The Road to Art International Residency Program – Component 2: Partnership

The Road to Art International Residency Program – Component 2: Partnership supports international residency projects with established partners and spinoffs for the Montréal arts community through innovation, knowledge sharing and a window on the world. Priority is given to partnerships with less familiar developing countries and territories 

Through this program, the Conseil hopes to nurture the extraordinary talents of Montréal artists whose artistic process requires them to explore cultural and artistic realities only available internationally.

Specifically, this International Residency Program will enable the Conseil to:

• advance its strategic priorities (view CAM’s 2025 Vision)
• encourage closer ties with countries associated with Montréal’s various diaspora communities

Who is this program for?

Professional artist collectives and not-for-profit organizations in all artistic disciplines.

What are the program’s objectives?

• Strengthen intercultural dialogue and foster an exchange of innovative artistic practices in various territories
• Mobilize artistic practices and bridge-building with countries associated with Montréal’s various diaspora communities
• Foster research and creation among Montréal’s arts communities
• Implement and encourage an environmentally responsible approach to international exchanges

More details about the program

The Road to Art International Residency Program  includes a first component, for artist collectives and non-profit organizations, that want to engage in prospecting activities to establish international residency partnerships with potential partners.

See Component 1 here.

• Interested collectives and organizations may only apply for only one of the two components.
• Artistic projects must initiate a dialogue with the countries and territories in question or with the community that lives there. Confirmation of a host partner is mandatory. A reciprocal exchange is recommended for organizations and collectives able to provide a hosting program.
• International residency projects in less-familiar countries and territories carried out in conjunction with Montréal’s diaspora communities will be prioritized.

What assistance is provided?

The financial assistance provided can cover up to 100% of the project’s costs, up to a maximum of $20,000.

How long does the support last?

Support is provided on a one-time basis.

What are the general eligibility criteria?

Arts organizations

Status and conditions 

• Must be a non-dividend paying not-for-profit corporation or not-for-profit artist collective
• Must be headquartered on the Island of Montréal 
• Must have a Board of Directors composed mainly of Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada 
• Must pursue artistic creation, production or dissemination as its primary mission

Professional requirements

• Must possess recognized and demonstrable competence 
• Must be managed by qualified individuals 
• Must have presented activities of recognized artistic quality 
• Must employ professional artists and/or cultural workers

Artist collectives

Status and conditions

• Must be represented by a person responsible for the application
• Must be a group of artists, regardless of the number (minimum of two) 
• Must be composed of artists, two-thirds of them Canadian citizens or permanent residents; with the number of members residing outside of Canada not to exceed one-third
• A majority of the collective’s members (50% +1) must reside in Montréal, including the person responsible for the application
• All members must meet the Conseil’s definition of professional artist 

What are the special eligibility conditions?

The collective or organization cannot submit a new application unless it has provided the requested reports by the applicable deadline

When must the project be carried out?

Project implementation may begin before the application is submitted but cannot be completed until the Conseil has given its approval. The deadlines set out in the schedule must be respected.

How many applications will be accepted?

The number of applications accepted by the Conseil varies based on the available budget, the number of applications received, and an evaluation of the project’s artistic impact and the relevance.

Who is ineligible to apply?

Applicants

• Individual artists 
• Collectives and organizations that do not meet the general and specific eligibility requirements 
• For-profit or not-for-profit artist collective corporations or partnerships 
• Artists’ agents 
• Instructional, educational or professional organizations 
• Public or para-public organizations representing governments or municipal corporations 
• Organizations registered as general partnerships 

Sectors of activity

• Organizations working exclusively in comedy-variety
• Applicants working exclusively in cultural mediation 

Projects

• Artistic touring and circulation projects
• Travel for presentation purposes

Applications

• Incomplete applications 
• Applications received after the deadline for submitting applications

The selection committee will not consider ineligible applications.

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 an application in English?

In accordance with the government’s language policy and the Conseil’s obligations under the Charter of the French Language, all applications must be submitted in French.

Only the profiles below may apply in English. The questions on the form remain in French.

• Indigenous organizations
• Collectives in which the person responsible for the application meets one of the following requirements: individuals declared eligible to receive instruction in English, individuals who arrived in Québec within the last six months, individuals who are members of an Indigenous community

Who must submit the application?

• For collectives: the person identified by the collective
• For organizations: a duly authorized representative

What information and documents must I include in my application?

• Project description
• Schedule
• Letter of support from international partner
• List of participants (artists, designers and other key contributors)
• Brief curriculum vitae of the artists (maximum 2 pages per artist)
• Budget

How are applications evaluated?

Applications are evaluated by a multidisciplinary committee of peers. All projects will be evaluated on their comparative merit according to the program objectives and the Conseil’s strategic priorities.

What are the evaluation criteria?

Quality 50%

• Quality and artistic merit of the project
• Innovative nature and originality of the approach
• Relevance of the partner’s contribution to the artistic project
• Relevance of contribution to developing the discipline
• Quality of previous artistic work

Project spinoffs 30%

• Evidence that the project can only be carried out with the support of an international residency partnership
• Contribution to achieving the Conseil’s strategic priorities
• Expected impact on the Montréal arts community or on one of Montréal’s diaspora communities

Project management and financial stability 15% 

• Feasibility and reasonability of the proposed project 
• Reasonability of the proposed budget
• Efforts made to compensate artists and cultural workers
• Financial health of the organization or collective

Green transition 5%

• Inclusion and implementation of environmentally responsible practices. For example: taking concrete action to reduce the project’s environmental footprint: creation, production and promotion model; waste management; transportation of people and goods; eco-design; digital and energy efficiency, etc.

What is the response time?

Between the application deadline and the Conseil’s decision, a period of ten (10) weeks is required to process the application.   

How will I be informed of the decision?

The person responsible for the application will receive an email invitation to view the results on the ORORA platform. No decisions will be forwarded by phone.

Can I appeal the decision?

The Board’s decisions are final and cannot be appealed. However, the Board’s staff is at your disposal should you have any questions about the decisions taken. Fairness, ethics and proximity are an integral part of our values, and listening and empathy will always be a priority in our customer relations. With a view to improving the way we work, we are now providing you with a feedback form, which you can find here.

However, all organizations, collectives and artists wishing to share their concerns with us undertake at all times not to communicate with the members of the evaluation committees or the members of the Conseil’s Board of Directors in any way concerning the management, evaluation or decisions related to their application.

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

Payment times may vary depending on the internal processing time of Ville de Montréal departments, which are beyond the control of the Conseil des arts de Montréal. 

What are my obligations?

Acceptance of payment of the grant constitutes an undertaking by the person filing the application to carry out the activities covered by the said grant and to comply with the attendant terms and conditions, to be forwarded upon acceptance of the application.

The collective or organization undertakes to: 

• carry out the proposed project as planned
• notify the Conseil as soon as possible if it is unable to carry out the project for which it received a grant during the fiscal year in question. In such cases, they may be obliged to reimburse some or all of the amount awarded. 
• if required, submit activity reports and financial reports at the required frequency
• as applicable, include with the report photographs, videos or any other relevant, royalty-free visuals that the Conseil may use for promotional purposes

In addition, organizations, collectives, artists and their representatives agree at all times not to communicate with members of the evaluation committees or members of the Council’s Board of Directors in any matter relating to the management, evaluation or decisions related to their application. 

The Conseil des arts de Montréal staff are available to answer questions about the application evaluation process and decisions.