Under normal circumstances, awards are available only once each fiscal year on a project basis to assist with the development and special activities of professional public museums and professional visual arts organizations in British Columbia. Awards under this program are intended to encourage artistic growth, support organizational and artistic development, and increase the availability of professional arts to the community. Eligible projects may include assistance for the development of unique exhibitions, development of new audiences, critical documentation, exploration of diverse forms, dissemination, or organizational development.

In carrying out its mandate the British Columbia Arts Council is guided by its fundamental commitment to artistic excellence.

The Council has also articulated the following strategic priorities to inform all applicants in the development of requests to Council programs. These priorities will be considered by advisory committees during the adjudication process:

• the improved sustainability of all BC arts and cultural organizations;
• inclusion of diverse artistic practices;
• encouragement of emerging artists;
• development of new art forms; and
• expansion of opportunities for regional participation.

BC Arts Council programs are accessible to aboriginal artists or arts organizations and artists or arts organizations from diverse cultural and regional communities of British Columbia.

There are two categories of professional project assistance:

A. Development Projects

B. Special Projects

Each type of assistance is described following the general eligibility criteria.

Under normal circumstances, to be eligible, an applicant must:

• have been operating as a registered non-profit society in good standing in the Province of British Columbia or as a public institution operated by a municipality with a community-based advisory board for a minimum of one year;
• compensate artists by paying fees to professional artists at industry standard, and adhere to BC Arts Council policy and the Canadian Copyright Act;
• employ competent curatorial and administrative leadership;
• provide an audited or independently-prepared financial statement (“review engagement”) for the most recently completed fiscal year;
• provide a project budget that demonstrates a diversified revenue base, with significant funding from sources other than the British Columbia Arts Council, including earned revenues, federal and local government support, and private funding;
• have completed and submitted final reports for any outstanding project assistance provided through the BC Arts Council;
• not be eligible for, or receiving, funding through other BC Arts Council programs; and
• demonstrate the need for financial assistance, as defined by Council policy.

Awards are not available for projects that have been completed prior to application or for project deficits.

Project Assistance awards are also not available for: capital development projects; capital renovation costs; equipment purchase; fund-raising; international travel costs of foreign artists visiting British Columbia; travel of museum or visual arts organizations to international symposia, conferences or competitions; or projects in celebration of anniversaries.

A. Development Projects

Museum and Visual Arts Development Project assistance is intended to assist professional public museums and visual arts organizations not currently receiving Operating Assistance from the BC Arts Council.

Awards can be made for either a specific project or to assist the public programming activities of the organization. Under normal circumstances, applicants for Development Project assistance must, in addition to meeting the above criteria, demonstrate a record of realizing comparable projects at a professional standard.

B. Professional Special Projects

Museum and Visual Arts Special Project assistance awards are intended to assist organizations currently receiving Operating Assistance from the BC Arts Council.

Awards are made to assist a specific activity. Under normal circumstances, applications for Special Project assistance must be for a unique project:

• that could not take place without an award;
• clearly distinct from the normal operations of the applicant; and
• to be produced once only, since this funding is not available for repeated activities.

Applicants are encouraged to submit realistic requests based on realistic goals. All applicants must discuss their project proposal with a program coordinator prior to submitting an application.

Applications require detailed submissions, and have to include:

• a signed, completed Project Assistance application form that addresses all application questions and includes details of the proposed project, including the budget and names and résumés of contributing curatorial staff, artists, or presenters, including copies of any executed or proposed contracts with contributors;
• a list of the organization's current board of directors or trustees, including their occupations;
• a list of principal administrative and curatorial staff or significant contractors, giving name and title or responsibility;
• a history of the applicant’s previous contributions to the development of the discipline, including any appropriate press or critical documentation;
• copies of any recently prepared planning and policy documents; and
• two copies of the most recent audit or independently prepared financial statements (“review engagement”) for the organization, as well as the organization’s budget for the current and upcoming year.

Only applications containing a self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient postage will have support materials returned.

Adjudication Process

The BC Arts Council is committed to active partnerships in the development and dissemination of arts and cultural activity in British Columbia. Merit-based, independent assessment is the primary method of evaluation.

While the Council makes every effort to respond swiftly to each application, in the interests of fairness, the following process is used to evaluate every application:

• the BC Arts Council receives applications at any time, but adjudicates them only once each fiscal year;
• the Council acknowledges receipt of applications in writing;
• the Council’s staff review applications for completeness and accuracy, and prepare an analysis of the applicant’s administration, financial management, and sustainability;
• the Museums and Visual Arts Advisory Committee then evaluates the applications, and determines the level of funding and conditions on the payment of awards; and
• the Council informs each applicant of the decision.

The Museums and Visual Arts Advisory Committee will evaluate requests according to the following criteria:

• Artistic Excellence:
• the quality of the public program;
• the ability to realize the proposed project;
• the project’s contribution to the development of museums or the visual arts in BC;
• the commitment to works by Canadian artists, new art forms, and the inclusion of diverse forms of artistic expression; and
• the level and consistency of payment to artists.
• Service to the Community:
• accessibility and uniqueness of the project to artists and audiences;
• nature and significance of the proposed project’s potential effect on the public and the museum and visual arts communities, including levels of creative opportunity offered to professional curators and visual artists;
• the number of people the project will reach; and
• the project’s accessibility to diverse and regional communities.
• Administrative Capacity:
• capacity to realize the proposed project;
• ability to realize planning, audience development, marketing, and financial management objectives; and
• sustainability of the organization as demonstrated by the stability of its finances and management.

In all cases the clarity of the application, and the demonstrated ability of the organization to achieve its proposed artistic and administrative goals will form an integral part of the adjudication process.

Public funds should be allocated in a manner that benefits the community. For that reason, the BC Arts Council assesses whether each applicant has a real need for financial assistance to realize the project for which it requests assistance.

For Applicants in the Project Assistance program, the Council evaluates need using these guidelines:

• For applicants with budgets under $50,000: Holding an accumulated, undesignated surplus in excess of 50% of annual gross revenues will influence eligibility for assistance from the Arts Council.
• For applicants with budgets greater than $50,000: Holding an accumulated, undesignated surplus in excess of 50% of annual gross revenues on the first $50,000, plus an accumulated, undesignated surplus in excess of 25% of annual gross revenues over $50,000 will influence eligibility for assistance.
• Surpluses generated for specific purposes (such as endowment funds and capital development) through private or public sector fundraising are exempt from this assessment of need.

In recognition of funding, the support of the BC Arts Council should be acknowledged in all promotional materials. The Council will provide successful applicants with examples of camera-ready formats of the Council’s logo, along with usage guidelines. The logo is also available in a variety of formats on the Council’s Web site at www.bcartscouncil.ca.

The logo should be used on posters, brochures, print ads and programs and used where possible on media releases and signs related to the funded project.

Under normal circumstances, if a project is dependent on funding from other sources, approved awards will not be paid out until funding from other sources is confirmed.

Project awards will not exceed 50% of project costs for either Development or Special Projects.

The deadline for both Development and Special Projects is:

• April 16, 2007 (post marked)