WHAT STREAM 1 SUPPORTS

Stream 1 supports an individual artist in the creation, research, development, and revision of work, by financially supporting the artist to dedicate time to that work.

The applicant must present an overall direction for what artistic goals they intend to pursue. There should not be a commitment to a specific production, presentation, or dissemination of any resulting work. While an application to this stream does not need to be for new work, it must meaningfully expand the process or goals of the work proposed.

Grants in Stream 1 are fixed at $5,000 to support the artist’s living expenses and any additional costs while they pursue their artistic work.

WHAT IS A GOOD FIT

Examples of work that might fit within Stream 1:

• An Indigenous musician wishes to research and document their community’s traditions and protocols as they consider how to integrate them into future composition and performance work.
• A documentary filmmaker is considering the evolving use of land expropriation in western Canada. They are researching the nature of existing laws, and shaping their understanding of the issues surrounding this law to inform a future film project.
• A choreographer wants to research and explore new movement vocabulary on a dancer in preparation for the development of a new work.
• A visual artist whose existing practice is focused on encaustic painting wants to experiment with the addition of mud and other found materials into their work.
• A playwright wishes to spend creative time on the second draft of their current play based on a Middle Ages myth.

Applicants with proposals for receiving mentorship, attending residencies or professional development should submit to Stream 2. Applicants with work that is materially ready for production or presentation should submit to Stream 3.

GENERAL INFORMATION REQUIRED

• A project title;
• A short project description (30 words);
• Project start and end date.*

* Project start date must be after the application deadline.

ARTIST BACKGROUND

The information in the Artist Background section will be directly imported into your application from the primary applicant’s individual profile in SmartSimple. Please ensure your profile is up-to-date and submitted before completing your application.

• Artist name – the name that you use publicly as an artist if different than your preferred name;
• Artist primary and secondary practice – these will be the primary applicants’ main artistic practices in which they have the most experience. This may be different than the artistic practice(s) of the project that this application is for;
• Artist statement – a description of your existing artistic practice which may include major influences, disciplines, cultural practices and/​or lived experience (250 words);
• Artist biography – a summary of your life and career highlights, and education relevant to your practice (250 words);
• Artist CV/​Resume – artistic work history or comparable (PDF, recommended maximum of 4 pages);
• Social media and/​or web links – these links are used by the assessors as additional information on your professional artistic practice. Please only include public links to information that will support your application.

PROJECT DETAILS

• Grant amount requested (fixed at $5,000);
• Project primary practice (drop down menu);
• Project secondary practice (check all that apply).

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

• A categorization of your project (drop down menu);
• The primary goal or outcome of the work you plan to do (drop down menu);
• The secondary goal or outcome of the work you plan to do (drop down menu);
• A description of the goals you plan to pursue with the support of this grant (250 words);
• A description of the types of activities that you will undertake with the support of this grant in relation to your goals – which may include work in studio, research, exploration in the field, etc. (250 words);
• The desired impact of the proposed work on your artistic practice (250 words);
• Other information not already shared (250 words).

BUDGET (ONLY REQUIRED FOR STREAM 2 & 3)

The value of grants in Stream 1 is fixed at $5,000 to support the artist’s living expenses and any additional costs while they pursue their artistic work.

Please note that neither a budget nor a detailed timeline is required for this stream, and will not be assessed if submitted.

SUPPORTING MATERIAL

Supporting material is required and important for the accurate assessment of your application. To support your application, you may upload up to 10 audio/​visual/​PDF files and up to 5 direct links to external websites related to your proposed project.

• These must include samples of your artistic work, but may also be letters of support, reviews, interviews, etc.;
• For each supporting material uploaded, you are required to provide a description of the material which could include creation date, medium, location, names of artists, etc.;
• Uploaded video or audio files should total no more than 10 minutes in length, and all files should be less than 2GB in size. Uploads are preferable to links whenever possible, so that access for assessors is as simple as possible;
• Links must be direct and public. These links should go directly to the support material specified, rather than to a landing page or home page requiring further navigation by assessors;
• Please do not provide links that go through file sharing sites, such as Spotify, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc., or online portals that require an account to access. This is for the privacy of assessors, as well as to have direct access.
• Please do not submit images as PDF files, rather directly upload images in JPEG or PNG format.

Assessment will be based on what’s outlined in these guidelines, as well as:

• The artistic merit of the individual’s existing body of work (50% weight);
• The artistic merit and clarity of the idea(s) and process(es) proposed for exploration (50% weight).

Please note that neither a budget nor a detailed timeline is required for this stream, and will not be assessed if submitted.

WHAT STREAM 2 SUPPORTS

Stream 2 is intended to support receiving mentorship, attending a residency, or other forms of professional development for artists and arts professionals. Projects may be individual or collective, and grants are available up to $10,000 based on projected expenses, including artist subsistence. It is not necessary for an application to Stream 2 to be connected to a specific work, but receiving mentorship, attending a residency or professional development may be directed towards potential future work.

Learning activities eligible for EAC funding include receiving mentorship, residency or other professional development for artists and arts professionals. EAC supports learning opportunities that are short-term, specialized training programs or workshops, relevant to an artist’s practice or career development. Edmonton Arts Council funding is not intended to support tuition fees for formal post-secondary education. 

Applicants may request up to $10,000 based on the anticipated costs of the project, including artist subsistence.

