CultivART program – organization component

Please note that you have until 5:00 p.m. to submit your application on the deadline date.

Who is eligible to apply?

Indigenous or non-Indigenous arts and culture organizations interested in hosting an intern.

This presentation is intended for organizations. If the organization/intern/mentor have not already been matched, interns should refer to the CultivART Internship Program – Component 1 – Intern presentation, mentors should refer to the CultivART Internship Program – Component 3 – Mentor.

What are the program objectives?

Paid internships offer established arts and culture organizations an opportunity to host emerging Indigenous artists and cultural workers. Program objectives:

• provide a stimulating professional environment to learn about the real-world working conditions of a career in arts or culture
• provide the personal and professional guidance of an Indigenous or racialized mentor to ensure that the intern’s professional objectives are fully achieved in their host environment
• recognize the intern’s contribution to their host environment

What type of assistance is provided?

The Conseil will pay a total of $20,000 to the host organization, which will be allocated as follows:

• $2,500 to help cover expenses incurred during the internship, which may vary depending on the nature of the project (computer, workstation, software, equipment, etc.)

This amount cannot be applied to expenses included in the organization’s operating budget or covered by another grant program. It can, however, be used to increase the number of work hours or the hourly wage.

• $12,500 to compensate the intern (equivalent to $19.23 per hour). The host organization will pay the intern according to the pay schedule established in their agreement (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) and upon presentation of an invoice from the intern to the organization
• the mentor will receive up to a maximum of five thousand dollars ($5,000) for approximately one hundred and fifty (150) hours at an hourly rate of $33.33. The organization will make the payment in two (2) instalments of $2,500, one at the start of the internship and the other at the end of the internship

What is the duration of the internship?

The internship lasts for approximately six months, but can stretch over the year if it is more convenient for the interns.

Interns can work to develop such areas as:

• management
• curation
• project development
• arts assistantship
• communications
• production
• market development, etc.

An Indigenous or racialized mentor will accompany the artist and emerging Indigenous cultural worker.

The internship consists of 650 hours including meetings with the mentor.

The internship schedule is established between the intern and the host organization depending on the nature of the activities; hours may be regular or broken down over several months.

The mentor will be available to provide guidance for approximately 150 hours throughout the internship. These hours are flexible and defined according to a schedule established jointly with the intern.

How are mentors, interns and host organizations matched?

To ensure the best outcome for all those involved in the CultivART program, it is often advisable to match the host organization, the intern and the mentor together as a team before their application is submitted.

Groups matched before the application (optional):

Interns and mentors must create and/or complete an ORORA profile and then complete a simplified application, indicating the name of the host organization.

Groups not matched before the application:

• interns submit an application, indicating their objectives and the environment in which they would like to complete their internship
• the organization submits an internship proposal
• the mentor applies and outlines their experience
• the Indigenous Arts Committee starts the process by matching an intern, an organization and a mentor
• the intern then evaluates the options available and chooses in order of priority
• the Conseil’s Cultural Advisor contacts the individuals involved and ensures that all parties are in agreement

Any organizations who have their internship project selected by the evaluation committee before finding an intern or mentor through the program’s pool of candidates may launch a call for applications to find an intern and mentor interested. The Indigenous Arts Committee reserves the right to evaluate the files in advance if required.

Mentorship

A supportive, collaborative and reciprocal relationship with an Indigenous or racialized mentor, such as an Elder, a professional with experience in arts and culture organizations, or a leader in an Indigenous or racialized community. The mentor provides professional, personal and confidential support to a less experienced Indigenous person in a non-Indigenous or Indigenous setting.

What types of projects are eligible?

• Artistic research
• Arts creation/production
• Specialized or multidisciplinary presentation, including artist-run centres and art galleries
• Publication of cultural magazines
• Production of an arts event or festival
• A museum
• Service organization, association or alliance with a mandate to support Indigenous arts or communities

What are the general eligibility conditions?

Status and conditions

• Be a non-profit organization or an artists’ cooperative that pays no dividends
• Be headquartered on the Island of Montréal
• Have a board of directors with a majority of Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada
• Have the principal mandate to create and bring together or represent artists or cultural workers in a specific artistic discipline or multidisciplinary arts

Professionalism

• Possess a level of recognized and demonstrable competence
• Be managed by qualified individuals
• Have stable artistic or general direction
• Present activities whose artistic quality is recognized by peers
• Be staffed by professional artists and/or cultural workers

Are there any special eligibility criteria?

• Organizations may only apply for one internship, hosting only one intern

When must the project be carried out?

The internship lasts for approximately six months, but can be spread throughout the year if it is more convenient for interns.

How many applications will be approved?

The Conseil accepts approximately five applications.

How many internships are available?

The program provides for approximately five internships.

Who is ineligible to apply?

