Grants to Literary and Art Magazines

Deadline

1 March 2006

Program Description

This program encourages excellence in artistic expression and fosters awareness of the contemporary arts and literature in Canada, through support for the publication of literary and art magazines.

All Canada Council for the Arts programs are accessible to Aboriginal artists or arts organizations and artists or arts organizations from diverse cultural and regional communities of Canada.

Eligibility

Eligible Publishers

Publishers of magazines that meet the criteria listed below are eligible to apply. They must:

• have published at least three issues of the magazine before applying for a grant and be committed to a continuing magazine publishing program (although magazines with fewer published issues may be eligible for support from the New Magazines component, described below)
  
• have identified the target audience for the magazine and developed an appropriate distribution method to reach it
  
• have a paid circulation of at least 50 percent of the copies printed or maintain at least a 25 percent ratio of revenues earned from paid circulation or advertising (except for electronic magazines) - for magazines linked with an association, or sharing editorial resources with another organization, only copies sold to non-members are taken into consideration, and
  
• have and honour a clear policy with respect to the use of contributors’ writing and intellectual property.

Eligible Magazines

To be eligible for support, magazines must:

• be written principally in English, French or one of Canada’s Aboriginal languages
  
• be at least 75 percent Canadian-owned
  
• be published at least twice a year
  
• focus mainly on editorial content written or created by Canadians
  
• have a demonstrated editorial capability and financial stability
  
• focus mainly on previously unpublished material, and
  
• have a print run of at least 500 copies per issue, but not exceed 25,000 copies per issue (except for electronic magazines).

Electronically published magazines are eligible if they are published on a regular basis and can demonstrate a minimum of 250 visits per issue. They must meet the same content and quality criteria as do magazines printed on paper (including a clearly established and honoured policy respecting the use of writers’ intellectual property).

Ineligible Magazines

The following categories of magazines are ineligible for support under this program:

• bulletins, newsletters or house organs that publish material directed primarily to their membership
  
• magazines written by, or run by, students within the context of academic courses or training sessions, and
  
• business and trade magazines (except in the field of Canadian literature), scholarly magazines, alternative newsweeklies (normally in a tabloid format) and self-help periodicals or newsletters (magazines of an association or other organization that are not financially and editorially independent of the organization).

Eligibility of magazines is assessed by the Program Officer and confirmed by the peer assessment committee. Magazines that meet the eligibility criteria for the print component and the electronic component must make the choice between the two components when applying.

New Magazines Component

This program includes a component for support of new magazines devoted to literature and the contemporary arts in Canada. Seed grants of between $2,000 and $11,000 will be awarded to the new magazines judged most deserving in terms of literary and artistic potential.

The eligibility criteria for this component are the same as stated above, with the exception of the following technical criteria:

• the publisher must have published at least two issues, rather than three, before applying for a grant, and
  
• the publisher’s paid circulation must be a minimum of 100 copies or at least 25 percent of revenues must be earned from paid circulation or advertising (except for electronic magazines).

New magazines may receive only one grant under this component; subsequently, they will be considered in the regular program. A magazine is not eligible for support from the regular program unless it has received one grant from the New Magazines component. First-time applicants must apply to the New Magazines component regardless of the number of issues they have published previously.

Grant Amount

The amount of the Canada Council's grant, except under the New Magazines component, is based on the magazine's demonstrated need for support, the peer assessment committee’s evaluation of its excellence (based on the assessment criteria described below), the proposed publishing program and the number of issues published the previous year. Double issues are considered as a single issue in calculating grant amounts.

The Canada Council will contribute only towards issues printed in the next fiscal year and will not cover a publisher’s accumulated deficit.

Assessment of Applications

Applications are assessed by an English- or French-language peer assessment committee (according to the language of the publication). Bilingual magazines can be assessed by both committees, by request of the applicant. In such cases, application forms must be completed in both official languages. Magazines written in Aboriginal languages are sent to readers of those languages for written assessment. Electronic magazines may be assessed by a bilingual assessment committee.

The peer assessment committee is composed of members of the magazine publishing and arts communities. Committee members are also selected to provide fair representation of gender and regional and cultural diversity of Canada.

The Canada Council can support only a limited number of magazines; not all eligible magazines will be awarded grants under this program. Priority will be given to those magazines that are excellent in their field and that make a significant contribution to the expression and promotion of the contemporary arts and literature in Canada. The peer assessment committee will also be open to supporting new periodicals to ensure the emergence of new generations in the literary and artistic community.

Grants are not automatically renewed. Each year, the peer assessment committee makes recommendations based on the priorities established under the program's mandate.

Publishers will be notified of the results of the competition, in writing, approximately five months after the deadline. Results will not be given by telephone.

Futher Information

This program summary provides an outline of the Grants to Literary and Art Magazines program. For further details or to obtain an application form, contact Joanne Larocque-Poirier, Writing and Publishing Section Officer.

Telephone: 1-800-263-5588 (toll-free) or  (613) 566-4414, ext. 5573    

TTY (TDD) machine, for hearing-impaired  callers: (613) 565-5194

Fax: (613) 566-4410

Writing and Publishing Section
Canada Council for the Arts
350 Albert Street, P.O. Box 1047
Ottawa ON K1P 5V8

March 2006

Application form and guidelines

Grants to Literary and Art Magazines (pdf, 337 KB)

Acknowledging the support of the Canada Council for the Arts