WHAT IS A GOOD FIT

Examples of work that might fit within the Skills & Career Development stream:

• A costume designer is receiving mentorship from an international designer known primarily for their work on large-scale period pieces.
• An Indigenous improv trio plans to learn how to record and shape their own web series. They propose working with a named expert who will teach them the appropriate skills, and include the purchase of some recording equipment.
• A literary agent and manager wishing to enroll in a conference focusing on methods of maximizing sales on online platforms.
• A sculptor seeking to incorporate arc welding into their practice wants to take a beginner’s course at NAIT. They include the fees for the course, as well as equipment to continue the work.
• A collective of dancers plans to attend a week-long residency focusing on new movement techniques and choreographic approaches. They include costs for travel and accommodations.

Applications with proposals for research, exploration and experimentation should submit to Stream 1.

Applications with work materially ready for production or presentation should submit to Stream 3.

ELIGIBLE EXPENSES

Eligible expenses in this stream may include:

• Artist subsistence set at $500 per week to cover living expenses while the individual or collective members pursue the project;* 
• Professional artistic fees/​wages for the individual or named collective members during the process;* 
• Professional standard rates for fees and wages for mentors and project collaborators;
• Registration fees for specific professional development opportunities (please note that the EAC does not support advanced education, such as would lead to a degree or diploma);
• Fees for online or in-person courses including their tools, software, materials, mentorship, training or collaboration;
• Renting and/​or purchasing equipment, tools, software and/​or materials required for work proposed; 
• Travel costs incurred while attending professional development outside of Edmonton.
  
  * Individuals or collectives can budget for artist subsistence OR professional artistic wages/​fees for each artist, but not both. 

GENERAL INFORMATION REQUIRED

• A project title;
• A short project description (30 words);
• Project start and end date.*

* Project start date must be after the application deadline.

ARTIST BACKGROUND

The information in the Artist Background section will be directly imported into your application from the primary applicant’s individual profile in SmartSimple. Please ensure your profile is up-to-date and submitted before completing your application.

• Artist name – the name that you use publicly as an artist if different than your preferred name;
• Artist primary and secondary practice – these will be the primary applicants’ main artistic practices in which they have the most experience. This may be different than the artistic practice(s) of the project that this application is for;
• Artist statement – a description of your existing artistic practice which may include major influences, disciplines, cultural practices and/​or lived experience (250 words);
• Artist biography – a summary of your life and career highlights, and education relevant to your practice (250 words);
• Artist CV/​Resume – artistic work history or comparable (PDF, recommended maximum of 4 pages);
• Social media and/​or web links – these links are used by the assessors as additional information on your professional artistic practice. Please only include public links to information that will support your application.

PROJECT DETAILS

• Grant amount requested (up to $10,000);
• Project primary practice (drop-down menu);
• Project secondary practice (check all that apply);
• Contact details for collective member(s) if applicable (fillable table);
• Collective member(s) artist CV/​resume* if applicable;
• Contact details of mentors, Elders, or Knowledge Keepers if applicable (fillable table);
• CV/​resume/​biography of the mentors, Elders, or Knowledge Keepers if applicable*;
• The names and roles of everyone involved in the project, including collective members, mentors, Elders, Knowledge Keepers and/​or other project collaborators (250 words).

* Which may include artistic work history, biography, personal narrative, or comparable (PDF, recommended 2 pages)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

• A categorization of your project (drop down menu);
• A categorization of how you will pursue your project (drop down menu);
• A description of your project (250 words);
• The goals and motivations for the project, and how you plan to measure your pursuit of those goals (250 words);
• A project plan including a clear timeline (250 words);
• The desired impact of the project on the work of the individual or collective (250 words);
• Other information not already shared (250 words).

BUDGET

A balanced budget that shows:

• Revenues (including the amount requested in this grant application.)
• Expenses to pursue the project.

This information will be entered directly into the online form. Use the​“notes” section of each line to identify or explain each revenue and expense.

If you incorporate in-kind expenses and revenues, they should be labelled as such and must balance.

SUPPORTING MATERIAL

Supporting material is required and important for the accurate assessment of your application. To support your application, you may upload up to 10 audio/​visual/​PDF files and up to 5 direct links to external websites related to your proposed project.

• These must include samples of your artistic work (and/​or the artistic work of the collective), but may also be letters of support, reviews, interviews, budget related quotes, etc.
• For each supporting material uploaded, you are required to provide a description of the material which could include creation date, medium, location, names of artists, etc.
• Uploaded video or audio files should total no more than 10 minutes in length, and all files should be less than 2GB in size. Uploads are preferable to links whenever possible, so that access for accessors is as simple as possible.
• Links must be direct and public. These links should go directly to the support material specified, rather than to a landing page or home page requiring further navigation by assessors.
• Please do not provide links that go through file sharing sites, such as Spotify, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc., or online portals that require an account to access. This is for the privacy of assessors, as well as to have direct access.
• Please do not submit images as PDF files, rather directly upload images in JPEG or PNG format.

Assessment will be based on all the text in these guidelines, and:

• The merit of the individual or collective’s existing body of work (33% weight);
• How the project will expand the individual or collective’s abilities, including progress towards the goals for the project (33% weight);
• The capacity for the individual or collective to carry out the proposed project, and the clarity and feasibility of the budget and timeline (33% weight).