Artist Development Microgrant

Overview of the Artist Development Microgrant program:

The Artist Development Microgrant, managed by Calgary Arts Development, is designed to offer financial support to individual artists living and working in Calgary. The program aims to help artists at any stage of their career invest in their professional development or advance their artistic practice. Artists can use the grant for activities such as attending workshops, residencies, or conferences, as well as for acquiring tools and resources that enhance their artistic capabilities. This grant serves as a flexible funding option, empowering artists to pursue unique opportunities and grow their artistic careers without extensive financial burden. The microgrant is ideal for covering costs that are often barriers for artists looking to progress in their careers but do not require substantial financial backing.

Benefits of the Artist Development Microgrant program:

• The Artist Development Microgrant 2025 offers financial support for professional development activities across all artistic disciplines. It allows artists to focus on skill-building, networking, and long-term career growth, rather than specific production-based projects. The program also provides flexibility in timing, as activities can occur within clearly defined windows that accommodate different schedules. Calgary Arts Development ensures that accessibility is prioritized, offering application support through phone, in-person meetings, and online assistance. Applicants may also receive feedback on draft applications before final submission deadlines. Importantly, the lottery model is designed to level the playing field by addressing systemic barriers in the traditional granting process, thereby making opportunities more accessible to a wider range of applicants.

Eligibility criteria of the Artist Development Microgrant program:

• The program is open to Calgary-based individual artists, artist collectives, and cultural workers. Individual artists are those pursuing a professional career in the arts, developing their skills and practice, sharing or striving to share their work publicly, and maintaining ties with their artistic communities. Artist collectives are two or more artists working together on a shared practice that is distinct from their individual work, with at least half of the members based in Calgary. Cultural workers are creative or technical contributors, such as designers or operators, who may apply for their own professional or business development.
• Applicants must primarily live and work in Calgary for at least six months of the year and demonstrate an ongoing relationship with the citys artistic community. Canadian citizenship or permanent residency is not required, but applicants must have a valid Social Insurance Number or Individual Tax Number. Eligibility rules include not holding more than two open grants, not applying to consecutive intakes of this program, and submitting only one application per deadline. The same phase of a project cannot be funded more than once, and applicants with overdue final reports are ineligible.