BCAC: Early Career Development – Individuals

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

Program Summary:

Early Arts Practitioners and arts and culture organizations can apply to this program through six components:

Individual Early Arts Practitioners can apply to these two components:

• Residency supports Early Arts Practitioners to complete a learning-focussed residency with an arts and culture organization.
• Mentorship supports Early Arts Practitioners to engage in one-on-one learning and knowledge transfer with an established practitioner in their art form or field of practice.

Arts and Culture Organizations can apply to four components.

This program does not support the creation or development of new artistic projects.

What you can apply for:

General eligibility considerations for a residency or mentorship:

• Activities must prioritize learning, knowledge transfer, and skill development, and include specific, tangible learning opportunities and objectives.
• 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.
• Activities may take place in B.C., in Canada, or internationally.
• Virtual projects are eligible if all other criteria are met.
• A specific and confirmed mentor must be identified in the application.
• It is possible to have more than one mentor or to identify a main mentor and other sources of expertise. However, a series of unrelated mentorships is not eligible. Applicants must clearly describe how different mentors contribute to a cohesive project.
• You must fairly compensate artists, arts and culture practitioners, technicians, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers. Compensation must align with project and community context or with standards in the field of practice.
• You must follow international intellectual property rights standards and cultural ownership protocols.
• A mentorship where two or more Early Arts Practitioners engage in the same learning activities with the same mentor is eligible with these requirements:
  • Each participant and the proposed activities must meet the eligibility criteria.
  • Each participant must apply separately.
  • Each application will be assessed on its individual merit.

Examples of eligible residency projects:

Examples of eligible residencies include but are not limited to:

• A self-designed residency that takes place at an arts and culture organization where staff are leading and directing learning opportunities and knowledge transfer; for example, 1) an emerging artistic producer participates in a six-month residency at a theatre company with direct mentorship from the artistic director; or 2) an emerging filmmaker attends a two-month residency at a production house to learn directing and editing skills with direct mentorship from the lead artistic team.
• Participation in an established residency program at an arts and culture organization where creation is not the focus; for example, an emerging printmaker participates in a year-long residency program at a printmaking studio, learning how to prepare and maintain equipment and developing specific printmaking skills and techniques.
• An emerging painter registers in an established eight-week intensive residency program to learn specific skills and techniques from established painters and to gain exposure and feedback from curators.

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

• A self-directed residency where a visual artist plans to complete work for an upcoming exhibit.
• A residency at which an actor intends to do research in support of their solo performance-in-progress.
• A residency for an artist trained in one field of practice that provides basic training in a new field; for example, a ceramics artist enrolls in a writer’s residency to learn basic skills as a poet.
• A residency that does not take place in an arts and culture organization.

Examples of eligible mentorship projects:

Examples of eligible mentorships include but are not limited to:

• An emerging Indigenous carver learns about the properties of wood and developing new skills with traditional and modern tools through a mentorship with a master carver.
• A ceramic artist mentors with a master ceramicist to learn surface design and share culturally specific techniques.
• An emerging opera singer travels to Italy to mentor with a vocal coach and engage with their network of opera professionals.
• An emerging festival producer mentors with an artistic producer to hone and expand their skills in production management.

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

• An assistant or job-shadowing role where the main benefits are to the mentor and knowledge transfer is not the primary focus; for example, an emerging director is the personal assistant and errand-runner for the director of an opera where the mentor’s needs are prioritized over the Early Arts Practitioner’s learning goals.
• An emerging artist trained in one field of practice seeks mentorship from an established artist in a different field to learn basic skills; for example, a dancer who wants to mentor with a painter to learn fundamental skills in acrylics to pivot to a career as a visual artist.
• A writer hires an editor or dramaturg to help edit the next draft of their manuscript or play.

Grant Amount:

Maximum request amount is $30,000.

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

Submit a realistic 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 page.

Eligible Applicants:

Before you begin your application, make sure you are eligible and your proposed activities are eligible. Ineligible applications will not be forwarded for assessment. If you have questions about eligibility, contact a Program Advisor.

Early Arts Practitioner eligibility:

To be eligible, an Early Arts Practitioner must:

• Be working or practicing in an area funded by the BC Arts Council, including but not only:
  • Arts administration o 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
  • Multi- and interdisciplinary arts
  • Museums or Indigenous culture centres
  • Performing arts (music, theatre, dance, circus arts, comedy, production and/or technical)
  • Visual arts (critic, curator, artist in contemporary or traditional visual arts and/or craft)
• Be legally allowed to work in Canada as a Canadian citizen or a Permanent Resident.
• 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 and can only receive one ECD award in the intake.
• 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 definition 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 proposed activity begins.

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 their 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 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.

You cannot receive an ECD grant in the same fiscal year (April 1-March 31) as a BC Arts Council Individual Arts Grant.