Funding

Catapult Canada. Closes June 20, 2025. Established by the Rideau Hall Foundation, Catapult Canada supports youth-serving organizations in Canada to design, build, scale up and evaluate the impact of initiatives to better support Canadian youth in their learning goals, especially those underserved by the education system and disengaged from education and/or career pathways. There are two streams. General Stream: Available funding range is $25,000 to $150,000 CAD per project. Targeted Stream: for projects that are specifically designed to address the needs of newcomers to Canada, refugees, youth fleeing violence/trauma, and youth not in education, employment, or training. Available funding range is $25,000 to $100,000 CAD per project.  

BC Arts Council Grant Programs. 

• Early Career Development. Closes June 25, 2025. Individual Early Arts Practitioners can apply to these two components: Residency supports Early Arts Practitioners to complete a learning-focussed residency with an arts and culture organization. Mentorship supports Early Arts Practitioners to engage in one-on-one learning and knowledge transfer with an established practitioner in their art form or field of practice. Arts and Culture Organizations can apply to four components. Visit their website for more information. 
• 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.

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

• Indigenous Fashion Runway Residency 2025. Closes June 25, 2025.
• Banff Musicians in Residence Winter 2026. Closes July 9, 2025.
• Audio Engineer: BMiR 2026. Professional Training Program (Music). Closes July 9, 2025.
• Deep Winter Writers 2026. Closes August 20, 2025.
• Toga da wôhnagabi: Music Creation Residency 2026. Closes August 20, 2025.
• Early Career Banff Artist in Residence. Closes August 27,2025.

imagineNATIVE

• Story Editor Mentorship. Closes June 30, 2025. This is a unique initiative offered to Indigenous creatives in Canada. This mentorship aims to exercise and develop story-analyzing skills and increase Indigenous expertise in film script development.
• Screenwriting Features Lab. Closes June 30, 2025. Two international and two Canadian-based screenwriters will be selected to participate in the Screenwriting Features Lab led by the imagineNATIVE Institute Team. Each participant will develop an original feature film script from concept/treatment to the final draft under the guidance of creative industry professionals. Screenwriters in the program will receive financial support through the Intensive, with a stipend at the completion of key milestones.

New Relationship Trust Grants (First Nations)

• Nation Building Grant. December 5, 2025 (or when funds are exhausted). This program provides multi-year funding to BC First Nations and Tribal Councils, supporting self-determined priorities that enhance governance structures, institutional capacity, and community resilience, advancing self-determination and sovereignty. 1-year grant of up to $60,000, or 2-year grant of up to $120,000. One project per Nation or Tribal Council per year (including organizations under the Nation or Tribal Council authority). 
• First Nations Guardians and Stewardship Training Initiative. Opens July 2025. This program offers 3 funding streams to acknowledge and respect that First Nations have varying levels of structures, capacity, experience and pathways to supporting their Guardians program within their own context and vision. Stream 1: Planning and Capacity for New and Emerging Guardians Programs (up to $50,000). Stream 2: Individual First Nation Community Training for Emerging and Established Guardians and Stewardship Program within one community (Up to $150,000). Stream 3: Regional First Nation Community Training for Emerging and Established Guardians and Stewardship Program for multiple communities (Up to $300,000). 

First Peoples’ Cultural Council- Language Program Grants. Closes August 6, 2025.

• Funding is now available for 2025-26 up to 2027-28 to support community-based projects that revitalize First Nations languages in B.C. This funding supports eligible organizations to implement projects that create fluent speakers, document the languages, and/or develop strategic language revitalization plans. Language Program Options for September 2025 Start:
  • Rise Funding (up to $25,000): funding is offered for a single year. This funding is suitable for smaller teams that are just getting started on their language revitalization journey and have just one or two project areas, or for teams that have limited capacity to take on larger projects. 
  • Roots Funding (up to $60,000 for Year 1, and up to $120,000 for Year 2): Roots funding is offered for up to two years with the potential for continuation for a third year and can include multiple strategies. This funding is suitable for smaller teams that have experience working on language revitalization and are starting to expand into new areas. 
  • Grow Funding (up to $100,000 for Year 1, and up to $200,000 for Year 2): Grow funding is offered for up to two years with the potential for continuation for a third year and can include multiple strategies. This funding is suitable for groups that have begun or are about to begin the process of developing a strategic language plan with their community. 
• Flourish Funding (up to $150,000 for Year 1, and up to $300,000 for Years 2 and 3): Flourish funding is offered for three years and includes a minimum of three strategies. This funding is suitable for well-established teams that have a language plan in place and are actively implementing multiple language revitalization strategies across domains in the community.   

