Indigenous Visual Artists' Materials

Purpose

The Ontario Arts Council supports Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) creativity and celebrates the vitality of diverse cultural and artistic expression. This program is for Indigenous applicants only. In the application you will be required to state your Indigenous nation and community and clearly speak to your lived experience. Indigenous OAC staff members administer the program, and applications are assessed by Indigenous organizations.

The program supports Ontario-based First Nations, Inuit, and Métis artists working in the visual arts, crafts or traditional/customary Indigenous art forms to create artwork or facilitate workshops. Grants of $500 or $1,000 help cover the cost of buying art materials and supplies only.

This is a third-party recommender program. Using Nova, OAC’s online grant application system, an artist applies to an Indigenous organization designated as a recommender for the program. These recommenders assess applications and submit grant recommendations to OAC. See About recommender grants below for more information on the grant application process.

Deadline date(s)

The 2024-25 program is open from September 2024 until January 31, 2025, 1:00 p.m. ET.

Each recommender either sets its own deadlines or assesses applications on an ongoing basis until their budget is spent. See the Recommenders for Indigenous Visual Artists' Materials web page for deadline information. Note that the list is subject to updates and changes during the program year.

OAC can arrange offline submissions for persons with limited internet access and oral applications for Indigenous persons. For additional information, read the Alternative Services and Application Processes page or call the program administrator.

Notification:

• Recommenders with set deadlines: You will be notified up to two months after the recommender’s deadline date.
• Recommenders that assess applications on an ongoing basis: You will be notified up to two months after the date you submit your application.

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.

• A grant awarded in this program year (September 2024 – March 2025) counts towards your three-grant limit for 2024.
• You can only receive one grant from this program per program year. However, you can submit applications to multiple recommenders.
• You may only submit one application per recommender per program year.
•  If you receive a grant of over $500, OAC will issue you a T4A.

Recent changes

• The grant can be used to pay for travel costs for gathering materials.
• The grant can be used towards the purchase of materials or tools required to run or participate in workshops.
• The application questions and evaluation rubric have been reworked to better align with OAC’s current strategic plan.

Eligible applicants

• artists and Culture Carriers who are First Nations, Inuit or Métis (see definition below)
• applicants must be Ontario residents

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

Ineligible applicants

• non-Indigenous applicants
• ad hoc groups and collectives
• organizations

What this program funds

The grant can be used for the following expenses:

• materials and art supplies, such as wood, fabric, thread, stone, leather hides, sinew, beads, needles, photographic printing, inks, metals, paint, canvas, paper, pencils, etc.
• small tools for making artwork or for harvesting or gathering materials, such as blades, carving tools, awls, scissors, etc.
• materials or tools required to run or participate in workshops
• cost of transporting or shipping materials and supplies
• individual travel costs for gathering materials, such as to collect beading/sewing supplies or to gather natural materials on the land

See the Eligible art forms list under Definitions for examples of visual art and craft practices supported through this program. Projects can involve more than one eligible art form.

What this program does not fund

• artist fees and honorariums
• workshop registration fees
• large equipment purchases (such as a table saw or computer), studio set-up or renovations
  materials and supplies for student projects in all education levels
• business and promotional expenses, such as websites and business cards
• cost of producing a commercial production line (that is, to have your designs manufactured by someone else)
• creation of food products and beverages
• creation of body care products such as soaps and home products such as candles and floral arrangements

Activity timing

The activities for which you are requesting funding:

• must finish after you receive your grant results
• must be completed within two years after you receive your 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.

Note: Your project is considered complete once you have bought or collected the proposed materials and have begun to use them.

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 (finished or in progress) 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. Before applying, you must create or update your profile in Nova.

Your application will include:

• your answers to application questions
• the name of the recommender you are applying to
• artistic examples – images or video documentation of your own work:
  • 8 images maximum
• a support document:
  • artist resumé (optional but recommended)

Complete instructions and requirements are in the application in Nova.

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

Program-specific definitions

Eligible art forms include, but are not limited to:

• basketry (birch bark, black ash, willow, etc.)
• beading
• birch bark work
• carving
• drawing
• drums, rattles and instruments
• glass
• hide tanning and fur processing
• installation
• jewellery
• leather work
• metal work
• mixed media
• moccasin making
• painting
• photography
• pottery
• printmaking
• quillwork
• sculpture
• textile art (embroidery, quilts, weaving, etc.)
• traditional regalia
• traditional tattooing
• tufting
• woodworking (snowshoe making, tamarack goose making, etc.)

About recommender grants

Recommenders are organizations authorized by OAC to receive applications, review them and make grant recommendations. OAC allocates a budget to each of the participating recommenders.

 

Recommenders submit their grant recommendations to OAC, which are then reviewed by OAC for applicant and project eligibility. OAC then sends you an email letting you know that your notification letter is available online in Nova.

 

See the Guide to Project Programs for more information about grant decisions, grant payments and what you need to do if you get a grant.

 

Conflict of interest

Artists who have a conflict of interest with a particular recommender may not apply to that recommender. An artist is in a conflict of interest if they are:

• an employee or board member of the recommender organization
• a member of a committee or jury reviewing applications for the recommender
• immediate family members of those described above

How recommenders assess applications

Recommenders establish their own processes for assessing applications and making grant recommendations. Staff, board or committee members, or other arts professionals in the community may take on this role for the recommender.

The link below will direct you to a list of the recommenders and their application deadlines:

Recommenders for Indigenous Visual Artists' Materials