The Canadian Council for the Arts (CCA) is a crown corporation that reports to the Minister of Canadian Heritage; it is supported financially by the federal government as well as donations from businesses and the public. The role of the Canadian Council for the Arts is to support professional artists and arts organizations through grants, endowments, prizes, research and arts promotion.

CCA has 6 main departments: visual arts, media arts, dance, music, theatre and writing/publishing. All of its departments are further assisted by the Aboriginal Arts Secretariat – responsible for advancing the works of aboriginals, the Equity Office – responsible for the inclusion of diversity in the arts, and the Inter-Arts Office – responsible for complex proposals that combine or transcend traditional artistic disciplines.

Grant proposals are peer reviewed by panels of artists with relevant knowledge of the arts in their departments. The Canadian Council for the Arts receives about 16,000 grant requests annually and it approves approximately 6000 proposals by artists and arts organizations. Thus the raw odds of getting a grant are around 2 out 5. According to its 2007 – 2008 Annual Report, it awarded $164 million in grants, averaging about $27 000 per recipient.

Success in having a proposal approved will depend heavily on three aspects. First, a proposal should clearly demonstrate that it precisely meets all of the specific grant requirements, including obtaining detailed quotes and supporting documentation. Second, an artist will need to include a captivating professional biography. Third, a proposal must have goals that are S.M.A.R.T. – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Bound. Proposals that are highly unique or that apply to specialized and usually less popular grants such as the Japan-Canada Fund (a grant for collaborations between Japanese and Canadian artists) will have a better chance of being awarded funds.

Similar government funded arts councils exist at provincial and municipal levels.

More information can be found on at: www.canadacouncil.ca