Applicants

• Organizations that do not meet the general eligibility requirements
• Artists who wish to offer an individual internship
• Artists’ collective that would like to hire an intern
• Cultural magazines that publish fewer than three issues per year, are distributed free of charge or available only in electronic format
• Public or para-public organizations representing governments or municipal corporations
• Libraries
• Organizations dedicated to teaching, education, and professional training

Activity sectors

• Organizations working exclusively in variety arts or comedy

Applications

• Incomplete applications
• Applications received after the deadline

Ineligible applications will not be considered by the evaluation committee.

Can specific populations receive additional financial support to submit their application or complete their project (accessibility costs)?

Yes. Accessibility costs refer to costs that certain individuals, particularly those who are D/deaf and/or living with a disability, must pay to take advantage, in the same way as others do, of the services and programs offered by an institution for research, to create, produce or disseminate their art. Reimbursement of part of these costs by the Conseil des arts de Montréal may offset the financial disadvantage.

The Support Fund for Accessibility Costs is a financial assistance measure that complements the Conseil’s other programs. The deadline to apply for support for accessibility costs is the same as that for the program being applied to.

Artists, collectives or organizations that have obtained financial assistance from the Conseil to carry out a project can also file an application for accessibility cost support up to three months after the decisions related to the successful project have been sent out, provided the project is not completed before the deadline to send out decisions for accessibility cost support applications.

Support is divided into three components:

• component 1 – Financial support to submit a grant application or to apply for one of the Conseil’s initiatives
• component 2 – Financial support for accessibility costs for a project funded by the Conseil
• component 3 – Financial support for presenter organizations for accessibility costs to welcome audiences for a project funded by the Conseil

For more details, please see this additional information on the Support Fund.

Can I submit more than one application in the same year?

No. The organization can submit only one application per year.

Can I submit a video application? If so, how do I proceed?

Yes, it is possible to submit a video application. If you choose to submit your application in video format, you must answer the questions on ORORA and ensure that your video does not exceed five minutes in length.

Who should submit the application?

The organization’s designated representative (administration, management).

Can I submit an application in English?

Yes, you can submit your application in English. Please note, however, that the questions on the form are in French only.

What information and documents must I include in my application?

Organizations may choose their intern before applying and work with them to determine the work to be performed. The application must include:

• brief description of the intern’s qualifications or interests, if the person is already selected
• brief description of the internship supervisor’s skills and their motivation for taking on this role
• internship overview: planned activities, description of tasks and creative context
• objectives and expected results: internship objectives and foreseeable benefits for the intern and the organization
• calendar of activities: work steps and chosen timeline
• budget: expenses associated with the project’s completion

Documents to include

• letters patent of the organization for first-time applicants or if changes have been made since the last application
• the organization’s constitution and bylaws, if it is a first application or if changes have been made since the last application
• financial statements from the last fiscal year, if not already provided

How are applications evaluated?

Four-step decision-making process

1. The Cultural Advisor – Indigenous Arts, under the authority of management, receives and confirms the application’s eligibility
2. The Indigenous Arts Committee (peers) studies the applications and makes recommendations on the candidates and potential matches
3. The Indigenous Arts Committee proposes the allocation of grant amounts and makes recommendations to the board of directors
4. The board of directors meets to make a final decision and award the funding

What are the evaluation criteria?

The evaluation committee will take into account the program objectives and the following criteria:

• the quality of the application and the proposed internship
• the organization’s interest in properly hosting an Indigenous intern
• the organization’s ability to meet the needs and objectives identified by the internship candidates during the matching process

What is the response time?

It will take six to eight weeks from the deadline for the Conseil to process the application and the Board of Directors to reach its decision.

How will I be informed of the decision?

The representative for the organization will receive an email invitation to view the results on the ORORA platform. No decisions will be communicated by phone.

Can I appeal the decision?

The Conseil’s decisions are final and not subject to appeal. However, Conseil staff are available to answer any questions regarding decisions. Equity, ethics and proximity are an integral part of our values, and listening and empathy will always be a priority in our customer relations. With the aim of improving the way we work, we are now providing you with a feedback form, which you can find here.

However, all organizations, collectives and artists wishing to share their concerns with us agree not to communicate with members of the evaluation committee or the Conseil’s Board of Directors about the management or evaluation of their application, or about decisions related to their application.

How will the grant be paid?

The Conseil will pay the grant to the host organization in one payment of $20,000.

The organization will pay the mentor’s fee in two instalments and pay the intern according to the pay schedule established in the agreement (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) and upon submission of an invoice from the intern and the mentor to the organization

Accepting payment of the grant constitutes, for the organization, an undertaking to complete the activities covered by the grant and to comply with the accompanying conditions, which will be communicated upon selection of the application.

Organizations agree to: 

• carry out its project as planned
• notify the Conseil as soon as possible if unable to carry out the project in the fiscal year for which the grant was awarded. In this situation, the recipient may be asked to reimburse the grant in full or in part. 
• submit a final project evaluation report no later than 4  weeks after the end of the internship
• if applicable, include in the report photographs, videos or any other relevant, royalty-free visuals that the Conseil may use for promotional or archival purposes