Apply for Media Artists Creation Projects – Canada

Priorities

• The program’s priorities are to support:
  • projects that are innovative – in content, point of view, form, style, technique or process
  • projects that further the applicant’s development as an artist
• This arts council program is not intended to support commercial media production. There are other funders that support the commercial film, television, and game industries.
• In addition to considering the OAC’s priority groups, this program also strives to support gender parity.

Categories

• The program has two categories:
  • Emerging Artist: You have completed at least one independent media work and are not currently enrolled in a formal media arts education program.
  • Mid-Career & Established Artist: You have completed at least two previous media works independently. Mid-Career artists have a history of independent media arts practice of at least 5 years. Established artists have a history of independent media arts practice of at least 15 years.

Funding Information

• Emerging: $10,000 maximum
• Mid-Career & Established: $40,000 maximum
• Important: Total project budgets must not exceed:
  • $125,000 for Emerging applications
  • $300,000 for Mid-Career & Established applications

What this program funds?

• Production and post-production costs, including artist and personnel fees, related travel expenses, insurance, promotional materials, prototyping, rights for visuals and sound/music, facility and equipment rentals, purchase of small-scale equipment, software, electronics and similar materials required to carry out the project
• You may apply for:
  • animation
  • audio or video art
  • dance film/video (for the choreography only, also see the Dance Projects program)
  • documentary
  • drama/comedy
  • experimental
  • media art installation
  • new media
  • media-based performance projects
  • web-based art projects
  • video or electronic games
  • virtual reality projects
• This program also supports:
  • childcare and other dependant care fees enabling you to take part in the project (this does not include regular, ongoing expenses)

What this program does not fund?

• research, development and screenwriting
• a series or group of works (including web series and podcasts)
• commissioned projects and projects contracted for, or produced by a government agency, not-for-profit or private company
• promotional projects, commercials, or public service announcements
• educational or instructional projects
• producer-driven projects, or “calling-card” films
• student projects, including those done through a training centre or program (for example, Banff Centre, National Screen Institute, Canadian Film Centre)

Eligibility Criteria

• Directors/principal media artists who:
  • reside in Ontario
  • have completed the requisite number of independent works for their applicant type (emerging, mid-career or established – see Definitions)
  • are taking their own initiative and making their own decisions about the work to be created
  • work with or without a producer
  • hold copyright over the proposed work
• Contracts with producers or other funders must not require that the artist give up such control, even if they are arranged after confirmation of OAC support.

Ineligible

• producers
• individuals who have only contributed to media art projects that were directed or led by someone else (for example, screenwriters)
• secondary and undergraduate students (see note below for graduate students)
• artists who have been awarded a grant in the Visual Artists Creation Projects program in the same year
• artists who have applied to Visual Artists Creation Projects program in the same year and are still waiting for their results
• Important:
  • Collaborators (for example, co-director) named in one application cannot be the applicant or collaborator on another application submitted to this program at the same deadline.
  • Applicants who have previously received a Media Artists grant in the Mid-Career & Established category cannot apply in the Emerging category.

For more information, visit Ontario Arts Council.