a clear idea of what is coming. An abstract must be clear, concise, and compelling. The abstract identifies the applicant organization and gives a sense of its ability to implement the project.

TABLE OF CONTENTS: The proposal should include a brief (no more than one page) table of contents, following the abstract, which outlines its sections and cites page numbers for each.

INTRODUCTION: The introduction serves to acquaint the reader with the applicant. The introduction should provide background information the reader needs to understand the proposal and lead directly into the need statement, taking the reader from the general to the specific. To be most effective, the introduction should be brief so it doesn’t wear the reader out too early; to the point so it doesn’t lose the reader in miscellaneous, unnecessary facts; and interesting so it captures the reader’s imagination.

NEED STATEMENT: The need statement is the most important part of any proposal. Unfortunately, it is also often the most poorly written section. The need statement has two purposes: to explain how your needs meet the funder’s interests and priorities; and to establish the specific problem the proposed project will address.

OBJECTIVES: Objectives are simply the intent of the project. They indicate what the project will achieve and the time it will need to reach its goals. Objectives should be concise, specific, measurable, and relate directly to the need. As an extension of the need statement that described the current situation, the objectives statement, describes what the situation will be after implementation.

ACTIVITIES: The section outlining project activities (commonly called the methodology section) is simply an explanation of how the project will reach its objectives. The description of activities should focus on the aspects of the project that will resolve or prevent the problems identified in the need statement by obtaining the results promised in the objectives. A project should undertake only activities that will move it toward the objectives. The rule of thumb for activities is, if they are not necessary for reaching the objectives, omit them from the proposal.

PERSONNEL: The personnel section of a proposal should show that the persons who will be assigned or hired to implement project activities have the skills and experience necessary for a successful program.

EVALUATION: Funders want to know that their money will be well spent and who will benefit from the project and to what extent. Evaluation should be important to grantseekers as a means of showing funders that they are capable, reliable, and can be trusted with future grants.

BUDGET: The budget should reflect the costs of the items and activities described in the project narrative portion of the proposal. If an item is not described and justified in the narrative, it should not appear in the budget. The converse also is true: If an item is listed in the narrative, it should show up in the budget. The relationship between the budget and the project description should be so tight that a reader can determine what the project is by simply reading the budget.

APPENDIX: If the RFP allows an appendix, keep it brief and remember that it should support the rationale and logic of the entire proposal. Keep in mind that readers have limited time to review and score proposals and do not have time to read every item that is included in the appendix.

DISSEMINATION PLAN: Occasionally, funders require grantees to develop plans for disseminating project results so the project can be replicated in other locations. Check the budget section of the RFP to see what, if any, dissemination costs are allowable.

SUSTAINABILITY: Often, funders want to know how a grantee will continue a project after grant funding runs out. Funders are not interested in best intentions and dreams for the future; they want a specific, credible plan that shows where funding and resources will come from after they are out of the picture.

FOR DETAILED GUIDELINE ON GRANT PROPOSAL WRITING AND OR A FREE TEMPLATE/SAMPLE OF GRANT PROPOSAL, EMAIL US AT techinvak@gmail.com or WhatsApp +254111380358

[yegarts]

Artist Project Grant recipient: Maria Dunn celebrates resilience, gratitude, and joy on new album Joyful Banner Blazing

Maria Dunn, 2020. Photo Credit: David Williamson

Maria Dunn is a true preserver of the spirit of folk music. The twice Juno-nominated singer-songwriter is often compared to Woody Guthrie for her keen social awareness and unvarnished melodic songs about ordinary people. Her seventh album Joyful Banner Blazing (2021) — created with the of support of a large Artist Project Grant from the Edmonton Arts Council — celebrates resilience, grace, gratitude, solidarity, joy, and the love that fires our actions to make the world a better place.

Over the course of the last few years since the release of her album Gathering (2016) Dunn has had plenty of time to build up a reservoir of new material to share with her audience. As a practiced purveyor of stories, many of the songs from Joyful Banner Blazing draw inspiration from Edmonton’s history, paying tribute to Edmonton’s workers and community advocates — a thread that has run through Dunn’s music over the course of her 22-year career.  

Through song, Dunn masterfully tells the stories that connect us to the past, searching out real-life stories that are often overlooked. One such example is the song “Waltzing with the Angels” that tells the story of the Métis Ironworkers who helped build Edmonton’s CN tower in the mid-60s. Dunn was approached by Indigenous rights activist Muriel Stanley Venne to write the song after she and other members of the Alberta Labour History Institute had interviewed these workers in 2018 about their experiences as young men.

This type of collaboration  is not an uncommon practice for Dunn. “Heart in Hand” and “Secondhand Skates” were originally part of a multimedia project called Packingtown, inspired by the people who lived and worked in Edmonton’s historic meatpacking industry of northeast Edmonton. Dunn worked with three collaborators: videographer/historian Don Bouzek, historian Catherine C. Cole, and community advocate Janice Melnychuk, on telling the story of Packingtown. For Dunn, working on these projects have taught her to see past the historically dominant colonial narrative of our city, province, and country. “There is so much work to be done in our world for racial equity, decolonization, social justice and inclusion of all people,” says Dunn. “It is more important than ever to tell stories about the countless people working for social justice, local and global, who inspire us with their persistence, their hope and their courage.”

