The Road to Art International Residency Program – Component 1: Prospecting

Please note that you have until 5 p.m. on the application deadline to submit your application.

The Road to Art – Component 1: Prospecting international residency program provides financial support for activities involved in prospecting for partners in international residencies that may benefit the Montréal arts community in terms of innovation, knowledge-sharing and new perspectives on the world. Priority is given to partnerships with developing countries and less-familiar territories.

Through this program, the Conseil hopes to nurture the extraordinary talent of Montréal artists whose artistic process requires them to explore cultural and artistic realities that are accessible only in other countries.

More specifically, the 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?

Support prospecting steps with potential residency partners in a specific international territory. Ultimately, international residency partnerships must: 

• mobilize artistic practices and bridge-building with countries associated with Montréal’s various diaspora communities
• help sustain research by the Montréal artistic community right from the international partner prospecting stage
• implement and encourage an environmentally responsible approach to international exchanges

More details about the program

The Road to Art International Residency Program includes a second component, for artist collectives and not-for-profit organizations, that supports international residency projects with established partners.

See Component 2 here.

• Interested collectives and organizations may only apply for only one of the two components.
• Projects involving prospecting for international partners in less-familiar territories 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 to a maximum of $5,000.

How long does the support last?

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

What general eligibility criteria apply?

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 activity as its primary mission

Professional requirements

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

Artist collectives

Status and conditions 

• Must be represented by a person responsible for the application and residing in Montréal 
• 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 
• Must be composed of professional artists

What are the special eligibility conditions?

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

What types of projects are eligible?

• Projects designed to develop an artistic vision with one or more international partners
• Projects that foster on-site networking and exploratory visits related to an artistic project
• Research projects that aim to define international artistic development objectives and take the first steps toward establishing a partnership
  • Prospecting activities may be carried out online or on-site.

When must the project be carried out?

• The project must be carried out according to the schedule provided in the application
• The project must after the application submission date

How many applications will be accepted?

The number of project applications accepted by the Conseil varies based on the available budget, the number of applications received and project evaluations according to the program criteria.

Who is ineligible to apply?

Ineligible 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 
• Organizations of an instructional, educational or professional nature 
• 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 

Ineligible projects

• Artistic touring and circulation projects
• Travel for presentation purposes 
• Attendance a major international arts event, with a meeting itinerary
• Training, courses, workshops, etc. 

Ineligible applications

• Incomplete applications 
• Applications received after the deadline for submission

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.

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?

• Description of networking project
• Schedule
• Letter of support from the international partner (if the project is being carried out in collaboration with another 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 criteria and the Conseil’s strategic priorities.

What are the evaluation criteria?

Quality: 50%

• Artistic project’s uniqueness and merit 
• Relevance of potential partners in relation to the artistic objectives
• Merit of the artistic process in regard to the target territory
• Quality of previous artistic work 

Project spinoffs: 30%

• Relevance of targeted territory, potential partners and prospecting plan
• 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
• Estimated 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 and financial soundness 
• Financial health of the organization 

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?

The Council will process the application and reach a decision in eight (8) to ten (10) weeks from the deadline for submitting applications. 

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 telephone.

Can I appeal the decision?

CAM decisions are final and not subject to appeal. However, CAM employees are available to answer any questions regarding decisions.

Applicants agree never to contact members of the selection committee or of the Conseil’s Board of Directors on any matter concerning the management or evaluation of their application, or about decisions related to their application.

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

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 and
• 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

Do you have any questions about the program?

Register for an online information session:

• June 15, 2023: 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
• August 16, 2023: 11 a.m. to noon