BCAC: Early Career Development – Organizations

Deadline: July 8, 2026; NOTE: New applicants must register by: Thursday, July 2

Program Summary:

The Early Career Development grant supports immersive and high-impact learning opportunities for Early Arts Practitioners (EAP) to:

• Develop their artistic or administrative practice.
• Participate in knowledge transfer, skill sharing, and reciprocal learning in the sector.
• Expand their career experience, professional networks, and exposure.

This program does not support the creation or development of new artistic projects. Arts and culture organizations and individual Early Arts Practitioners can apply to this program through six components:

For Arts and Culture Organizations (use these Guidelines):

• Internship component supports arts and culture organizations to host a paid, learning-focussed internship for an Early Arts Practitioner who has completed their basic training and is transitioning into professional practice.
• Cohort component supports arts and culture organizations to host paid, learning-focussed positions for a group of two or more Early Arts Practitioners who are transitioning into professional practice.

For Arts and Culture Organizations in regional communities – Basic Training (see Guidelines for Basic Training):

Basic Training component supports emerging and Early Arts Practitioners who may not have access to training opportunities (for example, post-secondary studies) because of where they are located. We developed this component in response to needs identified through sector-wide consultations, in conversations with artists and arts organizations in regional areas, and through a review of results from recent program intakes.

Only Arts and Culture Organizations in regional communities outside of greater Vancouver or the capital region can apply to the Basic Training component.

• Basic Training – Internship component supports arts and culture organizations in regional communities to provide paid, foundational on-the-job training and experiential learning for emerging arts practitioners who want to work in their home communities.
• Basic Training – Cohort component supports arts and culture organizations in regional communities to provide paid, foundational on-the-job training and experiential learning for a group of two or more emerging arts practitioners who want to work in their home communities.

What you can apply for:

General eligibility considerations for an internship or cohort:

• Activities must prioritize high-quality learning, knowledge transfer, and skill development, and include specific learning objectives with tangible outcomes that will have a significant impact for the Early Arts Practitioner.
• Activities may include a combination of learning and creation. However, learning must be the primary focus with significant opportunities for skills sharing and knowledge exchange with artistic peers, mentors, or community members. The creation, development, and revision of new work cannot be the sole or primary objective.
• Interdisciplinary knowledge transfer is eligible but this program is not intended to support a career change or provide basic training for an Early Arts Practitioner pivoting to a new field of practice. The focus of the application must align with the EAP’s basic training.
• Activities must take place over a minimum of eight weeks to a maximum of one year.
• Virtual projects are eligible if all other criteria are met.
• Organizations must designate a qualified mentor within the organization. You can have more than one mentor or identify a main mentor within the organization and other sources of expertise from outside the organization. However, a series of unrelated mentorship activities is not eligible. You must clearly describe how different mentors contribute to a cohesive project.
• If the proposed intern or a cohort member is a recent or current employee of the organization, you must clearly indicate how the activities are new or supplemental to the previous or current work, and how the project is providing a meaningful learning experience. This grant cannot be used to support an ongoing staff position.
• You must follow intellectual property rights standards and cultural ownership protocols.

An eligible internship project must also:

• Identify an eligible Early Arts Practitioner who will be engaged as a paid employee in an immersive and structured experience. Part- and full-time internships are eligible.
• Outline employment terms, including pay level and status (for example, salaried and on payroll with deductions or on contract), benefits, hours of work, and length of employment. These terms must be confirmed and agreed to by the proposed intern.

An eligible cohort project must also:

• Engage all cohort members for the full duration of the project.
• Provide paid, learning-focussed opportunities to a group of at least two eligible Early Arts Practitioners who must be identified in the application, and who will work together in an immersive, cohesive, and structured experience. While they must be engaged in the same project, activities for individual participants may vary to allow for skill-building or knowledge transfer opportunities aligned with the learning goals and career objectives of each participant.

Organizations applying for a cohort should consult a Program Advisor to ensure the eligibility of the project. 