“I was raised on a tradition of folks songs that tell those kinds of stories and so it was natural for me to start to write songs that would carry that tradition forward,” adds Dunn. “My own writing about history initially came out of learning about and writing songs about stories from my own family history. That was part of getting to know who I was. From there, I became interested in stories of other people that sparked an emotional reaction in me — stories of real people, living history, getting through difficult times; the beauty of stories of compassion and solidarity where people lift each other up, where people work together to make their lives and the lives of others better.”

In addition to documenting moments of Edmonton’s past, the album carries a strong personal theme of gratitude and love for family. “Ontario Song”, a song written 20 years ago and recorded before the COVID pandemic, speaks of staying connected across the vast distances of this country — a song made even more relevant today with the continuing travel restrictions. The importance and impact of family also resonates with the title track “Joyful Banner Blazing.” “The song was written in tribute to my late aunt, Sister Cecily Dunn, a lifelong community advocate for young people in London, UK,” says Dunn. In 2015 while on tour in Ireland, Dunn was able to meet up with her aunt and enjoyed a precious couple of hours of deep conversation. Following her passing six months later, Dunn heard the story about her funeral and how the people in her community lined the roadway as the funeral car passed and sang one of the folk songs she was known to sing — “She’ll be comin’ round the mountain.” “I knew that I wanted to share that story in song and share her beautiful motto: "You are young, you are precious, you are loved.”

Cover art from the album Joyful Banner Blazing by Maria Dunn (2021).  Designed by Jeff Sylvester, Cut+Paste Design Inc.

Like many artists, creating new work during the last year presented its own unique set of challenges. “The recording phase was completed in January 2020 but the lockdown in March did affect the final phase of our mixing process,” recalls Dunn. “We had to finish mixing without myself, producer Shannon Johnson and engineer Terry Tran being able to meet together in the studio, so that slowed down coming to a consensus on the final mixes. We all had to listen in our own homes and confer by phone and email on various tweaks.” And while the pandemic may have affected many factors that come along with an album release, Dunn was kept just as busy with the promotion and logistics for the release. “Even without a live tour, there is much work to be done to properly launch an album!”

When it became clear that the initial album release at Festival Place was going to be postponed from the original May 31, 2020 date, Dunn decided to put the album release on pause and dedicate more time to creation, focusing on songwriting, playing some physically distanced outdoor shows and Zoom concerts, and pre-recording videos for online festivals.  

While tours have been postponed yet again, Dunn is excited to be able to share the album with listeners through physical CD copies and on all digital platforms. “We will celebrate with a live concert when that is possible,” says Dunn. “And in the meantime, I’m delighted that Joyful Banner Blazing has been well-received by the folk music community thus far and that songs from the advance copies of the album are already wafting over the radio airwaves on CBC Radio, CKUA, BBC Scotland and countless campus/community radio stations around the world.”

Starting January 29, 2021, Joyful Banner Blazing will be available on all digital platforms, and you can pick up a physical copy at your local record shop and by mail order from Maria’s website: http://www.mariadunn.com

[yegarts]

Equity & Access in the Arts: Grants for Individuals and Collectives

Edmonton’s arts and culture scene is a vibrant tapestry of different voices, perspectives, and artistic practices. Through Connections & Exchanges: A 10-Year Plan To Transform Arts and Heritage In Edmonton, the Edmonton Arts Council is committed to supporting a wide range of artforms and communities, which includes increased support for artists and arts professionals from Indigenous and equity-seeking groups.

These commitments recognize that some artists and arts professionals face systemic, historical, cultural and/or language barriers to accessing support. The EAC has a role in helping to address that situation by removing barriers and investing in the work of these artists.

The COVID-19 health restrictions and their impacts on our community pushed us to revise some timelines in the implementation of Connections & Exchanges, putting the support of individuals front of mind as we come into the fall of 2020.  

This week we released the guidelines for the 2020 Equity and Access in the Arts program with a deadline of October 15, 2020. This replaces the Cultural Diversity in the Arts program that provided an access point for many artists in our community for the past 12 years. The intent of the revision is to expand the scope of the program and better align with the directions provided in Connections & Exchanges.

What is the Equity & Access in the Arts grant program?

While artists may apply to any Edmonton Arts Council program, many face systemic, historical, cultural and/or language barriers to accessing support. The Equity & Access in the Arts program is designed to invest in a thriving and diverse arts community 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, the colour of their skin, their disabilities, sexual orientation and identity and/or immigration status.

Through this investment, these artists will pursue their artistic work, advance their skills and develop and strengthen connections to the broader Edmonton arts community. In recognition of our commitments, the potential investment in artists through this program for 2020 will be up to double that from 2019 (through the former Cultural Diversity in the Arts program).

