Support to National Visual Arts Service Organizations
Deadline
Requests must be submitted no later than 1 April 2007. Applications and all support material must be postmarked no later than the deadline. If this date falls on a weekend or a statutory holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.
Program Description
This program assists non-profit, Canadian service organizations whose primary focus is to develop and contribute to the vitality of the professional visual arts community. These service organizations, groups or associations provide assistance to their members which are directly involved in the creation, production and dissemination of Canadian visual arts.
This support is intended for national visual arts organizations that provide information, resources, advice and advocacy to the professional visual arts milieu.
The objectives of this program are:
- to support non-profit organizations performing a vital service to professional visual artists and visual arts organizations;
- to contribute to national networks of visual artists and visual arts organizations;
- to increase the services available to the visual arts community, such as professional development, communication, advocacy and general services.
These grants contribute towards general operating costs and will be awarded for three years.
Eligibility
Canadian non-profit groups, associations or organizations can apply for these grants. All Canada Council for the Arts programs are accessible to Aboriginal arts organizations and arts organizations of diverse cultural and regional communities of Canada.
An eligible organization must:
- be a Canadian, non-profit incorporated organization, group or association (the majority of the board of directors must be Canadian artists or representatives of Canadian arts organizations);
- have been in operation for at least two years, demonstrate sound financial management and have self-generated revenues that include other sources of funding and significant membership dues;
- have the mandate to represent, at the national level, professional artists and/or artistic organizations from an artistic discipline;
- be the main representative organization of their artistic discipline or broad specialization, as demonstrated by a broad membership, and make efforts to be inclusive/representative of Aboriginal, regional and culturally diverse communities; they must contribute to the areas that the Canada Council has specifically identified as a priority;
- make a significant contribution to serving the needs of Canadian artists and/or arts organizations engaged in the creation, production and dissemination of artworks; this will be illustrated by their action plan, track record and contribution to the community they serve through a range of activities encompassing research and analysis, communication and marketing, and professional development.
Grant Amount
The value of the grant varies according to the nature and quality of the submitted applications and the available resources. The grant will be awarded for three years.
How to Apply
Organizations are required to submit a written request to the Visual Arts Section, which must include the following documentation:
- the Support to National Visual Arts Service Organizations application form (available on request from the Visual Arts Section);
- a description of the organization’s mandate, objectives and corporate affiliations;
- a list of the organization’s board members and senior staff;
- a multi-year action plan for 2004-2005, 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 detailing the organization’s major activities;
- the organization’s detailed operating budget for 2004-2005, 2005-2006 and
2006-2007;
- the organization’s last audited financial statement;
- if appropriate, a report on the activities described in the last request.
Original documents should not be submitted. The Canada Council for the Arts is not responsible for the loss or damage, whatever the cause, of support material.
Assessment of Applications
Eligible applications will be evaluated by a committee of external peer assessors. The Visual Arts Section will base its recommendations on their evaluation. Committee members are professionals active in the Canadian visual arts community. They are also selected in an effort to ensure fair representation of gender, generation, Aboriginal peoples, cultural and regional diversity, and both official languages.
National service organizations that meet the eligibility criteria above will be assessed according to the following criteria:
- impact and accessibility of activities, including communication and professional development activities offered to the community;
- effectiveness of arts advocacy activities;
- relevancy and quality of services to the artistic discipline or specialization served;
- development of a viable multi-year action plan to achieve the mandate of the organization, using sound financial and professional management and examples of past successful results.
Notification of Results
Applicants will be notified of a decision, by letter, approximately three months after receipt of the application. Results are not released over the telephone.
Further Information
For further information about the Support to National Visual Arts Service Organizations program or to obtain an application form, please contact Michel Gaboury, Program Officer in the Visual Arts Section.
Telephone: 1-800-263-5588 (toll-free) or (613) 566-4414, ext. 5265
TTY (TDD) machine, for hearing-impaired callers: (613) 565-5194
Fax: (613) 566-4332
Visual Arts Section
Canada Council for the Arts
350 Albert Street, P.O. Box 1047
Ottawa ON K1P 5V8
July 2003