Apply for Visual and Media Arts Projects Program (Canada)

Proposed projects must have a secured venue in the city of Toronto or be produced in Toronto and shared online, and have a well-focused audience development plan.

Funding Information

• The maximum grant available in this program is $15,000.

Eligible Projects

• You may apply for the following types of projects:
  • Exhibition: an exhibition must present work in a curatorial or critical context. Applicants exhibiting the work of their own members must likewise have a clearly defined curatorial or critical framework informing the selection and exhibition of work. An individual curator may not present their own artwork.
  • Screening Series: a screening, including film/video festivals, must present work in a curatorial or critical context and must include some work from Toronto artists. Applicants screening the work of their own members must likewise have a clearly defined curatorial or critical framework informing the selection and screening of work. An individual programmer may not present their own media work.
  • Lecture Series: a lecture series must present work in a curatorial or critical context. The audience development plan for the series must include a rationale on how the project contributes to the development of contemporary media and/or visual arts in Toronto. Applicants presenting their own members must likewise have a clearly defined curatorial or critical framework informing the selection of speakers.
  • Residency/Workshop Series: the audience development plan for the series must include a rationale on how the project contributes to the development of contemporary media and/or visual arts in Toronto. Applicants that have residencies or workshops including their own members must likewise have a clearly defined curatorial or critical framework informing the selection of participants.
  • Due to potential public health restrictions, social distancing rules and venue closures, projects conceived on digital platforms are eligible.
  • Grants awarded may be less than the full amount requested. In all categories TAC will not fund 100% of a project: applicants must indicate a range of revenue sources, which may include donated goods and services. For all categories, project expenses could include: artists fees, production and technical fees, marketing and outreach costs, administrative costs, childcare costs, etc. The payment of artist fees is a requirement in this program.

Ineligible Projects

• Projects that have been completed prior to the announcement of results. Toronto Arts Council does not fund retroactively.
• Organizations or collectives that receive Operating funding from TAC.
• Schools that are part of Ontario’s public or private education system;
• Student exhibitions or screenings;
• Educational and religious institutions, unless there is a clear separation in both programming and budget between their regular activities and their arts activities;
• Creation or production of visual or media artworks;
• Curatorial/programming research. Applicants must have already selected the artists or artworks they wish to present, or have developed clear critical or curatorial objectives and be able to provide a list of artists and/or artworks under consideration.
• Screening programs or festivals that do not include the work of Toronto artists, this is not intended to exclude works by non-Toronto artists.
• Ongoing operating costs, such as permanent staff salaries and general administration of an organization. This program is not intended to support an organization or collective’s ongoing activities. For information about Annual Operating funding, please contact TAC’s Visual/Media Arts Program Manager.
• Costs related to equipment purchase, capital projects (such as building purchase or renovations), publishing, archiving, awards and award ceremonies, art therapy, fundraising events/projects and deficit reduction.
• Activities taking place outside of the City of Toronto (such as touring, travel, accommodations).

Eligibility Criteria

• The eligibility of your project:
  • To apply to Visual and Media Arts Projects applicants must be either an incorporated non-profit organization or an unincorporated collective operating on a not-for-profit basis. Or an individual programmer or curator living in Toronto.
  • A collective is defined as two or more artists, curators or programmers working together under a group name, either on a single project or on an ongoing basis.
  • For collectives of two artists, both must be City of Toronto residents. For collectives of more than two artists, the majority of members must be City of Toronto residents.
  • Organizations/collectives must be located within the City of Toronto and the activity for which the funding is requested must occur within the City of Toronto.
  • Activity for which the funding is requested must occur within the City of Toronto.
  • Artists must be professional. A professional artist is someone who has developed their skills through training and/or practice; is recognized as such by others working in the same artistic tradition; actively practices; seeks payment for their work; and has a history of public presentation.
  • TAC recognizes that due to systemic barriers within the broader arts community (e.g. limited mainstream presentation opportunities for artists from equity-seeking communities) that some flexibility may be required in interpreting eligibility criteria to take into account equivalent professional experience and contexts. Potential applicants from equity-seeking communities are encouraged to discuss their eligibility with the Program Manager in advance of submitting an application.
  • The project for which the funding is requested must take place in the City of Toronto.
  • The payment of artist fees is a requirement in this program.
  • Applicants may receive only one grant per calendar year through the Visual/Media Arts program and may not apply to other TAC discipline programs. However, TAC offers other types of granting opportunities through its Strategic Initiatives envelope, and you may be eligible to apply to one of these programs.

Application Requirements

• The three main parts to the application are: Project Description, Budget Information, and Support Material:
  • The Project Description has four sections:
    • Overview, Artistic Goals & Objectives, Outreach & Audience Development and Project Contributors.
    • The Overview gives a synopsis of your project. (up to 1000 words)
    • The Artistic Goals & Objectives describes your artistic goals and objectives in relation to the project. (up to 500 words)
    • The Outreach & Audience Development section describes the audiences you wish to serve and the strategies you will use to reach them. (up to 500 words)
    • The Project Contributors is a list of the artists, curators, programmers and key community contributors involved in your project. Provide resumes for the key artists and brief bios of other contributors. Accepted file format – PDF.
  • In Budget Information you will fill out a table that shows the proposed Revenues (Earned Revenue, Private Sector Revenue, Government Revenue) and Expenses (Artistic/Production Expenses, Administration/Marketing Expenses) for your project. You will also need to upload a PDF file with supplementary budget information with a breakdown of donated goods and services and projected Artistic Fees.
  • Support Material is a requirement for some projects and optional for others. Contact the Visual/Media Arts Program Manager if you have questions about the type of support material to submit. Audio Visual and Printed support materials are accepted. All applicants are encouraged to upload at least one support material related to their current application:
    • Audio/visual support material is a requirement for all exhibition and screening series projects, to show examples of the work to be presented. If the artists or projects have not been chosen, a detailed plan on finding the artists must be discussed in the Artistic Goals & Objectives section.
    • Upload a maximum of 10 images; peer assessors will only view the number specified. The acceptable file type for visual support material is JPEG or JPG. The maximum file size is 2 MB. File resolution required for projection is between 72 and 150 DPI (or saved for “screen/monitor”). a maximum of 10 digital images.
    • For works that do not lend themselves to still documentation. Provide a link to the video files and, if required, a password or other instructions required to access the file. Do not submit material through Google Drive.
    • The assessment committee will normally review 5 minutes of support material per application. Therefore, works may not be seen in their entirety.
    • Optional print support material, applicants may submit a maximum of six pages of printed support materials (e.g. press clippings, letters of support) in PDF file format.

For more information, visit TAC.