Connections to Culture grants. Burke Museum. This program facilitates opportunities for artists, researchers, and students to engage in collections-based study with the Northwest Native Art and Plateau collections at the Burke Museum. Through this program, grantees can expand their artistic and cultural knowledge, inspire personal practice, and aid in the transmission of artistic and cultural knowledge throughout communities and across generations. Visiting researcher grants are awarded for a period of 1–3 days of research time, 2 travel days, and any additional days needed for demonstrations or workshops. Grant award includes funding to cover meals, transportation, lodging, and an honorarium. Up to $5,000. 

Creative BC

• Domestic Industry Initiatives. Applicants must submit their application at least 10 weeks prior to their event start date. This funding is intended to support business initiatives and events that engage and develop British Columbia’s Creative Sectors – the motion picture, interactive digital media, and magazine and book publishing sectors. Specifically, the program aims to support initiatives that foster and encourage industry development by investing in activities that develop and innovate B.C.’s creative ecosystem such as education and training initiatives, research that measures jobs and opportunity, and industry conferences.
• Slate Development Program. Opens July 16, Closes August 13, 2025. This program is designed to support the growth of mid-level and experienced B.C.-based production companies with a significant track record of owned and controlled independent production in the province. Recipients will receive support towards the development costs of two or more projects. Up to $50,000 per applicant. 

Northern Development Summer Intake. Closes July 31, 2025. Northern Development’s region covers approximately 70 per cent of the province of British Columbia, Canada.  The region encompasses 39 municipalities, nine regional districts, one regional municipality and 89 First Nations communities.

• Community Spaces Program. This program supports the creation, restoration or enhancement of community spaces that will improve amenities and enhance the overall quality of life. Eligible projects must be community oriented and accessible to all members of the community (not limited to a private membership). Up to $30,000 available to a maximum of 70% of the eligible project budget.
• Cultural Infrastructure. This program supports creation of, or the improvement of, arts, heritage, culture and creative innovation spaces. This program improves the access to, and quality of, professional arts and cultural facilities for residents and tourists alike. Up to $100,000 available to a maximum of 70 % for upgrades or repairs to an existing facility or amenity. Up to $300,000 available to a maximum of 50 % for new construction and/or substantial upgrades to existing facilities. 
• Recreation Infrastructure. This program supports community efforts to create and support recreational infrastructure, such as arenas, gymnasiums, golf courses, fields, boat launches and others, to encourage resident attraction and retention while also increasing opportunities for sport tourism. This program is set up to support new construction projects or upgrades and repairs to existing facilities. Up to $100,000 to a maximum of 70 % for upgrades or repairs to an existing facility. Up to $300,000 to a maximum of 50 % for new construction and/or substantial upgrades to existing facilities. 

Heritage Legacy Fund. Closes August 15, 2025. 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. Indigenous Partnerships: for initiatives to further reconciliation with Indigenous peoples through collaboration. Contributions up to $7,500. Applicants must be an up-to-date, paid member (corporate, government or group) of Heritage BC to apply. 

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.

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

Community Economic Development and Diversification in British Columbia. Accepting applications on an on-going basis.This program supports projects that: attract investment and talent, increase productivity and economic growth, grow new, existing and transitioning sectors, increase the economic participation of British Columbians and respond to changing economic circumstances. Funding varies by project. Typically up to 50% of eligible project costs; in exceptional circumstances, PacifiCan may fund a higher proportion of a project’s costs. 

The Day Scholars Revitalization Fund. The Residential School Day Scholars Class Action Settlement is for Day Scholars who attended an Indian Residential School but did not sleep there at night between the years of 1920-1974 (depending on the school). The fund will grant up to $10,000 to Indigenous Individuals who aim to revitalize their languages and cultures; to promote their heritage and commemoration; to promote their healing and wellness journeys and education and training goals. There are [up to] three granting announcements each year.

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.

The Going Home Fund. This fund facilitates the return or long-term loan of culturally significant materials to Indigenous cultural entities worldwide. The application form is for use by Indigenous communities seeking support. Eligible expenses include insurance, packaging, shipping, and other costs associated with the return. You may request funding for the return of multiple items from the same institution. The Going Home Fund Advisory Council meets on or around the 15th day of each month to review requests and make awards.

Innovation Projects that Support Indigenous Languages. Each fiscal year, the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages 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. Please note that, as outlined in the Indigenous Languages Act, the Commission is not a funding agency, and is not able to fund Indigenous language programming nor the infrastructure, or capital/operational costs of running an Indigenous language program.