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Interdepartmental Partnership with the Official Language Communities (IPOLC)

 

This guide is for Francophone artists and arts organizations in minority situations in Canada. A separate guide is available for Anglophone artists and arts organizations in Quebec. The purpose of this guide is to:

• remind the objectives of the IPOLC partnership, and
• explain the mechanisms of registration and assessment under IPOLC at the Canada Council for the Arts.

What is IPOLC?

IPOLC is the Interdepartmental Partnership with Official Language Communities and is an initiative of the Department of Canadian Heritage (PCH).

Following the initiative of the Fédération culturelle canadienne française (FCCF) and thanks to its cooperation in developing objectives and measures targeting the development, enhancement and outreach of Francophone artists and arts organizations in minority communities in Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) signed an IPOLC partnership agreement with the Department of Canadian Heritage in February 2001. The first agreement covered a period of three years. (A similar agreement was signed in 2002 with minority Anglophone artists and organizations in Quebec.) It was extended until 2004-2005. The Council has signed a new agreement for the fiscal years 2005-2006, 2006-2007 and 2007-2008.

In this document, individual Francophone artists in minority situations in Canada will be called ‘artists,’ and minority Francophone organizations in Canada will be called ‘organizations.’

The objectives of the IPOLC are:

• to facilitate the access of official language minority communities to federal programs that can contribute to their development
• to contribute to the sustainable development of official language minority communities, and
• to provide financial leverage to facilitate the establishment of sustainable partnerships and new methods of collaboration.

What are the objectives of the IPOLC at the Canada Council for the Arts?

The funds invested in the IPOLC will help integrate more Francophone minority artists and arts organizations into regular Council programs. Here are the specific objectives of the partnership that have been defined in consultation with the FCCF:

To break the isolation and facilitate the enhancement of artists.

To achieve this objective, Council support takes the form of travel grants and individual creation and professional renewal grants. Funds invested by the IPOLC will serve primarily to increase the size and number of grants awarded to minority Francophone artists.

To support the development of arts organizations.

This objective aims to allow arts organizations to achieve a level of stability and excellence by supporting projects structuring professionalism and development. IPOLC funding will increase the number of projects supported and the amounts allotted to organizations.

To disseminate the work of artists in Canada and abroad.

This objective is aimed at the dissemination of works:

• within minority Francophone Canada, where there are already existing networks, zones and cultural facilities facilitating exchange and reciprocity
• in Quebec, where artists and organizations have woven ties over recent years, and 
• abroad, and more specifically in Francophone countries where several artists and organizations find fertile ground for artistic enrichment and exchange.

IPOLC funding will increase the number of projects supported and the amounts allotted to dissemination projects.

To better inform and advise artists and organizations about Canada Council programs.

This objective aims to reach artists and organizations in their regions through events, information tools, sessions specifically aimed at artists and organizations, and grant application workshops, so that IPOLC has a long-term effect.

Who is eligible to receive IPOLC funding?

Professional Francophone artists and organizations based outside Quebec (as indicated on the application form) who choose French as the language they prefer to communicate in with the Canada Council are eligible for IPOLC funds.

What is IPOLC’s budget?

For the fiscal years 2005-2006 to 2007-2008, the Department of Canadian Heritage’s commitment is $400,000 per year and the Canada Council has committed $600,000 per year. The total investment of the new agreement adds up to $3 million over three years.

How do I receive funds from IPOLC?

There is no separate application process or program for IPOLC. Artists and arts organizations will apply to the Canada Council’s regular programs, under existing deadlines, and be assessed under Council’s regular peer assessment process.

It is not necessary to fill out a specific application form or provide supplementary documentation for IPOLC. All eligible applications will automatically be considered under IPOLC.

What types of grants are eligible?

Considering the IPOLC guidelines and since this is a program of limited duration, only grants to individuals including travel grants, and project grants for arts organizations are eligible. Operating support is not eligible under IPOLC.

How will IPOLC projects be assessed?

IPOLC projects will be evaluated according to the regular assessment criteria of Council’s programs, taking into account, where appropriate, the specific content in which minority Francophone artists and organizations operate. Following recommendation by peer assessment committees, successful projects will receive support based on funds first allotted by the Council and then by the IPOLC. The Council agrees that new funds allotted by IPOLC are not intended to replace the current funding made by the Council to minority Francophone artists and organizations, but are meant to be a supplement to the funds already awarded.

How will IPOLC funds be allocated?

IPOLC funds will allow the Canada Council to:

• increase a grant up to the maximum eligible for the program (e.g. $20,000 for grants to individual artists), and up to the amount requested by the applicant, and
• increase the number of grants to minority Francophone artists and arts organizations, according to the recommendations of peer assessment committees.

Applicants are encouraged to request grants covering their needs, considering the maximum eligible in each program.

In the attribution of IPOLC funds, grants will be paid under regular program guidelines and timelines. Successful applicants will receive a separate letter indicating that their project was supported through IPOLC funds.

How will the impact of IPOLC be assessed?

Each year, a report will be tabled on projects supported under IPOLC. The report will provide an opportunity to annually assess this initiative, integrating the Council, Canadian Heritage and FCCF, so as to modify as necessary the objectives and targeted initiatives. Applicants are encouraged to provide their comments on this initiative either to the Canada Council, Canadian Heritage or the FCCF, by mail or email.

How can I learn more about IPOLC?

The FCCF and the disciplinary associations assembling minority Francophone artists and arts organizations can provide further information on IPOLC. The FCCF can be reached:

• by mail, at 450 Rideau Street, Suite 405, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 5Z4
• by telephone, at 1 800 267-2005 or 613-241-8770
• by email, at fccf@zof.ca

IPOLC officers have been identified in each section to provide relevant information about Council’s programs and provide follow-up with artists and arts organizations. They can be reached:

• by mail, at 350 Albert Street, P.O. Box 1047, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5V8
• by email at info@canadacouncil.ca
• by TTY machine for the hearing-impaired,
  at 613-565-5194
• by telephone, at 1 800 263-5588, or 613-566-4414, at the following extensions :
  • General Information, Information Officer, 5060
  • Arts Services Unit, Heather McAfee, 4033
  • Dance, Louise Gagné, 4511
  • Inter-Arts, Claude Schryer, 4204
  • Media Arts, Josette Bélanger, 5252
  • Music, René Lavoie, 5073
  • Theatre, Marie-Josée Miville-Deschênes, 5024
  • Visual Arts, Michel Gaboury, 5265
  • Writing and Publishing, Mona Kiame, 4016

You are invited to consult the Department of Canadian Heritage website at http://www.pch.gc.ca/offlangoff/ to learn more about IPOLC. You can also consult the Interdepartmental Consultation Directorate at Canadian Heritage at 819-994-3577.

November 2006