Grants to Aboriginal Writers, Storytellers and Publishers
Deadline
1 June 2006
Program Description
The objectives of the Grants to Aboriginal Writers, Storytellers and Publishers program are to:
- encourage the artistic development of established and emerging Aboriginal writers and storytellers
- encourage the development of Aboriginal publishers and collectives, and
- help increase appreciation for Aboriginal literature in Canada.
The program offers four components:
- Aboriginal Emerging Writers Residencies
- Storytelling and Creative Writing in Aboriginal Languages Grants
- Creative Writing Grants, and
- Publishing Grants.
Aboriginal Emerging Writers Residencies
Separate application guidelines and form for these residencies are available on the Canada Council’s website or from the Writing and Publishing Section.
Storytelling and Creative Writing in Aboriginal Languages Grants
This component provides support to Aboriginal writers, storytellers and collectives. Two categories of individuals are eligible: established and emerging.
Grants support work on oral or written literary projects that are in an Aboriginal language or are bilingual (translated into English or French). Projects in the following fields are eligible: storytelling, fiction, poetry, children’s literature, legends/mythology and literary non-fiction.
Creative Writing Grants
Creative Writing Grants provide support to established and emerging Aboriginal writers and storytellers. Grants support creation, in English or French, of new projects in the fields of fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction.
Publishing Grants
This component provides support to Aboriginal publishers and collectives. Two categories of publishers or collectives are eligible: established and emerging. Grants to established applicants provide development assistance to help stabilize the Aboriginal publishing industry and support the growth of a strong industry.
The program supports publishing projects that involve Aboriginal literature in French, English or an Aboriginal language. Support is available for the creation, production, distribution and marketing of the literature, which must be literary in content.
Self-publishing projects (where a writer wants to publish his or her own book) are not eligible.
Eligibility
Applicants must be Canadian citizens or have permanent resident status, as defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Writers and storytellers must be Aboriginal people. Publishers and collectives must be Aboriginal-controlled (Aboriginal people must make up a majority of the leadership of the organization).
Aboriginal people include Status, Non-Status, Métis and Inuit people.
Full-time students are not eligible to apply.
This program accepts collaborative projects, and writers or storytellers may work with professional artists from disciplines other than writing.
Writers
For this program, established writers are those who have had at least one book, but no more than two, published professionally. Writers who have had more than two books published professionally may not apply to the Creative Writing Grants component but may apply to the Storytelling and Creative Writing in Aboriginal Languages Grants component. They may also apply to the Canada Council’s Grants for Professional Writers program.
Emerging writers are those who have not yet had a book professionally published, but show a dedication to writing and have a substantial body of written work (published or unpublished).
Storytellers
Established storytellers are those who have a minimum of five years’ experience in storytelling. They must also have the recognition, in writing, of two established storytellers, their peers and/or their community.
Emerging storytellers are those who show a commitment to storytelling. They must also have the recognition, in writing, of two established storytellers, their peers and/or their community.
Publishers and Collectives
Established publishers and collectives are those that have published at least four literary books. They must also be receiving support from either the Emerging Publisher Grants or the Block Grants program of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Emerging publishers and collectives are those that have published fewer than four literary books and are not receiving support from either the Emerging Publisher Grants or the Block Grants program. To be eligible for Publishing Grants, emerging publishers or collectives must demonstrate the literary merit of the proposed publication, a plan for its distribution and marketing, and a clear sense of its intended audience. In the emerging category, eligible publication formats include printed or audio books, magazines or periodicals, CDs, DVDs, CD-ROMs and other audiovisual formats, or material intended for broadcast on the radio, television or Internet.
Other Eligibility Criteria
Non-literary writing or publishing projects (for example, projects involving linguistic material, guides, manuals, scholarly books, cookbooks, self-help books, catalogues or reference material) are not eligible for support from this program.
For projects involving stories belonging to a particular individual, family or community, applicants must show that permission to tell or publish the stories has been granted. Where elders are involved, it is also important that an honorarium, based on the protocol of their community, is provided.
Individuals, publishers and collectives can apply to only one component of the program per competition, for support of one project only.
Grant Amount
Storytelling and Creative Writing in Aboriginal Languages Grants
Established writers or storytellers: A maximum of $10,000
Emerging writers or storytellers: A maximum of $5,000
Collectives: A maximum of $20,000
Creative Writing Grants
Established writers or storytellers: A maximum of $10,000
Emerging writers or storytellers: A maximum of $5,000
Publishing Grants
Established publishers or collectives: A maximum of $40,000
Emerging publishers or collectives: A maximum of $20,000
Established Publishers or Collectives
Eligible costs include those related to:
- professional development, including costs for marketing and distribution, editorial improvements, co-operative projects with other Aboriginal organizations, and research
- audience development activities, including author promotions, book fairs, festivals and readings specifically targeting the Aboriginal community, and
- other reasonable projects that are not eligible for support from other Canada Council for the Arts programs.
Emerging Publishers or Collectives
Eligible costs include those related to editing, translation, design and publication of literary material.
Application Form
Grants to Aborginal Writers, Storytellers and Publishers (in PDF Acrobat format)
This form can only be printed and cannot be filled out on-line.
Further Information
Paul Seesequasis
Writing and Publishing Section
Canada Council for the Arts
350 Albert Street, P.O. Box 1047
Ottawa ON K1P 5V8
Telephone: 1-800-263-5588 (toll-free) or (613) 566-4414, ext. 5482
TTY (TDD) machine, for hearing-impaired callers: (613) 565-5194
Fax: (613) 566-4410
April 2006