Special projects – Organizational development and pooling

Who is eligible to apply?

Professional organizations receiving operating assistance through the Conseil des arts de Montréal’s General Funding Program

What are the program objectives?

Organizations funded by the Conseil are invited to submit projects that aim to reinforce, stabilize, adapt and pool to foster the recovery of the arts in Montréal.

What type of assistance is provided?

The purpose of the grant is to reinforce, stabilize and adapt the organization’s activities, and to provide assistance to pooling projects between organizations and artists.

What is the duration of the support?

This is a one-time, non-recurring grant The project must be completed on the dates set out in the application.

Can the project be entirely funded by the Conseil?

Funding cannot exceed 75% of the overall budget. To find out how much is typically granted, please see the list of previously awarded grants on the Conseil’s website.

What types of projects are eligible?

• creation-production
• specialized or multidisciplinary dissemination
• publication of cultural magazines
• production of an event or festival
• production support
• a museum
• service organization, association or alliance

for organizations with a double mandate:

• creation-production and presentation (performing arts)
• creation-production and festivals (performing arts)
• presentation and festivals/events (performing arts)
• dissemination and production support (visual arts, digital arts, film-video)

What are the general eligibility conditions?

Receive operations support from the Conseil’s General Funding Program.

What types of projects are eligible?

Projects aiming to reinforce, adapt and stabilize the organization

Examples (non-exhaustive list):

• strategic thinking
• experimentation aiming to review creation-production, dissemination, touring, business models, etc.
• reflection and discussion or research group on the status and recognition of artists and cultural workers

pooling project for individual artists, cultural workers, artists’ collectives or cultural organizations to address one or more specific needs

Examples (non-exhaustive list):

• sharing resources, expertise and services to meet common needs
• projects focused on supporting arts communities
• establishing support, mutual assistance or dissemination networks
• providing space or equipment to an arts community
• initiative to highlight an action involving underrepresented groups of artists
• reflection and discussion or research group on the status and recognition of artists and cultural workers

When must the project be carried out?

The project must be completed within the time frame specified in the application.

How many applications will be approved?

The number of applications the Conseil accepts varies depending on the number it receives, its evaluation of the interest and relevance of the projects, and the budget available.

Who is ineligible to apply?

Ineligible applicants

• organization not receiving operations support through the General Funding Program

Projects

• projects completed before receiving the Conseil’s decision (approximately eight to ten weeks following the application deadline)
• projects focusing primarily on acquiring products and equipment to meet public health-mandated health standards
• sound recording projects (albums, CDs, demos, etc.)
• projects whose main focus is cultural mediation
• projects specifically related to film or web film production
• projects that are essentially promotional, including video clips
• national or international showcase or prospection projects
• capital projects or projects to acquire specialized equipment

Activity sectors

• organizations working exclusively in variety arts or comedy
• organizations working exclusively in cultural mediation

Applications

• incomplete applications
• applications received after the deadline

Ineligible applications will not be considered by the evaluation committee.

Can specific populations receive additional financial support to submit their application or complete their project (accessibility costs)?

Yes. Accessibility costs refer to costs that certain individuals, particularly those who are D/deaf and/or living with a disability, must pay to take advantage, in the same way as others do, of the services and programs offered by an institution for research, to create, produce or disseminate their art. Reimbursement of part of these costs by the Conseil des arts de Montréal may offset the financial disadvantage.

The Support Fund for Accessibility Costs is a financial assistance measure that complements the Conseil’s other programs. The deadline to apply for support for accessibility costs is the same as that for the program being applied to.

Artists, collectives or organizations that have obtained financial assistance from the Conseil to carry out a project can also file an application for accessibility cost support up to three months after the decisions related to the successful project have been sent out, provided the project is not completed before the deadline to send out decisions for accessibility cost support applications.

