Dominik Parisien is a disabled, bisexual French Canadian and the author of the poetry collection Side Effects May Include Strangers (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2020) and the forthcoming memoir On a Scale of 1 to 500 Miles: A Memoir of Chronic Pain (Penguin Canada). He also co-edited several award-winning anthologies, including Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction, The Mythic Dream, and The Starlit Wood.
Grant Writing 101
One of the challenges of applying for grants is not knowing where to begin. In my presentation I discussed some of the fundamentals of grant application, which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfPWXu5FyN4
The various granting bodies also have guides or resources to assist you in your application. However, support resources can at times be difficult to locate. Here are some useful links to help you in your application process.
Toronto Arts Council: https://torontoartscouncil.org/grant-programs/discover-tac-grants/online-application
- Includes several video tutorials.
- Their Tips and Resources section is particularly valuable: https://torontoartscouncil.org/grant-programs/tips-and-resources
Ontario Arts Council: https://www.arts.on.ca/grants
- This page is particularly useful, especially the Nova User Guide section https://www.arts.on.ca/grants/general-granting-information
- Pay special attention to the Deadlines and Important Dates section as well
Canada Council for the Arts: https://canadacouncil.ca/funding/grants/guide
- This page includes links to several parts of the application process.
- The profile creation process for the CCA can take a bit of time, and their system also needs several weeks to activate a profile. Create your account well before deadlines.
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Application support is available for deaf and disabled creators, or artists living with mental health. Through these programs an applicant may request an assistant to help throughout their application process, including completing the report after a successful application.
Applicants should contact the officers or administrators several weeks before the deadline in order to give enough time to process a support request.
Toronto Arts Council: https://torontoartscouncil.org/grant-programs/application-accessibility-support
- Applicants can request up to $500 for support.
- The page provides a link to the contact information for the managers responsible for each program.
Ontario Arts Council: https://www.arts.on.ca/grants/priority-group/deaf-artists-and-artists-with-disabilities
- The relevant section here is the Accessibility Fund: Application Support.
- In order to apply for this program the applicant can contact the program administrator, Naomi Chorney: nchorney@arts.on.ca
- Applicants can request up to $500 for support.
Canada Council for the Arts: https://canadacouncil.ca/funding/application-assistance
- This program also supports First Nations, Inuit, or Métis creators facing language, geographic, or cultural barriers.
- Support can be request for both the creation of a profile and applying to the grant itself.
- The website details the amounts you can request and provides contact information.
- Amounts vary depending on the support requested.
Some of the granting bodies have grants dedicated to specific demographics across disciplines. These can be easily missed when applying. Some of these include:
- Toronto Arts Council — Black Arts: https://torontoartscouncil.org/grant-programs/discover-tac-grants/tac-grants/art-discipline-funding/black-arts
- Ontario Arts Council’s Deaf and Disability — Arts Projects: https://www.arts.on.ca/grants/deaf-and-disability-arts-projects
- Canada Council for the Arts — Creating, Knowing and Sharing: The Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples: https://canadacouncil.ca/funding/grants/creating-knowing-sharing
- Canada Council for the Arts — Deaf and Disability Arts: https://canadacouncil.ca/funding/funding-decisions/decision-making-process/application-assessment/context-briefs/deaf-and-disability-arts-practices
For research-based work — Access Copyright Foundation: https://www.acfoundation.ca/eligibility/
- Although the application portal gives the impression their focus is exclusively on the arts in Saskatchewan, SK Arts administers grants for the Access Copyright Foundations and writers across Canada can apply for grants.
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These should help in you application process. As I mention in the presentation, grant officers and administrators can answer general questions and provide additional support in your application process, as well as provide some feedback in certain cases. Don’t hesitate to contact them for help.
Brockton Writers Series 