BCAC: Visual Arts Organizations (Project Assistance)

Deadline: October 14, 2026 (11:59 p.m. PT)

Program Summary:

Project Assistance: Visual Arts Organizations supports organizations and arts or curatorial collectives in the development, expansion, enhancement, or creation of new or unique public programming and community engagement initiatives in contemporary and traditional visual arts and craft.

BC Arts Council grant programs supports a wide variety of practices within the visual arts, including (but not limited to):

• Independent critical and curatorial practice.
• Studio-based practices, such as drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture.
• Multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and other visual arts practices, such as installation, video art, performance art, and public art.
• Contemporary and traditional craft practices, such as beading, carving, ceramics, and weaving.
• Community-engaged practices led by arts and cultural practitioners

What you can apply for:

BC Arts Council project assistance grant programs provide one-time grants for specific projects or distinct phases of projects. Project grants are not meant to cover operating expenses or ongoing expenses.

Grants are available in this program to support specific projects for the development, enrichment, and creation of new or unique public programming and community engagement initiatives in contemporary and traditional visual arts and craft.

Projects that include creation or commissioning of work should be embedded within or in support of programming and engagement initiatives.

Examples of Eligible Projects:

Examples of eligible activities include but are not limited to: 

• Exhibitions, including development and installation. 
• Publications, documentation and dissemination of artistic works and exhibitions. 
• Skill development for artists, including workshops, artists’ residencies, and activities that develop the arts sector. 
• Exploration of new artistic or curatorial practices, including practice-based research, collaboration, experimentation, and creative development. 
• Audience development, collaborations, exchanges, and activities that creatively engage communities. 
• Projects presented in single iterations or in phases. As applicable, applications for phased projects must include an update on the status of previous phase(s) of the project funded by the BC Arts Council if a final report has not yet been submitted.
  • No guarantees are made to support any or all phases.  
  • Separate applications are required for each phase.  
  • Write a sentence or two detailing the overall project and all its phases. The current application must detail the current phase activities ONLY within the project description and budget (and not future or past activities, outside the scope of the current phase you are applying for).  
  • Talk with the Program Advisor if you plan to apply for a phased project. 

Grant Amount:

Maximum request amount is $25,000.

Applicants may request:  

• a grant up to 50% of the total eligible project budget; or
• a grant up to 65% of the total eligible project budget from applicants that are considered part of the BC Arts Council’s designated priority groups.  

Applicant contributions to the project budget can include both cash and in-kind contributions.  

Submit a realistic and balanced budget that shows how much money you need to complete the project. 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:

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

Visual Arts Organization Eligibility:

To be eligible, organizations must be: 

• A professional visual 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 dedicated to arts and culture programming and activities. OR
  • 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 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 

• A professional visual 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, or administrative leadership position who is responsible for programming and engagement.  
  • Offers ongoing public programming by arts and cultural 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 

• A professional visual 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 space and has at least one dedicated staff person in an artistic, curatorial, or administrative leadership position who is responsible for programming and engagement. 
  • Offers ongoing public programming by arts and cultural practitioners, the majority of which is not programming 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 Requirements section below for more detail. 

OR

• A registered Arts Activator Organization. Arts Activators are strongly advised to contact a Program Advisor to confirm the eligibility of their proposed project.