Mécènes investi·e·s pour les arts grant

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

Who is eligible to apply?

Emerging individual artists, artists’ collectives and non-profit arts organizations dedicated to creation (see Glossary for details).

What are the program objectives?

The Brigade Arts Affaires de Montréal (BAAM) has partnered with the Conseil des arts de Montréal for the Mécènes investi·e·s pour les arts (MIA) grant. This grant aims to:

• Develop philanthropic activities supporting creativity in Montréal by encouraging activities for its development and growth
• Identify and support creation initiatives for emerging artists in Montréal

What type of assistance is provided?

A minimum of three grants are awarded annually.

The total of the three grants can reach $15,000. The amount of each grant may vary from project to project.

What is the duration of the support?

This is a one-time, non-recurring grant.

Who funds this program and how is it managed?

The Mécènes investi·e·s pour les arts (MIA) use the venture capital model to invest in innovative initiatives. Their goal is to encourage professionals to become cultural philanthropists who financially support creativity in Montréal, thus contributing to the city’s vitality.

Each member makes a private donation of $500 to establish a fund that can go up to $15,000 and provide a minimum of three grants annually. The Conseil administers the funds raised, receives applications, manages the grant program and shares its expertise with the MIAs.  Evaluation criteria are established in collaboration with the MIAs to evaluate artistic projects and award grants based on artistic merit.

What are the general eligibility criteria?

Individual artists

Status

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• Be aged 40 or under
• Have been residing on the Island of Montréal for at least one year

Professionalism

• Be recognized as a professional artist as defined by the Conseil
• Have presented at least one artistic work in a professional context

Special conditions

• The application must include a letter of recommendation from a professional artistic organization.
• An artist who is part of an organization or collective may apply on an individual basis as long as the project is distinct from the organization’s or the collective’s projects.

Artists’ collectives

Status

• Are a group of artists, regardless of the number (minimum of two)
• Be represented by a person responsible for the application; the representative must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada
• Two thirds of its members must be artists with Canadian citizenship or permanent residence; the proportion of members of the collective residing outside Canada may not exceed one third
• Be composed of artists whose majority (50% + 1) are aged 40 and under
• Comprise a majority of artists (50% + 1) who reside on the Island of Montréal, including the person responsible for the application

Professionalism

• Comprise professional artists as defined by the Conseil
• Have presented at least one artistic work in a professional context

Special conditions

• The application must include a letter of recommendation from a professional artistic organization.
• An artist may be part of more than one collective provided each collective is composed of different people by a proportion of 50% + 1.

Organizations

Status

• Be a non-profit (NPO) incorporated for no more than seven years or a non-profit artists’ cooperative that pays no dividends
• Be headquartered on the Island of Montréal
• Have a board of directors whose members are mainly Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada
• Have the main mandate to create, produce and disseminate artistic works

Professionalism

• Possess a level of recognized and demonstrable competence
• Be managed by qualified individuals
• Present activities whose artistic quality is recognized by peers
• Bring together, represent or employ artists and/or cultural workers

What types of projects are eligible?

The grant awarded serves to assist with the creation and/or production of an innovative work that will be influential on the career of its artist, their artistic discipline or the public. This work must be under development, that is, it must not have been completed before the grant is received.

When must the project be carried out?

The project must be carried out according to the timeline provided in the application.

Who is ineligible to apply?