Examples of eligible internship and cohort projects:

Examples of eligible internships include but are not limited to:

• An emerging curator is engaged in a year-long internship at a public gallery under the mentorship of the chief curator, through which they are directly involved in the curation and mounting of a series of exhibits.
• An emerging dancer is hired as an intern for eight weeks at a professional dance company where they learn innovative dance and choreography techniques under the mentorship of the artistic director.
• A lighting technician who recently graduated from a certificate program interns for one year at a non-profit theatre under the mentorship of the technical director.

Examples of internships that are not eligible include but are not limited to:

• An emerging production manager is hired by a theatre company to produce a season of shows with no mentorship from staff.
• A community arts organization hires an emerging visual artist to mentor with their bookkeeper for one year.
• An orchestra hires an aspiring conductor to work with musicians in preparation for a concert until the visiting conductor arrives, at which point the emerging conductor observes rehearsals and performs administrative tasks.

Examples of eligible cohort projects include but are not limited to:

• Two emerging producers work for five months with a summer festival’s production manager to learn best practices in scheduling, site coordination, and crew management.
• A museum hires three early career museum technicians who mentor with the conservator in the use of new technologies for the preservation of artifacts.

Examples of cohort projects that are not eligible include but are not limited to:

• Three emerging media artists are invited to work at a public gallery: one will help curate a new exhibit, one will work with the marketing director to develop their social media presence, and the third will help write and produce catalogues for the upcoming exhibitions.
• A dance company engages four emerging dancers to participate in the development of a new dance presentation. The resident choreographer works with the dancers to create the new piece, and the emerging dancers premiere and tour it.

Grant Amount:

Maximum grant amount is $30,000.

You may request a grant for up to 100% of the total eligible project expenses.

Submit a realistic and balanced budget that shows how much money you need to carry out the learning activities.

BC Arts Council intends to support successful applications at 100% of their request. However, in some cases, grants may be awarded for less than requested. BC Arts Council grant programs are competitive. We are not able to support all eligible applications. We generally fund between 20% to 30% of eligible applications in a program intake. To see a list of previous grant recipients and the range of grants awarded, visit the BC Arts Council Grant Recipients webpage.

Eligible Applicants:

To be eligible, an organization must be:

• A professional arts organization or a community arts organization registered and in good standing as a non-profit society or community service co-op in B.C. for at least one fiscal year prior to application with:
  • The majority of key staff and board members based in B.C.
  • Creative control and decision making for programming and engagement primarily maintained within the organization and by leadership based in B.C.
  • A purpose or mandate primarily dedicated to arts and culture programming and activities; O
  • A purpose or mandate to provide services to the arts and culture sector in B.C.
  • Operations and activities that reflect this dedicated purpose or mandate.

OR

• An Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) community organization registered and in good standing as a non-profit society or community service co-op in B.C. for at least one fiscal year prior to application with:
  • The majority of key staff (paid or volunteer) and board members based in B.C.
  • A commitment to offering regular arts and culture activities.

OR

• An Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) government in B.C. that offers regular arts and culture activities.

OR

• An arts organization operated by a local government in B.C. for at least one fiscal year prior to application, that:
  • Maintains an ongoing arm’s length, community-based board of management or advisory structure that sets policy for the organization’s programs and services.
  • Holds a dedicated programming space and has at least one dedicated staff person in an artistic, curatorial, editorial, or administrative leadership position who is responsible for programming and engagement.
  • Offers ongoing public programming by experienced arts and culture practitioners.
  • Primarily operates with autonomy, holding creative control and decision making for programming and engagement within the organization, with separate financial records for operations. See Financial Statement Requirements section below for more detail.

OR

• An arts organization operated by a public post-secondary institution in B.C. for at least one fiscal year prior to application, that:
  • Holds a dedicated programming or publishing space and has at least one dedicated staff person in an artistic, curatorial, editorial, or administrative leadership position who is responsible for programming and engagement.
  • Offers ongoing public programming by experienced arts and culture practitioners, the majority of which is not programming or publishing of faculty or student works.
  • Primarily operates with autonomy, outside of curriculum, holding creative control and decision making for programming and engagement within the organization, with separate financial records for operations. See Financial Statement section below for more detail.

OR

• An eligible book publisher according to the criteria in the guidelines of the Project Assistance: Literary Arts or Operating Assistance: Book Publishers programs.

