Written by
3 October 2024

Funding

  • Open Now. The Ministry of Post-Secondary Education & Future Skills provides funding through the Indigenous Skills Training and Education program (ISTE) to support self-determined, community-based, and culturally relevant skills training and education programs. Please contact PSFS staff by email ([email protected]) to obtain more information on criteria and how to apply.

 Amplify BC Programs

  • Live Music Program. Closes October 2, 2024. This program supports B.C.-based live music events, creating engagement opportunities for audiences and artists. $2,000 – $50,000 per applicant company (across both funding streams), funding up to 50% of eligible expenses.
  • The Music Industry Initiatives Program. Closes March 1, 2025. This program supports initiatives that grow and develop British Columbia’s music ecosystem. Successful projects will build the capacity of B.C.’s music industry through training, knowledge transfer, and the creation of new business opportunities. Canadian companies, not-for-profit organizations, individuals, and collectives are able to apply. $2,000 – $60,000, funding up to 75% of project expenses. The remaining 25% may be in-kind contributions, investment, earned revenue, and/or other public funding.

Indigenous Screen Office Programs

  • Finishing Fund. Closes September 27, 2024.
  • Marketing, Promotion and Distribution. Rolling deadline or until October 2, 2024. 
  • Production. Closes October 11, 2024.
  • Sector Development. Rolling deadline or until February 1, 2025. 
  • Travel Funding. Rolling deadline or until March 1, 2025.

Screen BC Short Film Award. Closes September 30, 2024. This is an industry initiative of Screen BC, in partnership with Creative BC, Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada, and the Whistler Film Festival Society. This award supports an emerging filmmaker to develop their directing career by realizing a unique creative vision in a short film project. The award consists of up to $15K in cash plus in-kind services valued up to $100K from across the industry. The completed project screens at the subsequent Whistler Film Festival.

Endangered Languages Documentation Programme. Closes October 1, 2024.  This program provides grants for the documentation of endangered languages globally.  ELDP especially welcomes applications from documenters from language communities, local scholars and students from the country where the language is spoken/signed, as well as collaborative and interdisciplinary projects. There are no restrictions on nationality or host institution, language documenters of any nationality to undertake projects in any part of the world with our funding. Small Grants (SG): up to 10,000 Euros for up to 12 months. Individual Graduate Scholarships (IGS): support for PhD students for up to 36 months, including a stipend for living expenses (no salary and no tuition) and fieldwork expenses. Individual Postdoctoral Fellowships (IPF): support for early career scholars for up to 24 months, including salary and fieldwork expenses, up to 250,000 Euros. Major Documentation Projects (MDP): any project over 10,000 Euros, lasting up to 36 months, for a maximum of 300,000 Euros. Legacy Materials Grants (LMG): up to 10,000 Euros to support the digitization and archiving of existing analogue language recordings is at risk of loss or damage.

Impact Mentorship for Documentaries in Development by underrepresented creators. Closes October 7, 2024. Many documentarians create a film to increase awareness and understanding of a pressing issue or story by spotlighting, investigating, or humanizing what is happening, in hopes that their films will make a difference. At the core of impact work is a collection of best practices that take into account how a film will be used as a tool for social change once it is complete. Story Money Impact (SMI) is offering 10 impact coaching hours to three Canadian documentary films (20–90 minutes in length) by underrepresented creators that are in the development phases of their projects, so that they can be better positioned for impact upon completion.

Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Grant. Closes October 7, 2024. Funds are available to support projects that build intercultural interaction, trust and understanding, or projects that challenge racism, hate and systemic barriers. For the 2024-25 cycle, the program’s focus is on projects that reduce systemic racism and hate incidents and build capacity in racialized communities. Preference will be given to applications submitted by racialized and marginalized groups. To qualify for a grant, the submitted project must start on or after April 1, 2025, and must conclude by March 31, 2026. Eligible organizations can apply for grants up to $5,000.

BC Arts Council Grant Programs. The BC Arts Council has MANY programs with intakes throughout the year. Please visit their website for information for all opportunities: https://www.bcartscouncil.ca/program.