Ineligible applicants

• Artists, collectives and organizations that do not meet the general and specific eligibility requirements
• Artists applying as individuals on behalf of an incorporated for-profit or non-profit company, general or limited partnership or association
• Artists’ collectives or organizations that are incorporated as a for-profit or non-profit company, general or limited partnership or association
• Public or para-public organizations representing governments or municipal corporations
• Organizations dedicated to teaching, education and professional training
• Organizations producing cultural magazines distributed for free or available exclusively online
• Specialized or multidisciplinary presenters

Projects

• Application for completed activities
• Sound recording projects (albums, CDs, demos, etc.) of a promotional nature
• Projects whose main focus is cultural mediation
• Projects specifically related to film or web film production
• Projects that are essentially promotional, including video clips
• Projects intended primarily for training, internships or masterclasses
• National or international showcase or prospection projects
• Capital projects or projects to acquire specialized equipment

Activity sectors

• Artists, collectives and organizations working exclusively in variety arts and/or comedy
• Artists, collectives or organizations interested in presenting or organizing festivals/events
• Artists, collectives or organizations interested in publishing a cultural magazine
• Collectives interested in representing artists or offering services to artists

Applications

• Incomplete applications
• Applications submitted by a third-party organization or individual
• Applications for a project that will be primarily completed by an organization that does not meet the eligibility criteria
• 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, grants are awarded once a year. However, you can apply to the Conseil for other grant or project assistance programs.

Who should submit the application?

The person responsible for the artists’ collective or arts organization (administration, management).

What information and documents must I include in my application?

Information:

• Project summary and amount requested
• Activities and brief history
• Project description and work plan:
  • Description of the project and its objective
  • Anticipated benefits of the project (possibilities for dissemination, expected impact in the sector, with target audiences or in the community)
  • Timeline
• Project budget using the Excel form provided on the ORORA platform

Collectives must specify:

• The name and city of residence of the members of the collective
• The number of collective members who are 40 years old or younger
• The names of collaborators involved in the project

Document to include

Required

• Artists’ CVs
• Press kit
• List of Internet links (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)

Individual artists and collectives

• A letter of recommendation from a professional artistic organization

Organizations

• Letters patent, general regulations and information on the board of directors
• Financial statements from the last fiscal year signed by two members of the board of directors

Limit your answers to the number of words requested. No unsolicited appendix or document sent after the application has been submitted will be retained for evaluation purposes.

What do I have to submit if my application is shortlisted?

When an application is shortlisted, the project managers must complete their application online by providing a link (YouTube or Vimeo) to a short presentation video (three minutes) addressed to the MIA patrons to explain their project and its artistic approach.

How are applications evaluated?

All projects will be evaluated on merit; the projects’ comparative value will be taken into consideration.

Applications are evaluated in two stages: shortlisting followed by selection of finalists.

How are applications shortlisted?

Projects are reviewed by the Conseil’s cultural advisors who select a maximum of 10 applications based on the criteria listed below from all artistic disciplines.

How are grants awarded?

The evaluation committee is composed of MIA members who evaluate the shortlisted projects recommended by the cultural advisors and make the final selection of grant recipients.

What are the evaluation criteria?

Artistic merit: 70%

• Project quality and originality
• Artistic quality of previous work
• Originality of the artistic approach
• Project originality

Contribution to the discipline and audience development: 15%

• Contribution to Montréal’s creativity
• Contribution to the artistic development of their community
• Expected project benefits

Project management: 15%

• Feasibility and practicality of the proposed project
• Practicality of the proposed budget and financial soundness
• Relevance of the planned schedule of activities (phases and timelines)
• Financial health (organizations only)

What is the response time?

Approximately four to six weeks for the announcement of the shortlisted applications and approximately four months in total for the announcement of the grant recipients.

How will I be informed of the decision?

The artist or representative for the collective or 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.

Applicants 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 grant amount will be sent in one payment (100%) by direct deposit after the decision letter has been sent.

Commitments

Accepting payment of the grant constitutes an undertaking to complete the activities covered by the grant and to comply with the accompanying conditions.

The project managers for the selected application undertake to:

• Deliver the 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.
• If requested, submit activity reports and financial statements at the required times
• If applicable, include in its report photographs, videos or any other relevant, royalty-free visuals that the Conseil may use for promotional or archival purposes
• Inform the Conseil’s Arts and Philanthropy Project Manager and the MIAs that the project has been completed