OR

• An eligible Indigenous Cultural Centre or museum according to the criteria in the guidelines of the Project Assistance: Museums and Indigenous Cultural Centres or Operating Assistance: Museums and Indigenous Cultural Centres programs. An eligible organization must also:
• Provide public arts and culture programming (or service to the arts and culture sector) in B.C. as a primary activity and have done so for a minimum of one fiscal year before the application closing date.
• Provide programs or publications that benefit or are of interest to the community at-large and not solely the interests of its nonprofit society members.
• Engage skilled artistic, curatorial, editorial and administrative leadership (volunteer or paid) for project or service delivery.
• Fairly compensate artists, arts and culture practitioners, technicians, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers. Compensation must align with project contexts and industry standards within the field of practice.
• Follow international intellectual property rights standards and cultural ownership protocols.
• Follow the Criminal Records Review Act which requires that people who work with or may have unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults must undergo a criminal record check by the Criminal Records Review Program.
• Not have any overdue final reports on previous BC Arts Council grants.

Eligible Early Arts Practitioners:

To be eligible to participate in a project with an organization, an Early Arts Practitioner must:

• Be working or practicing in an area funded by the BC Arts Council, including but not only:
  • Arts administration
  • Community-based arts
  • D/deaf, Disability and Mad arts
  • Indigenous Arts (beadwork, carving, drawing, jewellery, painting, textile or fibre arts, weaving, wearable art, including regalia)
  • Literary arts (creative writing, publishing)
  • Media arts o Multi- and interdisciplinary arts
  • Museums or Indigenous culture centres
  • Performing arts (music, theatre, dance, circus arts, comedy, production or technical)
  • Visual arts (critic, curator, artist in contemporary or traditional visual arts or craft)
• Be legally allowed to work in Canada as a Canadian citizen or a Permanent Resident of Canada.
• Be a B.C. resident who ordinarily reside in B.C. and has lived in B.C. for at least 12 continuous months immediately prior to the application closing date. For more information, review our Determining B.C. Residency page. You must be prepared to provide documentation to support residency status (if requested).
• Not be enrolled in full-time studies when the project is taking place.
• Not have participated in two previously successful Early Career Development applications regardless of component. In other words, an individual may participate in a maximum of two Early Career Development projects in their lifetime.
• Not be a participant in any other application in this program’s current intake regardless of component.
• Not have any overdue final reports on previous BC Arts Council grants.

AND EITHER

• Identify with one of the BC Arts Council’s Designated Priority Groups and have completed basic training in their field of practice within ten years of the application closing date. See Basic Training and Designated Priority Groups definitions below.

OR

• Have completed basic training in their field of practice within five years of the application closing date. See Basic Training definition below. Early Arts Practitioners are eligible if basic training will be complete within six months of the application closing date and before the start date of the proposed activity.

Basic training eligibility:

“Basic training” means appropriate and relevant education that has prepared an Early Arts Practitioner to work at a professional level. This typically involves learning essential and foundational skills through guided and formal instruction or mentorship during which a student will receive feedback, their work will be reviewed and critiqued, and they will develop and deepen their knowledge in a given field of practice. Some examples of basic training include:

• Traditional knowledge transfer from an Elder, Knowledge Keeper, or established arts and culture practitioner
• Apprenticeship with a qualified, peer-recognized arts and culture practitioner
• Degree, diploma, or certificate from an academic institution. For purposes of the Basic Training timeline, we generally consider the first and not necessarily the most recent relevant degree, diploma, or certificate.

Self-directed learning—for example, watching online videos with minimal engagement or feedback, drop-in classes, or a series of workshops—is not eligible as Basic Training.

Basic training requirements for emerging arts administrators may be flexible. Contact a Program Advisor for more information.

Basic training in the following areas of study is not eligible: anthropology, archeology, law, language study, media studies, archival studies, expressive art therapies, business, journalism (including podcasts), library sciences.

Established or mid-career artists and practitioners transitioning within their practice or career are not eligible. Related activities may be eligible through the BC Arts Council’s Professional Development Program.

An EAP cannot participate in an ECD project in the same fiscal year (April 1-March 31) that they receive a BC Arts Council Individual Arts Grant.