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Testimonials

I think of Mary Ann Anderson as a ‘Grant Goddess’ because she is the go-to person when I need support writing or vetting a grant. Whether you’re an individual artist or arts organization, if you need help envisioning your project, advice about your budget, or how to develop your multi-year proposal, her breadth of experience, insight and generosity is unmatched. Her track record is impressive, although she never talks about it, and her ability to zero in on what will make your grant application a lot more competitive, is a wonderful gift.

Now that she has launched her savvy new SmartGrant platform, the BC arts community has access to the first affordable, comprehensive, arts funding database. There’s never been anything like it! Check it out and make your grant management a whole lot easier.

Brenda Leadlay

General Manager | The Only Animal Theatre Society

I first came to know Mary Ann through her grant writing services offered to our organization. As a disabled artist and arts administrator, working with her was a dream – she was well organized, always prepared, and came with a breadth and depth of specialized knowledge (both of grants as well as of our organizational history) – simply put, Mary Ann’s expertise in grant writing and grant systems is unparalleled.

Smart Grant is a tool that brings all of this (and maybe more?!): it offers a platform that is accessible, it is intuitive to use, aids in some of the most difficult things in grant writing and creates ease in all areas of the process. This system has thought through various elements of grant writing (searching and systems of organization) in a way that considers the disabled experience and points of access in unique and exciting ways. We’re thrilled to be able to have access to a tool like Smart Grant!

Jenna Reid

Former Executive Director/Senior Curator | Kickstart Disability Arts and Culture

As an individual artist and a grant writer, I am so excited to join the SmartGrant platform. Mary Ann Anderson’s knowledge and understanding of BC’s granting landscape is unparalleled, so I have confidence that it’s grounded in our funding realities. SmartGrant is an essential tool for making my pitches to funders strategically, so I can focus on my work rather than searching for funders.

Heidi Taylor

Theatre artist and consultant | Heidi Taylor - Consultant

Smart Grant is an intuitive system that takes the stress out of grant searching and allows you to use filters to maximize your search. We even found a new grant!

Naomi Singer

Artistic Director | Secret Lantern Society

I have worked and have known MaryAnn for over 20 years in my capacity as a Funder heading up the Grants and Awards programs of Cultural Services at the City of Vancouver. During that time, MaryAnn worked with hundreds of cultural organizations who the City funded through Cultural grants. I have learned first hand that her knowledge of the provincial cultural funding sector in BC, as well as the federal level, is vast and current. Over the years, she has nurtured strong relationships with public arts funding agencies in order to understand the specific nuances of grant programs. Her success rate in securing grants for organizations is high – based on her specialized knowledge and years of experience. She is the top arts grant writer in the province and the go-to for many arts organizations. There is no one else as knowledgeable as her. This project comes at a critical time when the demand for support is ever growing – Smartgrant ensures the body of knowledge in MaryAnn’s head will be permanently captured in an easy to use searchable living database and website.

In my role at the City, I was part of many regional, provincial and national arts funders tables in order to exchange information and keep apprised of all the latest in programs and policies. At these tables, we at times discussed trying to create a common grants database so we could track the ever-changing and huge amount of information, but it was never realized as we knew the ongoing maintenance would be unsustainable for funding staff. With the creation and launch of SmartGrant, MaryAnn and her team has provided arts funders and the arts and cultural community with what the sector has needed for a very long time – a one stop compilation of arts and culture grants available to artists and arts organizations in BC. This is a timely invaluable legacy and resource. Thank you!

Cherryl Masters

I’m thrilled to see this resource come to life! MaryAnn’s expertise is invaluable and this platform demonstrates her deep commitment to generously support artists, arts organizations and communities.

Diane Roberts

Director, Dramaturge, Cultural Animator | Arrivals Legacy Project

The grants landscape can be confusing, obtuse, and daunting for even seasoned arts administrators and grant writers – particularly now. Each year, the landscape seems to shift: which funding opportunities support standalone projects? Which ones sustain ongoing operations? When do applications open and close? Who, exactly, can apply – and when, and how? Even before the work of crafting a narrative and building a supporting budget can begin, you need to decide what opportunities are worth your time – and why.

Enter SmartGrant: a welcoming, intuitive, and easy-to-use platform that takes away much of this guesswork, and maximizes the time you can spend on the best-possible matches for your funding needs. The platform can customize searches and results to target specific kinds of funding, right down to artistic discipline, geographic region, eligible applicant, and due date. You can capture and diarize notes for later, and build out your own personalized grant calendar that automatically updates as new information becomes available.

SmartGrant was conceived and designed by someone with deep working knowledge of the Canadian grants landscape and its pain points, and it shows. No one knows the grants landscape like Mary Ann. In my own 15+ years of Canadian professional performing arts grants experience as an applicant, assessor, and program-focused staffer, this platform stands out as truly unique.

Joseph Bardsley

Analyst, Music Program | Creative BC

As a lifelong dance artist and the founding artistic director of a non-profit dance organization, I am always writing grants and I have to keep on top of available funding opportunities. The very first time I logged into SmartGrant and did a search, I found a grant program that I had never come across before, from a funder I am familiar with, and it was exactly targeted to the type of funding I was looking for. What a fantastic discovery! I am sold. I will be making regular use of SmartGrant features from now on. Thank you to Mary Ann and her team for providing such a valuable service and resource to the arts sector.

Julia Taffe

Artistic Director | Aeriosa Dance Society

I’m really impressed with SmartGrant— it’s such an easy-to-use tool that makes grant research feel way less overwhelming. The navigation is super intuitive, and the design is clean and beautiful, which I know will really resonate with folks in the arts & culture world. Honestly, it’s a game-changer for me. It’s going to replace my Asana projects and that clunky “grant status” spreadsheet I’ve been juggling.

The pricing is totally reasonable, and with how much time and effort it’s going to save, it’ll easily pay for itself. I also love that GrantSmart doesn’t shy away from addressing the tough reality of shrinking government funding—it feels like the team really understands the challenges we’re facing in the arts sector right now. Very timely!

Big congrats to MaryAnn and the whole team. This is an incredible tool that’s going to be such a gift for arts organizations and professionals, especially during these tough times.

Lili Vieira De Carvalho

Executive Director | Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre

SmartGrant is a major boon for the arts sector in BC — a thoughtfully crafted, user friendly platform that saves precious time and offers helpful insight for grant planning and management. The database is incredibly thorough and the ability to input and save information specific to my organization and our varied programs will greatly streamline our grant planning processes. Mary Ann Anderson’s extensive experience in arts grant writing is evident in the way SmartGrant has been designed to meet the unique and diverse needs of our industry.