Hey Canadian artists/writers! CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS had a seminar on the upcoming changes to their grants and it sounds like 1) project limits will be reset and 2) they are enthusiastic for indigenous / racialized / lgbtq etc applicants So: here are the few grant-writing tips I can offer! - ThreadSky

tangocharlie.bsky.social • 17 days ago

Hey Canadian artists/writers!
CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS had a seminar on the upcoming changes to their grants and it sounds like
1) project limits will be reset and
2) they are enthusiastic for indigenous / racialized / lgbtq etc applicants

So: here are the few grant-writing tips I can offer!

Comments

heymonsterboy.bsky.social•17 days ago

📌

neomeruru.bsky.social•17 days ago

I've looked at this before, but I didn't know it could apply to comic artists!

tangocharlie.bsky.social•17 days ago

In the past, GN authors might apply as "Creative Writers," but yeah, 100%, and it's never been easier.

neomeruru.bsky.social•17 days ago

It's always tripped me up that I'm both a writer and an artist - but that their idea of an artist is someone whose work is in galleries.

jacquelinesteudler.bsky.social•17 days ago

Just keep in mind that the old/existing portal will shut down soonish for a few weeks. Then the new portal with the new $75k grants will come into effect. Sign up for their newsletter to get all the timing. You can still apply until April 23, 2025 using the old/existing portal.

sairyfairy.bsky.social•15 days ago

📌

tangocharlie.bsky.social•17 days ago

Obvs, get familiar with their site and the grant-application guidelines, rules, questions, etc. etc. Take your time and do your homework.
https://canadacouncil.ca/

If you have questions afterward, don't hesitate to reach out to the program officers — IME they've been quick, personable, and helpful.

tangocharlie.bsky.social•17 days ago

Sign up for the portal now and get verified. Get it out of the way so you don't need to rush to do that at the same time you want to submit an application.
Their web platform has been pretty stable and reliable, IME. Could do a lot worse from a gov't agency.

tangocharlie.bsky.social•17 days ago

When you put together your grant application,
HAVE WORK-IN-PROGRESS TO SHOW.

This might not be strictly mandatory, but I've never "won" a grant without having WIP work to share.

tangocharlie.bsky.social•17 days ago

In this morning's seminar, the CCA folks emphasized:
the word count/limit on the forms is a LIMIT, not a target.
Try to keep things succinct.

I have had better results when I've written applications using frank, straightforward language rather than highfalutin arts-academy bullshit speak.

tangocharlie.bsky.social•17 days ago

Related:
Apparently the peer reviewers have seen a lot of robo-generated grant writing. They know how to spot it, and it will not count in your favour. (don't @ me about accessibility, IDK how that factors into their process.)

So write succinctly and use your own voice.

tangocharlie.bsky.social•17 days ago

The seminar emphasized the need for thoughtful and well-explained budgeting. When asked what this means when your only budget item is "subsistence," (as all of mine have been) they were not especially clear.
In the past, I've expanded on the idea, "I need to buy the time to focus on this project."

yesternaut.bsky.social•13 days ago

Does anybody know how these things apply to webcomics? Like, I plan to eventually print books, but is saying it’ll be free online to read a dealbreaker or somehow make it seem less legit?

tangocharlie.bsky.social•12 days ago

I have done exactly that, and it went just fine!

yesternaut.bsky.social•12 days ago

Thank you!

endrene.bsky.social•16 days ago

Thank you! 🙏 This is all so valuable… I’ve had a lot of success applying for STORYHIVE grants with my filmmaker partner but have never until now found a grant suitable to help me launch my GN 💕

aura-olympian.bsky.social•17 days ago

As a neurodivergent pan-demi trans/nonbinary aspiring writer, I really bloody wish I were Canadian right now or that the U. S. had something like this but as far as I know it doesn't seem to.

jestintzi.bsky.social•17 days ago

I haven’t heard about the project limits being reset, do you have more info on what you mean by that? Do you mean the way they have made it so you can apply for as many times as you want now (but can’t overlap)?

tangocharlie.bsky.social•17 days ago

This is what they said in the seminar:
If, say, you won two Explore & Create grants on a project (the max under the previous system), that limit is now reset and you can apply again with the same project.
Heavy caveat: this was my interpretation, please confirm with a program officer.

tangocharlie.bsky.social•17 days ago

Under the new system, they did not mention any limits about how often you can apply with the same project, but they said each application was eligible for a max of 75k, with a yearly max of $150k (if you won two grants).

jestintzi.bsky.social•17 days ago

Oh interesting, I never considered applying for another grant for a project I’ve already received a grant for. Which makes sense you should be able to do that!

And 75k is the max for explore and create now? Did they raise that? I feel like I’ve been working under the assumption it is 25k! Wild.

tangocharlie.bsky.social•17 days ago

Yeah, E&C is getting the boot, it's all becoming "Artistic Creation" which, IMO, is better and good.
And yeah, 75k max per application now! Until April somethingorother, it will still be max 25k.

jestintzi.bsky.social•17 days ago

Wow! That's wild. I do think that explore and create was slightly confusing alongside some of the others, so that's interesting! And good. I'll look into it when it switches over, as I'm still working on my recent grant right now so won't be immediately applying I don't think.

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