Canadian Funding and Grants You Should Know About

Posted on July 29, 2019

With the many different organizations with funding available for Manitoba artists, the number of options and opportunities can be confusing and sometimes overwhelming. Here's a breakdown of some of the primary sources you and your project may be eligible for. Check out www.manitobamusic.com/funding for more.

Music Recording Production

Manitoba Film & Music: Music Recording Production Fund
This program is designed to support the production of culturally relevant and commercially viable music recording products by the Manitoba music recording industry. Applicants may apply under one of three different program levels, including demo, EP, and full-length.

FACTOR: Artist Development
The Artist Development Program offers a $2,000 subsidy toward a year of artist development activities such as recording, touring and showcasing, video production, and marketing.

FACTOR: Juried Sound Recording
The JSR program contributes toward the cost of acquiring, producing, and marketing a full length album.

Musication: Production d’un album
Ce programme est destiné à la production d’un album ou d’un DVD musical. L’album doit avoir un minimum de huit plages (d'au moins 60 secondes chacune) ou un contenu musical de 30 minutes.

Manitoba Arts Council: Create
The Create program supports the creation of new work or development of works in progress in all disciplines by professional artists and arts groups.

Manitoba Arts Council: Indigenous 360 – Create
The Indigenous 360 Create program supports the creation of new work or development of works in progress in all disciplines by professional Indigenous artists, art groups, and Knowledge Keepers.

Winnipeg Arts Council: Individual Artist Grant Program for Winnipeg Artists working in all disciplines
The Winnipeg Arts Council recognizes the individual artist as the primary source of creative activity in all artistic disciplines. The program is intended to support the creation of new work in any art form, or the development, production, curation, or exhibition of works of art by Winnipeg artists.

Touring & Showcasing

Manitoba Film & Music Recording Artist Touring Support Program
The Touring Support program is intended to provide Manitoban artists/groups with the opportunity to reach audiences outside of their hometown. This includes traveling across Canada, through the United States, or internationally.

FACTOR: Live Performance
The Live Performance program subsidizes the cost of domestic and international performances including showcases and tours. Artists need to have a rating of 2 or 3 or have a FACTOR-funded project in the works to be eligible.

Manitoba Music: Export Showcase Program
Manitoba Music’s Export Program supports Manitoba artists and music industry professionals in attending and enhancing their presence at professionally organized music industry conferences and showcases, in significantly enhancing their access to new markets, and in developing new business relationships through purposely organized showcases.

Manitoba Arts Council: Share – Tour
The Tour program supports touring activities across Manitoba by professional artists, arts groups, and arts organizations in the performing arts.

SOCAN Foundation: Travel Assistance
Grants are provided to SOCAN composers, writers, and music publishers across all genres of music to assist with travel-related costs for career-building or career defining activities in Canada or abroad. Priority for approval will be given to applications demonstrating the importance of the activity to the applicant’s career. Activities that receive compensation are not eligible.

Canada Arts Council: Travel – Arts Across Canada
The Travel component of Arts Abroad funds travel linked to international presentation, exhibition, artistic collaboration, networking and new market opportunities for Canadian artists and arts professionals, artistic groups and arts organizations. Grants provide support to attend significant events outside of Canada and build international presence.

Canada Arts Council: Creating, Knowing and Sharing: The Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples
The Travel component of Creating, Knowing and Sharing funds First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists, arts/cultural professionals (including artists’ representatives), cultural carriers, artistic groups, collectives and organizations working in all disciplines. Grants support travel costs to attend significant events within Canada or abroad that advance your professional development, enable you or the artists you represent to access new markets or build national and international presence.

Canada Arts Council: Travel – Arts Abroad
The Travel component of Arts Across Canada funds activities linked to Canadian presentation, exhibition, artistic collaboration, networking and building market opportunities for Canadian artists, arts professionals, artistic groups and arts organizations. Grants provide support to participate in significant events, build a national presence and for festivals and presenters to conduct research for Canadian artistic programming.

Marketing

Manitoba Film & Music: Record Product Marketing Fund
This program is designed to assist in the marketing and promotion of Manitoba music recording products both domestically and abroad. In the past, this has included the manufacturing of merchandise, creation of a website, or development of an EPK.

FACTOR: Marketing and Promotion for Non-Factor-Funded Sound Recordings
Supports the marketing of commercially released sound recordings that were not acquired or produced with FACTOR funding. Must meet sales threshold to qualify for funding.