  • Individual Arts Grants: Creative Writers. Closes October 9, 2024. Supports professional writers in B.C. in the creation of new book-length literary projects or the re-writing of unpublished or unproduced manuscripts. Eligible genres include non-fiction, drama, fiction, graphic novels, comic arts, fiction and non-fiction for children, poetry, and spoken word. Grants between $7,500 & $15,000.
  • Project Assistance: Community Arts Organizations. Closes October 17, 2024. Supports the development of community-based arts through the creation or presentation of public programming initiatives that provide engagement between artists, participants, and communities, and reduces or eliminates barriers to public participation in the arts. Maximum request is $25,000.
  • Project Assistance: Media Arts Organizations. Closes October 17, 2024. Supports eligible organizations and arts or curatorial collectives in the development, expansion, enhancement, or creation of new or unique independent media arts works, programming and community engagement initiatives. Projects and works must be independent of commercial industries for film, video, and gaming. Maximum request is $25,000.
  • Project Assistance: Museums and Indigenous Cultural Centres. Closes October 17, 2024. Supports eligible museums, Indigenous cultural centres and arts or curatorial collectives with the development and creation of artistic or cultural history programming and community engagement initiatives. Examples of eligible projects include exhibition development, documentation and dissemination projects, artists’ residencies, exploration of new museological and curatorial practices, community engagement projects, public programs, and collections management projects. Maximum request is $25,000.
  • Project Assistance: Professional Arts Festivals. Closes October 17, 2024. Supports eligible organizations and arts or curatorial collectives in the development, enrichment, and creation of new or unique public programming through a specific project, component, or programming initiative within an existing festival. Maximum request is $25,000.
  • Project Assistance: Visual Arts Organizations. Closes October 17, 2024. Supports organizations and arts or curatorial collectives in the development, expansion, enhancement, or creation of new or unique public programming and community engagement initiatives in contemporary and traditional visual arts and craft. Maximum request is $25,000.
  • Project Assistance: Professional Performing Arts Organizations. Closes October 17, 2024. Supports the development, creation, production, realization, dissemination, or live performance of classical, experimental, original, traditional, and contemporary performing art forms from all world cultures. Performing Arts includes dance, music, theatre, multidisciplinary, or other performing arts practices such as circus arts and comedy. Maximum request is $25,000.
  • Project Assistance: Literary Arts. Closes October 17, 2024. Supports eligible literary arts organizations or collectives to develop, enrich, and promote Canadian literature and writers through publishing, presentation, and dissemination of literary works and the development of new or unique public programming and community engagement initiatives. Maximum request is $25,000.
  • Arts Infrastructure Program. Closes November 6, 2024. Enables eligible organizations to develop and enhance spaces that support the work of B.C.’s arts and cultural practitioners. The program aims to support projects that: Catalyze the development of new or existing arts and cultural spaces through acquisition, renovation, or purchase of specialized equipment; Improve physical accessibility to arts and cultural spaces; Enhance access to arts and cultural spaces for underserved communities and underrepresented arts and cultural practices; or Strengthen the capacity of the sector to develop, operate, and sustain arts and cultural spaces. roject categories include:
    • Category 1. Planning & Consultation: Planning processes, and research to support the acquisition, development or enhancement of arts and cultural facilities. Maximum request: $25,000
    • Category 2. Capital Improvements: Building-based projects involving the construction, renovation, acquisition, or expansion of an arts and cultural facility. Maximum request: $250,000
    • Category 3. Specialized Equipment Acquisition: Projects focused solely on the purchase of specialized equipment for long-term use and associated installation expenses. Maximum request: $40,000

Mentor-Apprentice Program (First Peoples’ Cultural Council). Closes October 15, 2024. The Mentor-Apprentice Program (MAP) is a one-on-one language immersion program that helps people to become fluent speakers by bringing their language into their daily lives, at home and on the land. MAP has two streams: 

  • Mentor-Apprentice Program (Up to $21,000): offers 300 hours of immersion per year for up to 3 years. For learners ages 16-50.  
  • Mentor-Apprentice Program: Connections (Up to $6,500): is less intensive and suitable for all language learners. It offers 100 hours of immersion per year for up to 3 years at a flexible pace. For learners ages 16 and up. 

MAP is for B.C. First Nations individuals learning one of the 36 First Nations languages of B.C. You do not need to be living in your community (on reserve) to be eligible to participate, but you must be living in B.C.  Attend the info session on September 9th to learn more. 

Climate Resilient Communities: Food Infrastructure Grant. Closes October 16, 2024. The United Way BC Climate Resilient Communities: Food Infrastructure Grant (FIG), in partnership with The Ministry of Health, is a funding program that supports rural, remote, and Indigenous communities to build food systems resilience. The program aims to support community food-based organizations adopt local, climate adaptive solutions for growing, harvesting, foraging, procuring, storing, and processing local, and traditional foods. With the support of the FIG program, communities can improve access to nourishing and culturally preferable foods while fostering community health, resiliency and food security. The grant offers funding of up to $20,000 (one application per organization).

