Funding
Language grants, art grant programs and many more opportunities available, including scholarship programs.
Sealaska is now accepting applications for 2024-2025 language grants, which support efforts to preserve Sm’algyax, X̱aad Kíl and Lingít. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all funds are allocated. Sealaska’s endowment is designed to amplify the efforts of other individuals, informal groups and formal institutions throughout Southeast Alaska.
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.
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.
- Professional Development. Closes April 12, 2024. Grants assist professional artists, cultural practitioners, production and technical personnel, and arts administrators with specific, short-term learning activities intended to advance their practice or career. Maximum request is $7,500.
- Scholarship Program. Closes April 30, 2024. This program supports education and training of B.C.’s future generation of artists, arts administrators, and arts and cultural practitioners. B.C. residents enrolled in full-time post-secondary art programs or high school half-day pre-professional dance programs are welcome to apply. Students should be committed to developing their independent artistic and creative practice towards a career in the arts and culture sector. Scholarship payments of $3,000 are made for each term of full-time study during either Summer 2024, Fall 2024 or Spring 2025, up to a maximum of $6,000. Enrolment status is defined by your school.
- Arts Circulation and Touring. May 1, 2024. This program supports eligible arts and culture organizations, collectives and individuals with circulation and touring activities both within British Columbia and outside of the province. Grants received in this program are intended to enhance professional and artistic opportunities and exposure of B.C. artists, collectives, and arts organizations regionally, nationally, and internationally. Maximum amount is $25,000.
- Arts-Based Community Development & Leon and Thea Koerner Award. May 16, 2024. Supports eligible organizations to either: Engage professional artists in the development and delivery of projects that provide arts-based community development impacts and benefits to a specified community through the creation and presentation of new artworks or Provide training or mentoring for artists or community workers to understand and learn about how to create and safely implement or facilitate arts-based community development projects.
Heritage Legacy Fund. (Heritage BC) Closes April 26, 2024. Program funds are used for community initiatives that conserve and increase the understanding and appreciation of heritage resources. Heritage resources may include existing heritage buildings, structures, sites, cemeteries, districts, cultural landscapes, or intangible heritage such as language and customs. The Fund will also support Indigenous Partnership projects. There are four funding streams: Heritage Conservation for the preservation, rehabilitation, and restoration of heritage resources. Contributions up to $50,000. Heritage Awareness for the research, documentation, presentation, and publication of information about heritage and heritage resources. Contributions up to $10,000. Heritage Planning for the creation of planning documents to assist with heritage conservation and awareness. Contributions up to $5,000. And Indigenous Partnerships for initiatives to further reconciliation with Indigenous peoples through collaboration. Contributions up to $7,500.
Northern Development Cultural Infrastructure Program. Closes April 30, 2024. This program provides funding to support construction of new or revitalization of art and cultural facilities to increase and improve the access to and quality of professional arts and cultural facilities for residents and tourists alike. Up to $100,000 grant to a maximum of 70% of the eligible project budget; or Up to $300,000 grant to a maximum of 50% of the eligible project budget. All applicants must be located within Northern Development’s service region.
BC Gaming Grants: Arts & Culture. Closes April 30, 2024. Organizations within this sector deliver programs that provide public access to and/or preservation of the arts, heritage or culture. Programs that primarily support artists or artistic development are not eligible. Examples of eligible Arts and Culture programs may include: Performing arts (e.g., theatre, music, dance), Media arts (e.g., film, video, sound, community radio, photography), Visual arts (e.g., painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics), Literature, Children and youth art programming, Community and agricultural fairs and festivals, Heritage preservation (e.g., community museums, archives, historical displays), Indigenous and other cultural activities/events (e.g., sharing culture with the broader community). The maximum amount of money an organization can receive for a Community Gaming Grant depends on the delivery level of the program(s) for which funding is requested. Local organizations up to $125,000 per year. Regional/Provincial organizations up to $250,000 per year.
The Equity and Emerging Development Program. Closes May 10, 2024. This program aims to provide direct and targeted support to emerging and/or equity seeking B.C. filmmakers. Creators can receive a grant of up to $10,000 to cover the cost of bringing together a development team to do research, develop a concept or write a script. The grants are available for a wide range of content including scripted feature length films or series, animated features or series, and documentaries/factual one-offs or series.
2 Billion Trees. May 16, 2024. The 2 Billion Trees (2BT) program has launched an ongoing call for proposals – applications can be submitted anytime. Tree Planting Stream: for organizations, including for-profit organizations and non-profit organizations interested in tree planting projects. Indigenous Funding Stream: for Indigenous governments/ communities/ organizations interested in tree planting and/or capacity building projects. Capacity Building Stream: for non-profit organizations seeking to focus on activities that build and transfer knowledge, expertise and experience related to planting and managing trees and forests. The program will prioritize projects that demonstrate that the funded activities will directly support future 2BT planting activities.
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.
Poverty Reduction and Social Inclusion Fund. Closes when funds are fully committed. Funding up to $100,000 per year, over two years is available for Indigenous-led non-profits to support immediate work in enhancing poverty reduction and social inclusion initiatives. The objectives of the PRF are: Provide funding to support or offset costs of Indigenous organizations working toward one or more of the 6 priority action areas as identified in the Province of B.C.’s Poverty Reduction Strategy including: Housing, Family, Children, Youth, Education, Employment, Income Supports, Social Supports; and to Reduce barriers, provide for cultural accommodation and flexibility for Indigenous led non-profits to access immediate funding to supplement their financial and service capacity in delivering poverty reduction and social inclusion initiatives.
Climate Disaster Response Fund. (Heritage BC) Applications Processed on first come, first served basis. is a one-time grant opportunity that will provide limited resources to heritage-focused organizations with resources damaged by recent climate and natural disasters in British Columbia. The total allocation of funds is $75,000 with a maximum award of $8,000. Heritage BC reserves the right to manage each request internally. All projects must indicate immediacy and urgency of the issues, an approximate timeline for scope of work, and a feasible project within the framework of this grant.
The Ministry of Post-Secondary Education & Future Skills (PSFS) provides funding through the Indigenous Skills Training and Education program (ISTE) to First Nations, Métis Nation BC and the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, to support their self-determined educational and labour market needs and priorities. Through community-based programming, Indigenous peoples and communities have increased access to culturally-relevant skills training and post-secondary education, leading to labour market participation, employment, further education and training, community revitalization, and socioeconomic well-being. Please contact PSFS staff by email ([email protected]) to obtain more information on criteria and how to apply.
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
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.