Professional Orchestra Program
Deadline
1 February 2006
Program Description
This Canada Council for the Arts program provides assistance to professional Canadian orchestras. Grants contribute to the development and presentation of orchestra repertoire, with particular concern for excellence in the presentation of Canadian music and in the performance of music works by Canadian artists. The program has two components:
A) Multi-year and Annual Funding,
B) Project Funding.
All Canada Council programs are accessible to Aboriginal artists or arts organizations and artists or arts organizations from diverse cultural and regional communities of Canada.
A) Multi-Year and Annual Funding (Only Annual Funding is offered in 2006)
Eligibility
Applicant organizations must:
- be a Canadian professional, non-profit orchestra and have a board of directors in place at the time of application;
- have completed at least three full years of professional activities;
- receive significant support from other levels of government, the public or the private sector;
- engage professional artistic and administrative personnel;
- demonstrate a significant and strong commitment to Canadian creation/repertoire as part of their ongoing annual programming.
Orchestras must have received project grants in each of the last two competitions and meet the basic eligibility criteria in order to apply for annual funding.
Please note that organizations cannot request operating support from more than one Canada Council program. Applicants must consult the Music Section to determine which peer assessment committee would best assess their request for support.
Grant Amount
The peer assessment committee recommends funding priorities and establishes the value of the Canada Council’s contribution to applicants’ proposed activities. Recommendations are based on the program’s assessment criteria.
Retroactive funding is not available.
Assessment of Applications
Applications are reviewed for eligibility, according to the published assessment criteria, by the Music Section, with outside consultation if needed.
Eligible applications are evaluated, in a national comparative context, by a peer assessment committee. The committee incorporates into its deliberations the concert assessments undertaken by independent assessors, if applicable. The committee is a representative body of specialists in the field, whose members are also chosen to ensure fair representation of gender, regional and cultural diversity, Aboriginal peoples and both official languages.
B) Project Funding
Project Funding contributes to specific programs, events or special initiatives proposed by professional Canadian orchestras, particularly in the areas of Canadian creation, development of young audiences and outreach/dissemination. A project is defined as a specific event or activity taking place in a defined and concentrated period, with a clearly delineated budget.
Canada Council Project Funding grants may cover specific artistic, production and promotional costs associated with the project, but may not be used to support the applicant’s administrative structure or general operating activities.
Eligibility
Applicant organizations must:
- be a Canadian professional, non-profit orchestra and have a board of directors in place at the time of application;
- have completed at least one full year of professional activities;
- receive support from other levels of government, the public or the private sector;
- engage professional artistic and administrative personnel;
- demonstrate a strong commitment to Canadian creation/repertoire as part of their ongoing annual programming.
Orchestras that meet the eligibility criteria, but are new to this program, must have their work assessed by the Canada Council on at least two occasions before they may apply for Project Funding. It is the applicants’ responsibility to ask the Music Section for an assessment of their work. One of these assessments must be on-site (live concert), but the second one can be based on audio material sent to the Music Section (preferably tapes of live performances).
Orchestras that receive multi-year support may apply in mid-cycle for Project Funding, but only on a limited basis, to enable them to benefit from special initiatives or programming opportunities that were not foreseen when their long-range operating plans were formulated, if such initiatives or opportunities cannot be covered by their general operating revenues.
Value of Grant
Project Funding is available annually and each request is subject to peer committee assessment. It is not guaranteed, ongoing yearly support. There are limited funds available for project support.
Funding priorities and grant amounts are recommended by the peer assessment committee.
Retroactive funding is not available.
Assessment of Applications
Applications will be assessed by a peer assessment committee, which is a representative body of specialists in the field, whose members are also chosen to ensure fair representation of gender, regional and cultural diversity, Aboriginal peoples and both official languages.
The committee evaluates all applications in a national comparative context, against the assessment criteria described in the application guidelines.
For Multi-Year, Annual and Project Funding
Notification of Results
Applicants for Annual Funding will be notified of the results of the competition, in writing, following the March meeting of the Board of the Canada Council for the Arts. Applicants for Project Funding will be notified, in writing, within four months of the deadline.
Further Information
This program summary provides an outline of the Professional Orchestra Program. For further details or to obtain an application form, contact Angela Birdsell, Music Section Officer.
Telephone: 1-800-263-5588 (toll-free) or (613) 566-4414, ext. 5248
TTY (TDD) machine, for hearing-impaired callers: (613) 565-5194
Fax: (613) 566-4409
Music Section
Canada Council for the Arts
350 Albert Street, P. O. Box 1047
Ottawa ON K1P 5V8
November 2005
Application Form
Click here to download the application form (PDF Acrobat format). This form can only be printed and cannot be filled out on-line.