Rogers Indigenous Film Fund. Closes October 18, 2024. This program gives companies and creators financing assistance for early development work of a new project, or ‘next phase’ early development work of an existing project. Eligible applicants can apply for up to $20,000 to cover qualifying activities such as research and development, community engagement, as well as scriptwriting.  

The Cultural Practices Grant (First Peoples’ Cultural Council). Closes October 22, 2024. The FPCC Heritage Program is pleased to announce the launch of the Cultural Practices Grant (CPG), a new grant that supports B.C. First Nations in planning, carrying out and documenting community-based cultural practices and events that affirm identities, foster a sense of belonging, and celebrate the roles, relationships and responsibilities within a community. This grant was made possible because of the advocacy and leadership of an Indigenous matriarch, knowledge keeper and leader in B.C. who provided recommendations for funding to support this important work in B.C. First Nation communities. Activities and practices supported through this grant may include celebrations and honouring children and youth, seasonal or celestial activities and events, knowledge gathering and transfer, reawakening of cultural places and the traditions associated with them, and other culturally important practices that are held by communities. These may be cultural practices that have been continuously carried out over generations, as well as “sleeping” practices that a community wants to reawaken. Applicants can apply for between $10,000 and $25,000. 

Further expansion of $10-a-day child care will benefit B.C. families. Starting on Oct. 1, 2024, applications will be accepted from child care providers to join the $10 a Day ChildCareBC program, which will create more low-cost child care options for families throughout B.C.  Applications will be accepted from noon, Oct. 1, 2024, until noon, Oct. 31, 2024 (Pacific time). From October 1, 2024, to October 31, 2024, eligible Child Care Operating Funding (CCOF) child care providers can apply to the $10 a Day program through the My ChildCareBC Services portal and refer to an emailed information package from ChildCareBC for more information. CCOF providers who have been operational and participating in CCOF for at least one year are eligible to apply to this new $10 a Day ChildCareBC program intake. Priority will be given to larger non-profit, publicly delivered and Indigenous-led providers, that primarily offer care to children up to five years of age and in communities that have no or a low number of $10 a Day spaces compared to their region’s population density. Additionally, changes to criteria this year will help ensure low-income families have better access to $10 a Day spaces.

Indigenous Heritage — Museums Assistance Program. Closes November 1, 2024. This program supports the preservation, presentation, and management of Indigenous cultural heritage in Canada. It also seeks to increase public awareness and understanding of the rich and diverse cultures of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities. The program also supports organizations for their staff to participate in professional development and training opportunities including internships to enhance knowledge and skills in these areas. Maximum funding per project is $600,000. Maximum duration is 3 calendar years. Maximum funding per fiscal year is $200,000. 

Small-scale Ecosystem Grants. Closes November 28, 2024. Do you have a small-scale project, that can be completed in two years or less, that helps improve ecological health and native biodiversity in the Basin? Small-scale Ecosystem grants are available to enhance a terrestrial and/or aquatic ecosystem, such as wetlands, fish habitat, forests or grasslands. Eligible applicants include registered non-profits, local governments and First Nations in the Columbia Basin Trust region.

Community Gaming Grants: Human and Social Services. Closes November 30, 2024. Organizations within this sector deliver programs that improve the quality of life in a community by supporting the wellbeing of children, youth, families and/or seniors; by addressing equality issues (e.g., gender, LGBTQ2S+, race, etc.); by addressing the unmet needs of under-served groups; or, by providing public outreach and education regarding important social issues. Local organizations are eligible for up to $125,000 and regional/provincial organizations are eligible for up to $250,000. 

Nation Building Grants (New Relationship Trust). December 1, 2024 or when funds are exhausted. This program provides multi-year funding opportunities to First Nations and Tribal Councils in British Columbia to support their nation building activities according to their self-determined priorities. A project or initiative meant to strengthen the institutional, governance, and community capacities in reclaiming and rebuilding resiliency, self-determination, and sovereignty, within each Nation’s own context is considered an eligible project. One year grants of up to $60,000 or 2 year grants of up to $120,000.

Indigenous Labour Market Fund. Closes December 1, 2024. This fund will support Indigenous communities in building capacity in gathering foundational data used to identify gaps, opportunities, and strategies for future employment training, recruitment, placements, retention, and long-term employment to increase the participation of Indigenous peoples in sectors relevant to each indigenous community or region. Three funding streams are available: Labour Market Study stream with grants up to $150,000; Cultural Recognition Support stream with grants up to $250,000 and the Job Fairs stream with grants up to $75,000. Applicants can apply to any one of the 3 streams of funding but can only receive funding one funding stream (i.e. project) at a time.

