City of Vancouver: Community and Artists Shifting Culture (CASC) Project Grants

Deadline: October 7, 2026

Program Summary:

CASC grants support a wide range of short-term, one-time, or limited series arts, cultural, and creative projects delivered by registered non-profit organizations, societies, charities, registered co-ops, and local First Nation Band Councils that advance the goals of our culture plan, Culture|Shift.

*Eligibility Note: Non-incorporated collectives and individual artists from equity-denied communities may apply via a sponsor registered organization.

*NOTE: New applicants to the CASC program must contact staff by:

• September 9, 2026 for first intake deadline of October 7, 2026
• February 24, 2027 for second intake deadline March 3, 2027

This program aims to:

• Centre the voices of underrepresented, marginalized, and racialized artists, cultural practitioners, and organizations to research, develop, create and present their work.  
• Provide meaningful opportunities where artists and cultural workers have the freedom, agency, and safe spaces to share their stories.  
• Support co-creative projects between communities and artists or cultural workers that build and strengthen connections across and between diverse communities. 
• Expand public access to culturally relevant and diverse work, programs and services to broaden understanding of Vancouver’s cultural history and creative stories. 
• Amplify cultural life throughout Vancouver neighbourhoods, communities, and public spaces. 
• Create a more equitable, collaborative, vibrant, and sustainable arts and culture sector. 

This grant program defines “artist” as someone that has an active artistic practice, is recognized by their peers, has specialized training in their practice (not necessarily in academic settings), seeks compensation for their work, and has a history of public presentation or production.

Eligible Projects & Activities:

CASC grants support projects: in

• Any artistic discipline (e.g., Indigenous arts and culture, community-engaged arts, dance, literary, media, music, theatre, visual arts, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, cultural heritage) 
• Any phase of a project, including research, creation, presentation, exchange, or community-engaged activities
• All forms (e.g., exhibitions, performances, publications, presentations, video, film, media, radio, audio recordings, virtual, online-based creative initiatives, or community engaged art or cultural projects led by professional artists, cultural workers, Elders, knowledge-keepers)

CASC supports three main types of projects:

Community-engaged art and culture:

• Led by or involving artists, cultural workers, Elders, or knowledge-keepers, that engage or collaborate with communities through:
  • Collaborative creative initiatives that address local interests or concerns,
  • Neighbourhood-based projects that offer opportunities to participate in cultural life or produce creative work.

Festivals, celebrations, and parades:

• Free or ticketed public cultural festivals and celebrations in any creative discipline
• Festival: An annual or biennial event lasting two or more days, actively programmed around a theme, and encompassing multiple performances, exhibitions and other cultural activities.
• Celebration: A one-day event generally held outdoors, programmed around a theme, anniversary or other occasion, which features cultural expression in the broadest sense.

Artistic creation or production:

• Research, development, or staging of a single production or a series of related curated or produced arts and cultural events, exhibitions, performances, residencies, publications, or programs.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact staff to discuss the eligibility of their project.

Grant Amount:

Grants range from $2,500 to $15,000, providing up to 75% of cash expenses.

Eligible Applicants:

To be eligible, applicants must be:

• A registered non-profit society, charity, or co-operative in good standing in British Columbia; or
• A First Nations Band Council on whose unceded traditional homelands Vancouver sits; or
• A group or individual artist from equity-deserving communities that is not incorporated as a registered non-profit, co-op, or charity who may apply via a sponsor organization that is a registered non-profit society, co-op, charity, or First Nations Band Council. The sponsor organization must have a mandate to serve the same equity deserving community(ies) as the group or individual. Refer to Additional CASC Application Resources section at the end of this document.
• Organizations receiving core support from the City are only eligible to apply as a sponsor organization for an individual artist or non-incorporated collective that is not in their organization. The project must be outside of the activities supported through the operating grant. This includes organizations funded through Cultural Operating Funding (COF, COFI, COFM, Cultural Equity and Accessibility, and Cultural Indigenous Funding) or City of Vancouver Social Policy Operating Funding (e.g. Core Support and Multi-Year Grants).

Applicants also need to:

• Have an active presence in and deliver programs and services within Vancouver, or if led by either the xʷməθkʷəy ̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples, held in their traditional homelands.  

NOTE: If your organization does not have an arts and culture mandate, your project may be assessed as a lower priority for funding due to limited resources in the cultural grants budget.