Support is divided into three components:

• Component 1 – Financial support to submit a grant application or to apply for one of the Conseil’s initiatives
• Component 2 – Financial support for accessibility costs for a project funded by the Conseil
• Component 3 – Financial support for presenter organizations for accessibility costs to welcome audiences for a project funded by the Conseil

For more details, please see this additional information on the Support Fund.

Can I submit more than one application in the same year?

An organization that receives operating assistance may apply only once per year for Special projects funding.

Can I apply for various phases of a single project spanning more than a year?

Applicants who are eligible for creation/production grants can submit an application for the research and creation phase and submit a new application another year for the production/presentation phase.

Who should submit the application?

The organization’s designated representative (administration, management).

Can I submit an application in English?

Yes, you can submit your application in English. Please note, however, that the questions on the form are in French only.

What information and documents must I include in my application?

In addition to the form available on the ORORA platform, the detailed project description and the budget, the documents to include are:

• financial statements from the last fiscal year, if not already provided
• letters patent of the organization, if changes have been made
• the organization’s constitution and bylaws, if changes have been made
• list of links to excerpts or complete versions (depending on the discipline) of works or activities related to the application, if relevant
• if desired, a personal appendix (presented as a single PDF document) comprising any documents that you feel are relevant to include in your application. However, they must not include information essential to understanding your application

How are applications evaluated?

The Conseil, with the help of peer evaluation committees in each discipline, assesses all applications on the basis of merit and awards grants according to available budgets.

What are the evaluation criteria?

Consistency with the organization’s mandate: 20%

• ability to explain the relationship between the proposed project and the organization’s mandate

Contribution to the development of the discipline and the arts community: 60%

• contribution and impact of the proposed project on the discipline, community, cultural workers, artists
• impact of the project on improving the working and socio-economic conditions of artists, if applicable
• quality of collaborator and partner involvement
• ability to participate in or build strong, consistent collaborations that make a significant impact

Management and administration: 20%

• ability to effectively manage activities and complete projects
• diversity of partnerships and funding sources
• sound governance and organizational health
• a balanced financial situation

Special attention will be paid to projects involving:

• Indigenous artists (First Nations, Inuit and Métis)
• racialized/visible minority artists
• ethnocultural minority artists
• artists with disabilities
• D/deaf or hard of hearing artists
• English-speaking minority artists
• allophone artists
• artists from the LGBTQ2+ community
• inclusive arts practices

Why are there criteria based on the mandate?

Organizations are first evaluated on their mandate, based on the specificities and the weighting given to each

How are research, creation-production mandates evaluated?

Artistic merit: 60%

• the project’s artistic merit and quality
• consistency of the project with the organization’s mandate and artistic orientations
• artistic quality and originality of past projects

Project impact: 20%

• strategies for reaching audiences
• planned involvement with communities
• expected benefits for the artists, the public and the partners

Management and administration: 20%

• feasibility of the project, realistic budget, diversity of funding sources
• ability to effectively manage activities and complete projects
• balanced financial situation and sound governance

How are the mandates of professional associations, alliances and service organizations evaluated?

Mission and fulfillment of the mandate: 40%

• quality and consistency of activities or services with the organization’s mandate and orientations
• membership and/or specific clientele served
• representativeness of the membership

Contribution to the development of the discipline and the arts community: 40%

• contribution and impact of the organization on its community
• efforts made to improve the working and socio-economic conditions of artists, if applicable
• quality of member or partner involvement
• ability to participate in or build strong, consistent collaborations that have a significant impact on the services offered

Management and administration: 20%

• ability to effectively manage activities and complete projects
• balanced financial situation and sound governance
• organizational health
• diversity of partnerships and funding sources

How are the mandates of publishers of cultural magazines evaluated?

