Tracer la voix Pilot Program

The Conseil des arts de Montréal, in partnership with the Festival de la poésie de Montréal (FPM) and the Bibliothèque interculturelle de Côte-des-Neiges, is this year offering the first edition of a poetic residency: Tracer la voix.

The aim of this program is to support the professional development of a first generation immigrant or newly arrived in Quebec allophone poet.

Who is this program for?

This residency is intended for individual professional artists who are first generation immigrant or newly arrived in Quebec allophone poets.

What are the program’s objectives?

This pilot program aims to help participants enter the world of poetic creation while contributing to the enrichment of Quebec’s Francophone literature.

What assistance is provided?    

The artist-in-residence will receive $10,000 in financial support, consisting of an honorarium of $7,000 and a $3,000 allowance ($375 weekly for eight weeks). 

What do the partners contribute? 

• Over an eight-week period, for a minimum of 15 hours per week, between mid-March and early June, the participant will get to develop a writing project within the Bibliothèque Interculturelle

• The FPM will make available to the participant a Quebec poet who will serve as a resource person for 8 cumulative hours during the residency

• The artist will also be invited to present her or his work as part of the Marché de la poésie de Montréal at a public reading between May 30 and June 1, 2025

• There will be two meetings at the Bibliothèque Interculturelle: a mid-term meeting with students on francization, as well as a facilitated meeting with the public on 21 May 2025 at 2 p.m.

• The CAM will cover the amounts paid to the artist, the resource person and the facilitator, as well as the program management fees 

How long does the support last?

The residency is eight weeks long. This is a one-time, non-recurring grant.

When must the project be carried out?

Between mid-March and early June 2025

What are the general eligibility criteria?

• Identify as a first-generation or new immigrant allophone person
• Be 18 years of age or older
• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident at the time of application
• Have a writing project in French
• Reside on the island of Montréal
• Be a professional artist
• Have produced at least one literary work presented in a professional context, if possible in the poetry genre
• Be available to participate in the program in person for its entire duration

How many applications will be approved?  

Only one application will be accepted every year. 

Who is not eligible to apply?

• Collectives and organizations
• Alliances, associations, service organizations and artists’ agents
• Individual artists who do not meet the eligibility criteria
• Incomplete applications
• Applications received after the submission deadline

Ineligible applications will be automatically rejected 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 an application in English

In accordance with the government’s language policy and the Conseil’s obligations under the Charter of the French Language, all applications must be submitted in French.

Under this legislation, only the following individuals can submit an application in English.

• Individuals declared eligible to receive instruction in English
• Individuals who arrived in Québec within the last six months
• Individuals who are members of an Indigenous community

How are the applications evaluated?

The files will be reviewed by a committee of peers from the partner organizations. The selection will take into consideration the comparative value of the applications submitted.

The grant offered by the CAM will be paid through the FPM. 

Accepting payment of the grant constitutes a commitment on the part of the participating person to complete the activities covered by the grant and to comply with the accompanying conditions.

The poet undertakes to take part in the entire support process, a preparatory session and a post-mortem meeting with the partners, and to be available throughout the residency period.

Organizations, collectives, artists and their designated representatives agree to at all times refrain from communicating directly with members of the evaluation committee or the CAM Board of Directors on all matters related to the management, evaluation or decisions related to the applications.

CAM staff are available and solely authorized to answer questions regarding the application evaluation process and decisions taken.