Arts Grants Program

The mandate of the PEI Arts Grants is to support, assist, encourage and represent the arts community in the province. Funding is available to Prince Edward Island artists through a juried grant application process.

What type of funding is available?

The Arts Grants program offers three types of grants to support art and artists of Prince Edward Island. Each program serves a different purpose and requires a different application.

Creation Grant

The purpose of the creation/production grant is to support the creation of artistic projects by Prince Edward Island professional artists in the following disciplines: crafts; dance; interdisciplinary arts; film and media arts; music; theatre; visual arts; and writing and publishing.

Total maximum annual creation grant amounts:

• Established Professional Artists: $8,000
• Emerging Professional Artists: $5,000

Dissemination Grant

The purpose of the dissemination grant is to assist with the presentation of the works of PEI professional artists to the public, ideally in a critical and/or curatorial context, in the following disciplines: crafts; dance; interdisciplinary arts; film and media arts; music; theatre; visual arts; and writing and publishing.

Total maximum annual dissemination grant amounts:

• Established Professional Artists: $2,500
• Emerging Professional Artists: $2,000

Professional Development Grant

The purpose of the professional development grant is to support the professional development of PEI professional artists’ careers in the following disciplines: crafts; dance; interdisciplinary arts; film and media arts; music; theatre; visual arts; and writing and publishing.

Total maximum annual professional development grant amounts:

• Established Professional Artists: $2,500
• Emerging Professional Artists: $2,000
• Amateur Artists: $1,000       

Is there certain eligibility that I need to consider?

Residency

To apply for any of the grants, you must have a PEI address as your primary residence for a minimum of twelve consecutive months. Artists on extended travel for their work are still considered PEI residents, but those who move their primary residence to another province or country within the twelve consecutive months previous to the application deadline are not eligible.

Groups or bands must have a majority of members be residents of PEI.

Professional Status

There are several ways to establish professional status as an artist. As a professional artist you should meet three or more of the following criteria in relation to your arts practice:

• Have received compensation that is considered part of your personal or business income;
• Have presented your work to the public by recordings, exhibitions, publications, screenings, performance, readings or other means of dissemination;
• Devotes a reasonable amount of time creating or disseminating your work;
• Have received reviews, or appraisals by public and/or peer assessment/recognition;
• Have a membership in a professional or industry association or guild recognized by their discipline;
• Have undertaken formal education or training from educational institution(s), or have undertaken self-directed training through a commitment to informal training opportunities that demonstrate commitment to skill development.

Each grant also has unique eligibility requirements outlined below and in the attached guidelines.

Creation Grants

This grant is available to individuals or small groups/bands at the established and emerging professional artist levels. Eligible costs include living expenses (up to $800 per month) and direct project costs, such as materials and supplies, pre-production research, documentation costs and equipment rental.

Capital costs are not eligible. Amateur artists and/or students are not eligible for funding under this program. Festivals, contests, events and not-for-profit organizations are not eligible for funding under this program.

Dissemination Grant

This grant is intended to support opportunities to publicly present artistic works in order to increase access, understanding, and appreciation of Prince Edward Island art.

Eligible projects include the following: tours, presentations, exhibitions, performances, screenings, web presentations of original artworks, limited reproductions, publishing, and translation. This program is intended to support the dissemination of specific completed works of arts.

Purely commercial self-promotion ventures are not eligible for funding under this program.  

Dissemination grants are available for individuals or small groups/bands at the established professional and emerging professional artist levels. Amateur artists and/or students and not-for-profit organizations are not eligible for funding under this program.

Eligible costs include travel expenses, shipping/freight, limited reproductions, artist fees, framing, professional fees, installation costs, and facility and equipment rental. Capital costs are not eligible.

Professional Development Grant

This grant provides financial assistance for professional development and skill building activities that advance the artistic work and careers of eligible applicants. Eligible programs include mentoring, apprenticeships, residencies, short-term training programs, portfolio and support material development, workshops, seminars, and conferences.

Programs that are a part of full-time study programs are not eligible for funding under this program.  

Professional development grants are available for individuals or small groups/bands at the established professional, emerging professional and amateur artist levels. Organizations are not eligible for funding under this program.

Eligible costs include program costs, materials and supplies as well as travel expenses. Capital costs, subsistence and self-study programs are not eligible.

What's the difference between an emerging and established artist?

Artist categories are based on the stage of an artist's career, not chronological age. Your artist CV should be able to support your identification as emerging or established.

An emerging artist is a professional artist who identifies with the following characteristics:

• you are at the early stage of your career;
• you view art as your vocation;
• you have specialized artistic training (formal or informal) and
• you have created a modest body of work that includes demonstrated efforts to have had public presentation.

You are considered an established artist if you identify as a professional artist with the following characteristics:

• you are recognized in your artistic discipline by your peers;
• you have specialized training;
• you have a significant history of public presentation and regional and/or national representation; and
• you have created an extensive body of work.

You may be considered an amateur artist if you demonstrate a high caliber of artistic talent and wish to bridge into a professional career. Students 16+ are eligible to apply however, a  parent or guardian must sign the application on your behalf.

What is the deadline to apply for a grant?

Applications will be accepted from noon on April 16, 2021 until 4pm on May 14, 2021. Applications submitted after this deadline will not be accepted.

How should I complete and send my application?

How will applications be assessed?

The Director of Cultural Development will coordinate a juried peer-led process for grant distribution. Peer assessment provides the best possible means of identifying outstanding ability and artistic merit in the arts. Each Peer Assessment Jury shall consist of a Chairperson and a six member committee of peer adjudicators as assembled by the Director of Cultural Development. 

How do I make a recommendation for the peer review jury?

Members of the arts community and the general public are invited to submit a recommendation for themselves or another individual to serve on the peer review panel. 

Submit your completed application to slpratt@gov.pe.ca

The peer review juries are comprised of members of the artistic community and the general public. The jury selection for this program will strive to follow the Canada Council of the Arts recommended criteria. Jurors will be selected based on the following criteria: 

• Artistic practice – artists and arts professionals with different artistic styles and philosophies, who have an ability to provide aesthetic context.
• Professional specialization – artists and arts professionals who perform a variety of different professional roles in the arts, such as creators, interpreters, administrators, directors, producers, publishers, gallery owners, dealers, curators, critics, educators, etc.
• Language – artists and arts professionals from the two official language communities of Canada.
• Cultural diversity – artists and arts professionals of African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American or mixed heritage.
• Aboriginal artists and arts professionals – artists and arts professionals of First Nations, Métis and Inuit background.
• Regions – artists and arts professionals from different geographical regions and communities of Prince Edward Island.
• Gender
• Age – artists and arts professionals of different generations.

Who do I contact with questions?

Shannon Pratt
Creative Industries Development Officer
Phone: 902 626-8613
slpratt@gov.pe.ca
Innovation PEI
94 Euston Street, Charlottetown