How does this program differ from the Cultural Diversity in the Arts project grant?  

Similar to the recently-revised September 15 project guidelines for Individual Artists and Collectives, this program is split into three streams, each with different funding levels and application requirements to help support a broader range of artistic exploration, development and creation. Artists may only submit to one stream. The three streams are broken down as follows:  

Stream 1: Exploration and Experimentation To support an artist to work on current solo creation, experimentation or research activities.  Grant amounts are fixed at $5,000 to support subsistence while the artist takes the time to work.

Stream 2: Skills and Career Development   To support professional development and mentorship-based projects for artists and arts professionals. Projects may be solo or collective, and grants are available up to $10,000 based on actual or projected project expenses, including artist subsistence.

Stream 3: Major Artist-Driven Projects   To support artist-initiated projects, including production/presentation that is clearly considered in light of public health advice and restrictions. Projects may be solo or collective, and grants will be available up to $25,000 based on projected project expenses, including artist subsistence.

Where do I find more information?  

The guidelines and FAQ documents for the Equity & Access in the Arts program are posted on edmontonarts.ca. If you are interested in applying for this program, or any other grant opportunity, please be sure to read through the guidelines first. If you have any questions or need any support, the EAC staff is available to assist: grants@edmontonarts.ca or 780-424-2787.

There is an upcoming grants workshop on Wednesday, September 16th that focuses on the new Equity & Access in the Arts grant program. What the Fund? Equity & Access Grants for Individual Artists will run from 6 – 7:30 p.m. MDT and is open to artists from all disciplines. To better understand how best to match your work with available funding, we encourage you to sign up for this free online workshop. Email grants@edmontonarts.ca to RSVP. 

[yegarts]

Fall 2020 Arts Grants for Individuals and Collectives

Artists in our community create space for us to challenge our assumptions, better understand our past, explore new ideas or revive old ones, and gain a better understanding of who we are as a city. And as the world around us changes, funders must adapt so these vital perspectives continue to be supported.  

In spring 2020 the EAC made temporary but significant changes to our programs in response to the pandemic health crisis. This included supporting 121 artists through the new Creators’ Reserve program and suspending the 2020 summer Artist Project Grant deadline.

The health restrictions and their impact on our community have pushed us to revise some timelines in the implementation of Connections & Exchanges, putting the support of individuals front of mind as we come into the fall of 2020.  

In June we administered an online survey to individual artists in the community. More than 250 individuals responded to questions about their current practice and what the EAC might change for the remainder of 2020. The three most-supported actions were:

Focus on supporting artists to pursue individual creation. 90% positive

Focus on equity and inclusion in grant applications and the granting process. 79% positive

Change the focus of project grants to emphasize the value of creation or professional development and reduce the emphasis on public presentation when assessing support for individual artists. 73% positive

Based on that input, we have chosen to focus on the following specifics from Connections & Exchanges for the fall of 2020 (addressing the Aims and Actions found in Connections & Exchanges in Book 4, on page 8):

Foster experimentation

Artists from equity-seeking groups

Professional development and mentorships

Last week the EAC re-committed to the September 1, 2020 deadline for the Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund, which is a partnership with the Edmonton Community Foundation. This award recognizes artists from the Edmonton region that have pursued and achieved excellence in their artistic discipline, and provides an investment of $15,000 to ten individuals that they can use to support their ongoing artistic experimentation.

This week we have released the guidelines for the 2020 Arts Grants for Individuals and Collectives, with a deadline of September 15, 2020.  This program is split into three streams, with different funding levels and application requirements, to help support a broader range of artistic exploration, development, and creation. The three streams are broken down as follows:  

Stream 1: Exploration and Experimentation To support an artist to work on current solo creation, experimentation or research activities.  Grant amounts are fixed at $5,000 to support subsistence while the artist takes the time to work.

Stream 2: Skills and Career Development   To support professional development and mentorship-based projects for artists and arts professionals. Projects may be solo or collective, and grants are available up to $10,000 based on actual or projected project expenses, including artist subsistence.

Stream 3: Major Artist-Driven Projects   To support artist-initiated projects, including production/presentation that is clearly considered in light of public health advice and restrictions. Projects may be solo or collective, and grants will be available up to $25,000 based on projected project expenses, including artist subsistence.

Connections & Exchanges also commits the EAC to increasing our support and investment in artists from Equity-seeking groups. To that end, in the coming weeks we will be finalizing and releasing revised guidelines for an October 15th deadline to replace the Cultural Diversity in the Arts program. In the past 12 years that program has provided an access point, investing in artists that have faced barriers in the past. The intent of the revised program is to expand on that access, in line with more current definitions and the directions provided in the Connections & Exchanges plan.

The guidelines and FAQ documents will be posted on edmontonarts.ca.  If you are interested in nominating an artist for the EATF, or applying for one of the other grant opportunities, please be sure to read through the guidelines first. If you have any questions or need any support, the EAC staff is available to assist: grants@edmontonarts.ca or 780-424-2787.