Art Grants in Canada

There are not very many institutions in Canada that award art grants. However, the Canada Council for the Arts does offer a variety of grants depending on the art specialization an individual is involved in. Let’s take a look at the various grants that are offered by the CCA.

DANCE

The CCA offers grants for the dissemination, production and creation of works of dance. In addition the Council funds the professional development, artists’ travel, operating activities of professional organizations including festivals and tours.

The grant programs that are given by the Council under the classification of dance grants are numerous and cover the various forms of dances. Here’s a list:

  • Aboriginal Dance Professionals
  • Dance Professionals
  • Travel Grants to Dance Professionals
  • Dance Touring Grants-International
  • Production Project Grants in Dance
  • Dance on Screen Production Fund
  • Dance Presentation Program Support to Festivals
  • Support Services to the Dance Millieu Project Funding
  • Creation/Production in Dance Annual Funding

Just to mention a few, the Council not only awards dance grants but also prizes and endowments on the basis of dance.

MUSIC

When it comes to music, the Canada Council of the Arts provides financial assistance for the development of groups, orchestras, small ensembles, and other professionals working in the Canadian music industry.

To qualify for a grant, the individual or group of artists has to send an application to the council before a stated deadline. There are also a number of eligibility conditions that need to be fulfilled before the application is considered for a grant. Similar to the Dance grants, the Music grants cover a wide range of variety. Here’s a number of them:

  • Music Festival Travel Grants
  • Aboriginal People Music Program
  • Grants to Professional Musicians
  • Touring Grants Music: Domestic, Canada/U.S ., International
  • Professional Choir Program; Annual
  • And many more.

Writing and Publishing

In addition to music and dance, the CCA offers grants to professional Canadian publishers and writers. Additionally, it also promotes the translation, creation, promotion and publication of Canadian literature. If interested in applying for a grant under this category, you should also note that the CCA also financially facilitates author residencies, festivals and literary readings. The Council also supports contemporary fields under this category such as rap poetry, electronic literature and storytelling.

A broad selection of grants is available under this category. For a full list you may view the website.

VISUAL ARTS

The CCA offers visual arts grants via the Visual Arts Section. The aim of this department is to offer production, dissemination support and creation in crafts, architecture, visual arts, photography and the visual arts. The Council greatly encourages independent work from curators and critics. Through the use of a variety of grants, the council also funds the activities of museums, independent artists, professional arts organizations and artist-run centers.

Some of the grants offered under this category are:

  • Assistance to Visual Artists: Project Grants
  • International Residencies Program in Visual Arts
  • Aboriginal Traditional Art Forms: Program for Individual Artists
  • Assistance to Artist-Run Centers

These of course are just a number of grants that are offered by the Canada Council for Arts the wide array of grants offered by the Council is broad. For a full description and grant application procedure, you may visit their website.