Video

Manitoba Film & Music: Music and Viral Video Fund
This program is designed to encourage the production of music and viral videos by the Manitoba recording industry and to support production by the Manitoba Film/Video Industry. In doing so, the Video program seeks to aid in the promotion and marketing of current album projects both nationally and internationally.

FACTOR: Video
The Video program contributes to the cost of producing music videos for eligible Canadian sound recordings by Artists rated 2 and 3.

The Music Video Production (MVP) Project
The MVP Project, with support from the RBC Foundation, was established to promote the intersection of emerging Canadian Recording Artists and Filmmakers through Music Video Production Grants valued between $5,000 and $15,000. The Music Video Production Project, a joint RBCxMusic & Prism Prize initiative, is committed to supporting emerging artists. The MVP Project is administered by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

Professional Development

SOCAN Foundation: Professional Development Assistance
Grants are provided to SOCAN composers, writers, and music publishers across all genres of music, for upgrading their skills and knowledge or acquiring new skills and knowledge to advance their careers.

Canada Arts Council: Explore and Create - Professional Development for Artists
The Professional Development for Artists component of Explore and Create supports the career growth of Canadian artists and artistic groups by encouraging participation in a wide range of development opportunities. Grants fund activities that contribute to the professional advancement of Canadian artists working in all artistic disciplines.

Canada Arts Council: Explore and Create - Research and Creation
The Research and Creation component of Explore and Create supports the initial stages of the creative process. Canadian artists, artistic groups and arts organizations can apply to develop and make creative works. Grants provide support for creative research, creation and project development.

Manitoba Arts Council: Learn - Residencies
The Residencies program supports creation or research-based residency opportunities for professional artists in all disciplines. Applicants may apply for travel to have time and space in the Riding Mountain Artists’ Residency, the Churchill Artists’ Residency, or a residency opportunity of the artists’ choosing.

Manitoba Arts Council: Learn – Travel/Professional Development
The Travel/Professional Development program supports professional artists and arts/cultural professionals in all disciplines for activities related to the development of their practice or careers.

Manitoba Arts Council: Indigenous 360 – Learn
The Indigenous 360 Learn program supports learning and artistic development activities in all disciplines for professional Indigenous artists, arts/cultural professionals, and Knowledge Keepers.

RBC Emerging Artists Project
Support results-driven programming to help artists bridge the gap from emerging to established, in the early stages of their career, by providing exposure to new/diverse audiences, access to networks/connections and mentorship.

Winnipeg Arts Council: Professional Development Grant Program for Artists & Arts Administrators
The Winnipeg Arts Council recognizes that the continued growth and development of arts professionals is essential to the cultural health of the community. The Professional Development Grant Program is designed to provide support to artists and arts administrators for activities that contribute to their professional development and enhance their careers in the arts. These activities may include: unique opportunities for short-term study (beyond basic training) in a formal or informal setting; attendance at events where the work of the applicant is to be presented or where the applicant is an invited speaker or resource person; or travel that is a component of such activities.

Event Presentation

FACTOR: Sponsorship
The Sponsorship program allows FACTOR to support worthy music-related events that are looking for a smaller amount of support, or that do not quite fit other program mandates.

Canada Arts Council: Concept to Realization
The Concept to Realization component of Explore and Create supports the full creative cycle – from the initial idea through to presentation, at any stage of the creative continuum. Canadian artists, artistic groups and arts organizations can apply to create projects intended for presentation. Grants provide support for artistic research, creation, project development, remounts, production, post-production and presentation.

Manitoba Arts Council: Share – Present
The Present program supports the presentation of work in all disciplines by professional artists, arts groups, and arts organizations.

Manitoba Arts Council: Indigenous 360 – Share
The Indigenous 360 Share program supports the presentation of work in all disciplines by professional Indigenous artists, Knowledge Keepers, arts groups, and organizations.

Work Commissioning

SOCAN Foundation: Work Commissioning Assistance
Grants are provided to assist individuals, corporations, performers, ensembles, and presents in the commissioning of SOCAN members to create new works in all genres of music. The overall intent of this program it to reach beyond local, regional, provincial and federal arts council funding bodies, and encourage other members of our society (individual, organizations or companies) to commission new musical works.

For a more comprehensive list of Canadian funding bodies with music-eligible programs, check out manitobamusic.com/funding