Music Industry Initiatives. Closes March 1, 2025. This program supports initiatives and events that build the capacity of B.C.’s music industry by developing knowledge, skills, processes, resources, opportunities, and abilities to meet existing needs. Priority will be given to new or expanding initiatives, and to projects that serve a clear need or gap. Projects must demonstrate a broad benefit to B.C.’s music industry, or to an aspect of B.C.’s music industry, and cannot predominantly benefit one artist, company, organization, or their clients. Projects must have a business or industry development component, and not focus primarily on artistic growth. For example, this program supports workshops on touring and building audiences and skills related to the use of technology, but does not fund music lessons, coaching, or masterclasses. Grant amounts: $2,000 – $60,000, funding up to 75% of project expenses. The remaining 25% may be in-kind contributions, investment, earned revenue, and/or other public funding.

Emergency Support Services Equipment and Training. January 31, 2025. This is a First Nations Government and Local Authority based provincial emergency response program designed to meet the basic needs of British Columbians impacted by disasters by providing short-term support in a compassionate manner. ESS is designed to provide support for disasters ranging from a single house fire to provincial level events involving large evacuations. These supports enable people to re-establish themselves as quickly as possible after an emergency or disaster.

Urban Communities Partnering for Reconciliation. Funding permitting, eligible applicants may submit one application between September 1, 2024 and August 31, 2025. This program was created as a multipartner, community-driven approach focused on improving the socio-economic outcomes for urban Indigenous communities in BC, including Inuit, First Nations and Métis populations. Funding is available to support eligible Indigenous organizations and local governments to work together to create opportunities for in-person dialogue and relationship building which can help advance collaborative reconciliation plans, protocols, agreements or future projects.

Youth in Heritage 2024/25. Youth in Heritage is a flexible Wage Subsidy program. You can apply at any time, our applications close once all grants have been allocated We both support youth who are already employed and provide funding for jobs still accepting applications to help meet employers where they are at. Apply for 50% up to $3,200 in wage subsidies for youth employee.

Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages. Invitation for submissions: Innovation Projects that Support Indigenous Languages.  On-going basis- no deadline. Each fiscal year, the Commission will invest in a limited number of innovation projects, subject to available budget. These projects will create something new in the Indigenous languages space, and/or significantly improve upon initiatives that already exist, in order to effect real change. As stated in the Commission’s mandate, these innovative projects must be specific to Indigenous languages education and revitalization. There are no deadlines for submission, and the Commission invites project submissions on an ongoing basis.

Canada Council for the Arts Funding. Creating, Knowing, Sharing: The Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples. See Grants and Deadlines: https://canadacouncil.ca/funding/grants/deadlines

 RBC Foundation Funding.

  • RBC Emerging Artists. Applications accepted year-round. Support initiatives that help emerging artists by bridging the gap from academic to professional career.

Legacy Fund- Building Communities through Arts and Heritage. (Federal Government). Applications accepted on continuous basis. This Department of Canadian Heritage Program provides funding for community-initiated capital projects, intended for community use. Recipients may receive up to 50 per cent of eligible project expenses up to a maximum of $500,000. unding supports community-initiated capital projects that: commemorate a significant local historical event or pay tribute to a significant local historical personality; mark a 100th anniversary or greater, in increments of 25 years (e.g., 125th, 150th); involve the restoration, renovation, or transformation of existing buildings or exterior spaces with local community significance that are intended for community use; encourage arts and heritage activities in the local community that are intended for and accessible to the general public.

Canada Cultural Spaces Fund. (Federal Government). No deadline- on-going. The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund (CCSF) supports the improvement of physical conditions for arts, heritage, culture and creative innovation. The Fund supports renovation and construction projects, the acquisition of specialized equipment and feasibility studies related to cultural spaces. The CCSF annual grants and contributions budget is $54 million for the period 2018-2028.

National Creation Fund. No Deadline. The National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund invests up to $3 million a year in the development of 15 to 20 compelling and ambitious new Canadian works in theatre, dance, music and inter-disciplinary performing arts. Fuelled entirely by donors, the Fund provides Canadian artists with the additional time, space and resources they need to create great work. The Fund invests in both new work, and in promising productions that need additional development after their initial run to produce stronger, more polished work that will be remounted and toured across Canada and around the world.

Movable Cultural Property Grants. (Federal Government). No Deadline. Movable Cultural Property Grants help designated organizations acquire cultural property of outstanding significance and national importance to Canada, as outlined in the Cultural Property Export and Import Act. Designated organizations are located in Canada and demonstrate the ability to ensure the long-term preservation of cultural property. Grants can be used to purchase cultural property: for which an export permit has been denied; or that is important to Canada’s national heritage and available for purchase outside the country.

Funding