Skills and Career Development: Indigenous Arts Professionals and Arts Professionals of Colour

Purpose

This program supports Ontario-based Indigenous arts professionals and arts professionals of colour, or ad hoc groups/collectives made up of Indigenous arts professionals or arts professionals of colour for professional development and skill-building opportunities that advance applicants’ work and careers. It funds all contemporary and traditional art practices that are supported at OAC. Projects can include: study and training, mentorship, internship and apprenticeship and documentation of art work.

Deadline dates

• Applications are available in Nova approximately two months before the deadline.
• Grant notification will be available approximately four and a half months after the deadline.

Grant amount(s)

Important: Due to the number of applications received and the limited funds available, grants awarded may be smaller than the amount requested.

Recent changes

• Grant notification is now available approximately four and a half months after the deadline. Refer to the “Activity timing” section on this page to understand how this may affect the timing of eligible activities.

Eligible applicants

• individual Indigenous arts professionals or arts professionals of colour, or ad hoc groups/collectives made up of Indigenous arts professionals or arts professionals of colour

Important: You may only receive a Skills and Career Development grant once every two years.

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

Ineligible applicants

• applicants who have applied to and have not received notification that their application is unsuccessful for a Chalmers Professional Development Projects grant
• applicants who have received a grant for this program and have not yet completed and reported on their project, or in any of the following programs:
  • Chalmers Professional Development Projects
  • National and International Residency Projects
• applicants who have received a grant in the professional development category for the Deaf and Disability Arts Projects program and have not yet completed and reported on their project
• students enrolled full- or part-time at a college or university in an undergraduate program
• graduate/post-graduate students enrolled in a course of study whose project is directly related to their arts discipline, field of study or thesis topic

This program funds

• Study and training: to help cover the cost of arts professionals’ attendance at conferences, master classes and workshops or training courses
• Mentorship: to help cover the cost of developmental relationships between arts professionals and mentors
• Internship and apprenticeship: to help cover the cost of arts professionals working in temporary positions that emphasize on-the-job training. The applicant must initiate the internship/apprenticeship, and it cannot replace a current position at the group/arts organization
• Documentation of art work: to help cover the costs of professional preparation of materials that document an arts professionals’ skills, training and abilities

Eligible expenses can include:

• artist fees – payment to yourself or other individuals engaged in the project. Artist fees should be calculated based on time or contribution to the project. The program does not fund living and personal expenses – do not include these as the rationale for the calculation of artist fees.
• travel (out of town transportation, accommodation, meal allowance)
• tuition, registration or study fees
• mentor fees
• workspace/equipment rental
• purchase of small-scale equipment, software, electronics and similar materials required to carry out the project
• educational materials
• child care and other dependant care fees (this does not include regular, ongoing expenses)
• expenses related to making the project accessible to audiences 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.

This program does not fund

• fundraising activities, contests or competitions
• major capital expenditures, including buying, leasing or renovating buildings and purchase of major equipment
• creation projects
• ongoing salaries or office rent
• business ventures
• accredited college or university programs
• enrolment in an ongoing course of study
• marketing
• promotion
• hiring of agents or business professionals
• business planning

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 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.

Final reports for this program require grant recipients to provide:

• description of the project undertaken and its outcomes, including details on any minor or approved changes to what had been outlined in the application
• final budget
  • If the budget you submit shows a surplus of more than $250 (revenues as compared to expenses), you may be required to repay the surplus amount to OAC.
• 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

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

Before applying, you must:

• read the Guide to OAC Project Programs
• read the Guide to OAC Assessment
• create or update your profile in Nova

Your application includes:

• basic information about the project
• your answers to application questions
• project budget
• artistic examples. These videos will help:
  • Preparing Effective Support Material for Theatre, Dance and Performance-Based Multi and Inter-Arts
  • Preparing Effective Support Material for Visual Arts and Craft Grant Applications
• support documents: artists’ résumés, bios, letter of support (if applicable)

Complete instructions and requirements are in the application in Nova.

For information on how assessors rate applications see the Evaluation Rubric – Skills and Careers.

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

Program-specific definitions

Arts professionals: are defined as artists, arts administrators, community animators, curators, programmers, technicians and arts educators who are engaged in creating, producing, promoting, performing, presenting, distributing and/or programming artistic work.

Study and training: include conferences, master classes and workshops or training courses that broaden arts professionals’ knowledge, refine their artistic approach and/or allow them to acquire greater mastery of their art or professional practice above the basic level.

Mentorships: are developmental relationships between professional artists and mentors in which the mentor (a more experienced artist or elder) shares information, skills or knowledge and standards or best practices that will advance the artists’ careers, enhance their education and build their networks. The artists should receive the primary benefit of the mentorship.

Internships and apprenticeships: are temporary positions that emphasize on-the-job training, giving work experience in the field or artistic practice above the basic level. The internship/apprenticeship must provide education, not merely employment, and the intern/apprentice should receive the primary benefit.

Documentation of art work: are materials that document an artist’s skills, training and abilities. Examples are: professional preparation of demo recordings for musicians; archival recording of works in performance for dance artists; demo reels for theatre artists; documentation of visual arts work; documentation of learner’s support material for arts educators; websites as a presentation tool.

Indigenous: Individuals who self-identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.

OAC is referring to people of colour based on the Government of Canada’s definition of “visible minorities,” which is “persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.”