Artistic merit: 65%

• quality of the editorial content and consistency with its artistic orientations
• relevance and quality of selected writers, artists and collaborators
• consistency and quality of the visual presentation

Magazine’s reach: 20%

• contribution to improving the visibility of artists, writers and organizations
• development of a publication plan that drives readership and increases awareness of the discipline in question
• effectiveness of communication, marketing and promotion activities

Management and administration: 15%

• adherence to the publication plan
• revenue generated from subscriptions based on the discipline and target audience
• evidence of a balanced financial situation and sound governance
• diversity of funding sources

How are the mandates of festivals, events and specialized and multidisciplinary presenters evaluated?

Quality and impact on artistic development: 60%

• clarity and relevance of the organization’s mandate, artistic orientations and positioning in its community
• strong and original artistic direction
• quality, interest and consistency of programming in relation to the organization’s mandate, artistic orientations and resources
• quality of the artist’s or organization’s reception and the support offered to them and efforts made to pay show purchasing fees
• efforts made to open a dialogue and meet with different disciplines (multidisciplinary organizations only)

Organization’s outreach and contribution to audience development: 20%

• strategies for reaching audiences
• effective communication, marketing, promotion and advertising activities
• ability to participate in or build strong collaborations
• planned involvement with communities
• expected benefits for the artists, the public and the partners

Why are there criteria based on intersectionality?

Intersectionality aligns with the Conseil’s strategic priorities, which were articulated by the arts communities consulted in the development of its strategic plan, and is considered key to the vitality of the arts community. It supplements the other evaluation criteria specific to the various mandates. The Conseil seeks to recognize and encourage organizations addressing the challenges identified by the Montréal arts community. Depending on their mandate, the nature of their activities, their history or any other specific element, each organization can identify with a range of priorities in various ways.

The criteria are divided into three categories: inclusion, outreach and culture of innovation.

How is the strategic priority of inclusion evaluated?

Equity and meaningful representation:

• Indigenous artists and cultural workers, and Indigenous arts practices
• culturally diverse artists and cultural workers
• minority, non-western or mixed-race arts practices, other than Indigenous
• atypical or underrepresented artists and audiences
• intergenerational connections and transmission of knowledge
• genders, in particular male/female parity

How is the strategic priority of outreach evaluated?

Emphasis on local initiatives:

• strong presence of artists in communities
• development of lasting connections between the artists and educational institutions

Local, national and international outreach

• significant presentation and touring of works on a local and national scale
• strong presentation and touring of works internationally

How is the strategic priority of innovation culture evaluated?

New practices and R&D:

• innovative management practices
• appropriation of digital technology

Intersectionality bonus

The scores attributed to intersectionality are added to the peer committee’s mandate-based score. Totalling 10 points, the bonus is broken down as follows:

Inclusion : maximum of 5 points
Outreach : maximum of 3 points
Innovation : maximum of 2 points

What is the response time?

It will take eight to ten weeks from the date of the application for the Conseil to process it and reach a decision.

How will I be informed of the decision?

The representative for the organization will receive an email invitation to view the results on the ORORA platform. No decisions will be communicated by phone.

Can I appeal the decision?

The Conseil’s decisions are final and not subject to appeal. However, Conseil staff are available to answer any questions regarding decisions.

Applicants agree not to communicate with members of the evaluation committee or the Conseil’s Board of Directors about the management or evaluation of their application, or about decisions related to their application.

How will the grant be paid?

The grant amount will be provided in one payment (100%) after the decision letter has been sent.

Commitments

Accepting payment of the grant constitutes, for the organization, an undertaking to complete the activities covered by the grant and to comply with the accompanying conditions, which will be communicated upon selection of the application.

Organizations agree to:

• carry out the proposed project as planned
• notify the Conseil as soon as possible if unable to carry out the project in the fiscal year for which the grant was awarded. The grant recipient may be required to reimburse some or all of the amount awarded, as applicable
• if requested, submit activity reports and financial statements at the required times
• if applicable, include in the report photographs, videos or any other relevant, royalty-free visuals that the Conseil may use for promotional or archival purposes