The Downtown Eastside Small Arts Grants program is intended to support emerging artists from the Downtown Eastside with an idea for an original art project.
Individual grants range from $500 to $1,000, and are designed to support a single artist to develop their skills and showcase their work. A grant is money we give you to help make art - you don’t need to pay the money back.
Your art can range from painting, music, theatre, writing, photography, pottery, textiles, jewelery making, carving, animation, dance, mixed-media, performance, video and more.
Applications for the annual Downtown Eastside Small Arts Grants Program are now closed.
The video playlist below gives you a great idea of what kinds of projects we support.
Individual grants range from $500 to $1,000, and are designed to support a single artist to develop their skills and showcase their work. A grant is money we give you to help make art - you don’t need to pay the money back.
Your art can range from painting, music, theatre, writing, photography, pottery, textiles, jewelery making, carving, animation, dance, mixed-media, performance, video and more.
Applications for the annual Downtown Eastside Small Arts Grants Program are now closed.
The video playlist below gives you a great idea of what kinds of projects we support.
Do you live or work in the downtown eastside?
Our grants are only for emerging artists living and/or creating art in the DTES which includes areas of Gastown, Victory Square, Chinatown, Strathcona, the industrial area, and the Oppenheimer and Thornton Parks as shown on the map.
The boundaries are the rail yards and port lands to the north, Malkin Street to the south, Richards Street to the west and Clark Drive to the east.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
- All artists must complete and submit a grant application by November 22, 2019! You’ll need to answer some questions about your experience making art, your connection to the Downtown Eastside, and your idea for a project.
- You can apply online or pick up a paper copy from the third floor of the Carnegie Centre.
- The Advisory Committee will not accept applications in person, by mail, or by email after final deadlines. There are no exceptions.
Attend an information session
We run several information sessions to support you with your application. Check our events page for details of upcoming information sessions.What to include in your application
- Whether you are applying online or by hard copy, please include sample artwork materials in one package.
- Please do not send original artwork.
- Be sure to label every sample artwork with your name and the title of the work.
- Keep a photocopy of your application for your own records.
Have questions?
We would love to be in touch with you. Contact the DTES Small Arts Grants office by phone (604) 665-2213 or email at dtesartsgrants@gmail.com.WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
All grant decisions are made by a Volunteer Advisory Committee made up of Artists who live and work in the Downtown Eastside.
You will receive a decision about your application in January, and a cheque in February or March. Projects cannot begin until the grant decision is made. Please note, not all applicants receive funding.
Everyone who receives a grant must write a final report. You will be asked to describe what went well with your project and what could have been done better. We do not ask you to submit receipts, but we do ask for a simple account of how you spent your grant money. A Final Report Template will be provided to you.
All projects must be completed and final reports submitted by June 30.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL GRANTS
- Applicants must demonstrate an original art practice. Artists are required to submit a sample of their work.
- Preference will be given to applicants who have neither received nor applied for government funding within the past three years (e.g. BC Arts Council, Canada Council, Creative BC).
- Preferences will be given to new projects or those applicants who have been funded for fewer than three years in a row.
- Artists must present their work to the public. Artists are required to acknowledge funders as part of that presentation. Possible wording includes “This project was (partially) funded by the DTES Small Arts Grants Program and Vancouver Foundation”, or “The artist appreciates funding received from the DTES Small Arts Grants Program and Vancouver Foundation”. Contact the Coordinator for approved logos.
- Grants are not intended to pay for food or rent (personal or studio). You cannot pay yourself a salary. However, you may hire others to help you achieve the goals of your project (e.g. web designers, printers, actors, lighting technicians, recording engineers).
- Please note, we generally do not support community projects or celebrations, although there are certain exceptions, e.g. if an artist is developing a dance piece for certain celebrations. Review Vancouver Foundation’s Neighbourhood Small Grants criteria as your project may be eligible for funding through that program. www.neighbourhoodsmallgrants.ca
- You may build educational costs and capital costs into your project budget. The sum of both may not exceed $200. Educational costs include things such as taking a course or purchasing instructional materials.
- A capital cost must be directly related to the proposed project. A capital cost is a one-time purchase of a necessary item or equipment that will be used for this and future art projects and does not get ‘used up’ (like paint or clay) in the process of making the art. A grinder or a camera would be an example of a capital cost. The sum of your capital cost plus your educational cost may not exceed $200.
- Artists must have a contact phone number with voicemail and be working towards having their own email address for online communication.
- Artists applying for their 3rd grant are required to develop a web page on the vancouverfoundationsmallarts.ca website.
- Artists may apply for one DTES Small Arts Grant per year. If you apply for an Individual Grant, you are not eligible to also apply for a Group Project Grant, and vice versa. Artists applying for more than one grant will be disqualified.
- Grants are for art projects that begin after the grant decision is made (January) and complete by June 30. Grants may not be used for retro-funding (e.g. if the event date is in February of the grant year, Artist is not eligible for funding).
- Artwork must follow acceptable community standards. DTES Small Arts Grants do not support works that exploit an individual’s vulnerability. For example, when photographing, consider: “Would I like to be documented in this situation?”
- All projects must be completed and Final Reports submitted by June 30 to complete grant requirements and to be eligible to re-apply the following year. Final Reports must include images and/or video of your project presentation. A Final Report Template can be provided.
Additional information
- Successful applicants who have not been funded before will be required to provide their S.I.N. card to begin processing payment.
- Vancouver Foundation staff appreciate the opportunity to make site visits. In some cases, we may ask to highlight your project for use in our communications and publications.