Market Development Travel: Dance

Purpose

This program supports Ontario’s professional dance artists and dance companies to travel to promote their work, build their profile, and develop relationships with arts presenters in Ontario, Canada and abroad.

Deadline dates

This program is now closed.

The new Market Development Travel Assistance program will open in fall 2018. More information will be available in October 2018.

Grant amount(s)

• Ontario and Quebec: $500
• Canada (all other provinces and territories): $1,000
• United States: $1,500
• Europe, Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean: $2,000
• Africa, Asia/South Asia, Pacific/Oceania, and Middle East: $2,500

Important

• Partial grants are not awarded.
• OAC will not accept requests for changes to your funded activity. If you are unable to complete the activity as proposed, you will be required to return the grant.

Recent changes

• This is a pilot program administered and assessed by OAC staff in the Dance, and Touring and Audience Development sections.

Eligible applicants

• Professional dance artists who are Ontario residents.
• Ad hoc groups/collectives of professional dance artists or arts professionals with expertise in dance.
• Incorporated not-for-profit Ontario-based dance organizations.
• All applicants must have a permanent physical address in Ontario.

Important

• You can receive one Market Development Travel: Dance grant per year.

Ineligible applicants

• Artistic directors or the equivalent leader(s) of an ad hoc group/collective or organization. In this case, the ad hoc group/collective or organization must be the applicant.
• Arts presenters and representatives of presenter networks.
• Arts agents.
• Non-arts organizations.
• Students currently enrolled in post-secondary studies. A student is an individual enrolled in a full-time (two or more courses) undergraduate program at a college or university, dance school, or studying dance at a private studio or training organization/conservatory.
• Dance schools, colleges and universities.

Read the Guide to OAC Project Programs for more eligibility information.

This program funds

Grants support travel to attend performing arts showcases, festivals, networking events, conferences and symposia. Performing arts presenters must be in attendance at the event.

Eligible expenses:

• Registration fees.
• Travel costs (ground/air transportation, accommodation and per diem). Travel must be at least 100 kilometres from your permanent physical address.
• Promotional materials.

This program does not fund

• Creating, rehearsing and/or producing and presenting dance work(s).
• Attending an annual general meeting of a membership-based organization.
• Artist residencies.
• Fees to artists and arts administrators.
• Touring projects, building on an existing tour, or activity that has been awarded a grant through OAC’s Touring Projects.
• Production costs (costumes, scenery and other staging requirements).
• Administration costs.
• Venue or studio rental.
• Professional development, apprenticeship or mentorship projects.
• Fundraising activities or capital expenses including purchase of equipment.

Activity timing

The activity for which you are requesting funding:

• Cannot start before the date your application is submitted.
• Cannot finish before you receive your grant results.
• Must be completed no more than one year after you receive the grant results.

Final report requirements

If you receive a grant you must submit a final report upon completion of the project. See Terms and Conditions — receipt of OAC project grant funds for more information on reporting obligations. Complete and submit the report in Nova.

Important
OAC may contact you after the submission of your final report to gather additional information on the longer term impact of the grant.

Final reports for this program require grant recipients to provide:

• Describe how the project contributed to the development of marketing your dance work to regional, national and/or international arts presenters.
• List the prospective and/or confirmed engagements that are, or may be, a result of the project.
• List the arts presenters, and their affiliations, that you reached in your project.
• Provide documentation and/or an explanation of how you acknowledged or will acknowledge OAC support for your project. This should include samples of OAC logo recognition on any promotional or other materials produced in conjunction with the project, such as publications, brochures, posters, invitations, websites, or videos/films. This could also include a description of verbal acknowledgement at public events or the intention to include OAC acknowledgement in associated future activities/materials.

To apply

• Applicant’s CV/résumé/bio/organization history.
• An invitation, registration or other proof of participation from the host/organizer of the event.
• Letter of support from a person who is knowledgeable about the event and who can attest to the importance of your participation.
• Information about the event.
• List of the prospective arts presenters that may attend the event.

Program-specific definitions

Arts presenter: An organization or arts professional that selects artistic programming for public presentation, pays a guaranteed artist fee for each presentation and covers the presentation costs.

Performing arts showcase: An event that organizes a significant number of performing arts presenters and programmers, rather than the general public. These events introduce an artist to new markets.

Conference/symposium: A meeting convened to network and discuss matters of common concern that provides for a formal exchange of views with experts in the performing arts sector.

Market development: A strategy to expand an artist’s or arts organization’s potential market for their artistic work, by connecting with new presenters, producers, distributors and/or engagers.