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Contact

Lisa Wöhrle

Associate Officer
416-969-7419
Toll-free in Ontario: 1-800-387-0058

Naomi Chorney

Program Administrator
416-969-7440
Toll-free in Ontario: ​​​​​​​​​​1-800-387-0058

Deaf and Disability Arts: Materials for Visual Artists

Until this program opens in Nova, the Ontario Arts Council’s online granting system, program information may change. This includes deadline dates and specific information on eligibility. Be sure to visit this page after the program opens in Nova, but before starting your application.
 

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Purpose

The program supports Ontario-based professional Deaf artists and artists with disabilities working in visual art or craft practices to purchase materials.

Deadline date(s)

October 15, 2025, 1 p.m. ET
  • The application form will be available in Nova about three months before the deadline.
  • You will find out whether you got a grant about three and a half months after the deadline.
  • If you require application support to complete your application, please make your request at least four weeks before the program deadline.

Grant amount(s)

  • Deaf and Disability Arts: Materials for Visual Artists: $500
Important: Partial grants are not awarded. Applicants must have at least $500 of eligible expenses.

Eligible applicants

  • Deaf artists or artists with disabilities, working in visual arts or craft practices including basketry, beading, carving, digital media, drawing, glass, jewelry, leather work, metal work, mixed media, installation, painting, photography, printmaking, pottery, sculpture, textile/fibre art, traditional/customary Indigenous arts, woodworking

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

Ineligible applicants

  • undergraduate or graduate students enrolled full-time at an educational institution

What this program funds

  • materials and supplies including: beads, brushes, canvas, clay, fabric, inks, metals, paint, paper, pencils, pens, photographic printing, stone, thread, wood, software, other art materials
  • small tools (e.g. carving tools, scissors, accessibility tools)
  • small-scale equipment, software, electronics and similar materials required to carry out the project
  • shipping and delivery costs
  • childcare and other dependant care fees enabling individuals to take part in the project (this does not include regular, ongoing expenses)
  • expenses related to making the project accessible to audience members and project participants (other than the applicant) who are Deaf or have a disability
    • Note: Applicants to this program who identify as Deaf or as having a disability may apply for supplementary funds for their own accessibility expenses through Accessibility Fund: Project Support.

What this program does not fund

  • major capital expenditures, including buying, leasing or renovating buildings and purchase of major equipment
  • studio set-up
  • materials and supplies for student projects in all education levels
  • business and promotional expenses (websites, business cards)
  • cost of producing a commercial production line (i.e., to have your designs manufactured by someone else)
  • materials and supplies for workshop activities

Activity timing

The activity for which you are requesting funding:

  • cannot start before the deadline
  • cannot finish before you receive your grant results
  • must be completed no more than two years after you receive the grant results

Final report requirements

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


In your final report, you will need to provide:
  • a short description of what you created with the support of this grant, including details on any minor or approved changes to what had been outlined in the application
  • three images of artwork you created using the materials purchased
  • documentation and/or an explanation of how you followed or will follow OAC’s Recognition Requirements for Project Grant Recipients
    • This could include social media screenshots or a description of how you recognized OAC or plan to do so in future activities or materials tied to the project.

To apply

Complete and submit an application in Nova, OAC’s online grant application system. You will be able to do this approximately three months before the deadline.


Before applying, be sure to:

Your application will include:

Complete instructions and requirements are in the application in Nova.


For information on how assessors rate applications see the Guide du processus d’évaluation du CAO and the Evaluation Rubric – Creation Projects.


For details on creating a profile or submitting an application in Nova, see the Nova User Guide.

Program-specific definitions

The OAC identifies artists with disabilities?as people who have physical, mental or learning conditions with long-term, temporary or varying effects that may be apparent or not.


The OAC identifies Deaf artists as distinct from artists with disabilities based on the Canadian Hearing Society’s definition of “Culturally Deaf,” a term that refers to individuals who identify with and participate in the language, culture, and community of Deaf people.