Elder/Youth Legacy Program: Support for Aboriginal Artistic Practices (Pilot)
Deadline
15 May
Program Description
Since the Canada Council created the Aboriginal Peoples Collaborative Exchange program, more people have been asking how to obtain funds for two underserved segments of the Aboriginal arts community: the Elders (senior artists) and the youth (ages 15-25).
The Canada Council has realized that Aboriginal Elders and youth—the two segments of the community involved in passing on art practices—have not been regularly applying for arts funding. Many of the Elders (senior artists) found the paperwork cumbersome, and the youth of the communities were ineligible because of their age.
The Elder/Youth Legacy pilot program solves this by offering program funding to Aboriginal arts organizations that wish to work with these two groups on a project basis. This program is not limited to traditional art forms—it encompasses all forms of the arts.
First, the organization will choose the Elder who will work with their youth. That Elder will then help to decide the number of young people he or she will work with, and will help to select them.
Program Objectives
Through this program, Aboriginal arts organizations can help Elders pass on the many art forms being practiced, to the next generation.
The program will also increase the Canada Council’s capacity to serve Aboriginal Elders of this country, giving them opportunities to work with youth and pass on their legacy of artistic practice.
Eligibility
Groups or collectives applying to this program must have Aboriginal artists as a majority of their members. (These artists must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada, as defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.)
The organization’s artistic direction must be provided by Aboriginal artists of Canada. Arts organizations must be owned and operated by Aboriginal people. At least 51 percent of the directors on their board must be Aboriginal people, and one of these directors must sign the application.
In Canada, Aboriginal peoples include Status, Non-Status, Métis and Inuit people. For this program, Aboriginal peoples also include Indigenous and Aboriginal people from outside Canada (as long as they are Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada).
Groups, organizations or collectives must show an ongoing commitment to Aboriginal arts. The organization must show that the Elder and candidate young artists have helped to develop the project outline, goals and objectives, and that they have set a timeline that works for them.
Grant Amount
You may request up to $20,000.
Eligible Costs
- Travel (airfares and ground travel, excursion rates only)
- Elder’s artistic fees
- Established artist’s (Elder /senior artist) living allowance over and above per diem (maximum of
- $2,000 per month for the duration of the project)
- Administration costs (10 percent of total budget)
- Freight, shipping and insurance costs
- The costs of materials, supplies and other miscellaneous items directly related to the work being created and/or to the legacy of the Elder
- Equipment rental fees
- Rental fees for workshop space
- Promotional and marketing material expenses relative to dissemination
Ineligible Costs
- Publication costs
- Production costs related to music, film, dance, theatre, conferences or concerts or documentary films
- Cost of purchasing electronic equipment or power tools, including cameras
- Fundraising event costs
- Costs related to research projects
- Honoraria for youth
Assessment of Applications
Applicants will be assessed according to the artistic merit of the work they propose, their community connections through the arts, their record in serving and enriching these communities, and their ability to administer these activities. Previous experience working with Elders and youth is an asset. The project must provide a unique and innovative opportunity for developing the young artists’ and the host organization’s knowledge of Aboriginal artistic practices, as well as the Elder’s artistic practice.
Assessment Process
Applications for Elder/Youth Legacy Program grants will be assessed by peer assessors selected from the Aboriginal arts community. The assessment committee will include an Elder, a young person, and representatives from Aboriginal arts organizations that administer multi-disciplinary programs. The members will be chosen to ensure fair representation of gender, regional diversity and Canada’s two official languages.
Funding decisions are based on the availability of funds and on the overall artistic merit and potential success of each project in comparison with all other eligible applicants. Peer assessment committee decisions for this program are final recommendations for approval by the Canada Council.
Assessment Criteria
- the nature of the collaboration between the Elder and youth
- the compatibility of the work and experience of the Elder and youth with the host organization
- the artistic quality of the body of work already produced by the Elder
- the artistic quality of the proposed project
- commitment from both Elders and youth to the proposed project (as shown in their letters of commitment)
- the organization’s commitment to the development of Aboriginal arts
- demonstration that the project is well thought out and that it will enrich both the youth and the Elder’s art practice.
Application Form
Elder/Youth Legacy Program: Support for Aboriginal Artistic Practices (Pilot) (pdf, 147 KB)
This form can only be printed and cannot be filled out on-line.
Further Information
This program summary provides an overview of the Aboriginal Peoples Collaborative Exchange program. For further details or to obtain an application form, contact Louise Profeit-LeBlanc, Aboriginal Arts Coordinator in the Aboriginal Arts Secretariat.
Telephone: 1-800-263-5588 (toll-free) or (613) 566-4414, ext. 4222
TTY (TDD) machine, for hearing-impaired callers: (613) 565-5194
Fax: (613) 566-4406
Aboriginal Arts Secretariat
Canada Council for the Arts
350 Albert Street, P.O. Box 1047
Ottawa ON K1P 5V8
June 2006