Program Overview
Micro Grants For BIPOC Artists and Arts Workers
Are you interested in exploring media art? Do you identify as a racialized artist or arts worker who has lived experience of disability, or is Deaf or Hard of Hearing, neurodivergent, and/or Mad?
Cinevolution is offering five $1,250 grants to emerging artists and arts workers of all ages who have limited access to traditional funding. The goal of this program is to provide flexible financial assistance for self-directed learning, research, and creative experimentation. You do not need formal arts training to apply. You do not need to produce a complete work by the end of the project.
Application closes on Friday, July 14, 11:59pm Pacific Time.
For more information and to hear from previous grant recipients, watch the recording of our June 23 info session.
Click here to download the full program guidelines as a Word document.
Eligibility
Applicant Eligibility
This grant is for you if you are an emerging artist and/or arts worker who:
- Identifies as Black, Indigenous, and/or a Person of Colour; and
- Has lived experience of disability, or is Deaf or Hard of Hearing, neurodivergent, and/or Mad; and
- Is over the age of 18; and
- Lives in BC
For this grant, we define an emerging artist as someone who is developing an artistic practice or exploring art as a means of communicating ideas and stories.
Formal training and previous exhibition experience are not required. You can be any age, and priority will be given to those who have not previously received arts council funding.
Project Eligibility
The project/research should:
- Take place between September 15, 2023 and December 15, 2023.
- Be an exploration of media art* or the use of digital media in your creative work
*For this grant, we use the National Endowment for the Arts’ definition of media arts as “a spectrum of media arts genres and practices, such as traditional or expanded forms of storytelling, visual expression, and performance using film, cinema, audio, broadcast, new media, creative code, and related formats at the intersection of arts and technology.”
Projects could include a number of activities. Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Taking a course or workshop to learn a new media arts skill
- Researching and exploring an idea you have with no finished product
- Completing a project you have already been working on with the help of a mentor
Funds from the grant can be used for a number of items, including, but not limited to:
- Paid time to work on your project
- Professional development expenses (e.g. workshops, training, books, or other materials)
- Paying for equipment, software, or subscriptions (e.g. Zoom, Adobe Creative Cloud)
- Professional fees for mentors, collaborators and technicians
- Accessibility expenses (e.g. ASL interpretation, childcare, an assistant for aiding in creation)
- Cost of refreshments or appreciation gifts
- Transportation costs
Application Instructions
To apply for a micro grant, please review the application form and submit your response by 11:59pm Pacific Time on July 14, 2023.
You can apply in the following ways:
- In writing:
- Using the online Google form, OR
- As a single Word or PDF file. Please send the document as an email attachment to submissions@cinevolutionmedia.com.
- Video or audio recording, through Google Drive, WeTransfer, YouTube, or Vimeo. No more than 10-minutes and file size must be less than 200MB. Please send the file to submissions@cinevolutionmedia.com.
- Phone or Zoom call. To schedule a call, please contact Sarah Wang by email at submissions@cinevolutionmedia.com or call 778-803-7150 and press 5, by June 26, 2023. We may not be able to accommodate requests received after June 26.
Application Support
A key goal of this program is to help emerging artists gain grant writing skills and experience. We encourage you to contact us for feedback or support at any point in the application process. We are happy to discuss your project and review draft applications.
If you would like to discuss individualized application support (e.g. ASL interpretation, other submission options, etc.), please contact Sarah Wang by June 26, 2023.
Email: submissions@cinevolutionmedia.com
Phone: 778-803-7150, extension 5
Once an application is submitted, it will be reviewed by the project coordinator. We may contact you with further questions to help you refine your responses.
Application Form
Application as fillable Google Form
Download the application form as a Word document
Application Questions
- Please describe the activities and/or research you would do with the grant. (Suggested length: 300-400 words)
- What are your artistic and/or personal goals, and how will this grant support them? (Suggested length: 300-400 words)
- What are your access needs in order to participate in this program?
Support Materials (Optional)
If you think support materials will help us to better understand your project, you can submit up to 4 examples of your work with your application. For example, photos, sketches, text, audio or video clips. Please include no more than 5-minutes of audiovisual materials.
You may include a brief explanation of how the support materials relate to your proposed activities.
Selection Process
Applications will be assessed by a selection committee including representation from the BIPOC community and the disability community. Priority will be given to individuals who have not previously received other arts funding. Selection criteria can be found in the full program guidelines.
Results will be announced in August 2023.
Conditions
Successful applicants must participate in 3 virtual meetings:
- Orientation (1.5 hours)
- A midpoint check-in
- Celebration and sharing session, to share your project and learnings (2 hours)
Key Dates and Timeline
- May 24, 2023: Open for applications
- June 23, 2023: Online Information Session (recording)
- June 26, 2023: Last day to request interview
- July 14, 2023: Applications Close
- Mid August 2023: Results Notification
- Week of September 11-15, 2023: Orientation Meeting
- Week of December 11-15, 2023: Closing Celebration
Questions and Application Support
Have questions? Please contact Sarah Wang at submissions@cinevolutionmedia.com or by phone at 778-803-7150, and dial 5.