Icebreaker

Deadline

October 12 2022

Profile

Discipline

Street performances Digital arts Cinema / video Literature Dance Music Theater Visual arts Non-traditional arts practices Circus arts

Do you have a fully completed work that has never been exhibited or performed in public, and are you a first-time applicant for financial assistance under the CAM en tournée program? This pilot program, carried out in collaboration with the Maisons de la culture de Montréal (MCM), offers you technical support, mentorship hours, and the inaugural public dissemination or your work in one of the city’s cultural venues.

Icebreaker

Introduction

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

Who is this program for?

Unincorporated artists’ collectives
Non-profit professional arts organizations

What are the program’s objectives?

This pilot program aims to:

improve the conditions of practice and the professional development of collectives and organizations applying for assistance under the CAM en tournée for the first time
support, equip and stimulate artists by providing them with the appropriate environment and means so they can disseminate their works
facilitate meetings, networking, and skills sharing through tailored coaching and mentorship
strengthen the capacity of collectives and organizations to reach new audiences and connect with citizens through art close to home
improve the artists’ ability to promote their artistic work among dissemination networks through relevant promotional materials

What are the specifics of this program?

With a shared desire to support the dissemination of a first work, the Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM) and the Maisons de la culture de la ville de Montréal (MCM) are joining forces to offer four days of technical support and guidance culminating in a public presentation. This Icebreaker event is the perfect opportunity to connect with audiences and introduce the project to other presenters.

Note that for visual arts, the sequence can be modular and includes four days of guidance with an opening or presentation of the project.

The Icebreaker component will take place in any one of Montréal’s 19 boroughs. Program projects can take place in performance venues, exhibition rooms, outdoor scenes designed specifically for artistic presentation or in other spaces, such as municipal parks or public squares.

Support

What type of assistance is provided? What do the partners contribute?

The Conseil des arts de Montréal

It acts as an intermediary between Montréal collectives or organizations and the host structures of the Maisons de la culture. It offers a coaching service to successful applicants.

The selected projects of artists’ collectives and organizations will receive a grant of up to $15,000 to cover costs directly related to:

artists’ fees for the days of residence and performance;
technical equipment rental costs (if required);
daily fees for the technicians of the collective or organization;
marketing and promotion fees (up to $2,000) through photos and a video;
administration costs for coordinating the residence;
travel expenses, daily allowances (meals);
transport costs for the work, sets or equipment
insurance costs (important to have insurance)

The participating Maisons de la culture de Montréal

They cover:

access to material resources for four days based on the type of venue (performance hall, gallery, rehearsal studio, public square, etc.)
coaching plus logistical and technical support for four days
mentorship from the presenter on artistic and dissemination issues (max. three hours)
promotion and communication for the Icebreaker event
presentation of artists and their work to the public in a professional context during the Icebreaker event
mediation activities may also be held with the public; the partners may, after mutual discussion and agreement, cover a fee if necessary

How long does the support last?

The funding provided is one-time and non-recurring and will be determined after the Territorial Initiatives team has verified the budget.

The selected projects must be disseminated between June 1, 2023, and May 30, 2024.

Eligibility

What are the general eligibility criteria?

Arts organizations

Status and conditions

Be a non-profit organization or artists’ cooperative that pays no dividends
Be headquartered on the Island of Montréal
Have a Board of Directors composed mainly of Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada
Have a main mandate to create,
Produce or disseminate artistic works

Professional requirements

Possess a level of recognized and demonstrable competence
Be managed by qualified individuals
Have presented activities of a recognized artistic quality
Be staffed by professional artists and/or cultural workers

Artists’ collectives

Status and conditions

Have a designated member responsible for the application.
Be a group of artists, regardless of the number (minimum of two).
Two thirds of its members must be artists with Canadian citizenship or permanent residence; the proportion of members of the collective residing outside Canada may not exceed one third.
The majority of the collective’s members (50% +1) must reside in Montréal, including the person responsible for the application.
Be composed of professional artists.

Who is ineligible to apply?

Individual artists
Individual artists sponsored by a service organization
Collectives and organizations that do not meet the general and specific eligibility requirements
Artists’ collectives that are incorporated as for-profit or not-for-profit organizations
Alliances, associations, service organizations or artists’ agents
Organizations dedicated to teaching, education or professional training
Public or para-public organizations representing governments or municipal corporations
Organizations registered as general partnerships
What works are eligible?

At the time of submission:

To be eligible, the proposed work must never have been publicly presented in a professional context. Projects that have not begun or that are incomplete are therefore ineligible.

How many applications will be accepted?

The number of applications accepted is reviewed annually by the CAM review committees based on the particularities of the disciplines, the volume of applications and the Board’s strategic priorities.

For this first edition, between three and five projects will be accepted.

What types of works, applicants, activity sectors and applications are ineligible?

Ineligible works

Works not completed by the time of submission
Works that have already been created and presented at least once at the time of submission
Works that are essentially promotional

Ineligible applicants

Individual artists
Artists, collectives and organizations that do not meet the eligibility status and conditions
Collectives wishing to act as a presenter or to organize a festival or events
Artists’ collectives that are incorporated as a for-profit or non-profit company, or as a general or limited partnership
Public or para-public organizations representing governments or municipal corporations
Organizations dedicated to teaching, education, or professional training
Individual businesses

Ineligible activity sectors

Organizations or cooperatives working exclusively in variety arts or comedy
Organizations or cooperatives working exclusively in cultural mediation

Ineligible applications

Incomplete applications
Applications received after the deadline
Same proposal submitted in two different disciplines

Ineligible applications will not be considered by the evaluation committee.

Applications

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

Only one work may be submitted annually to the Icebreaker program.

Who should submit the application?

Artists’ collectives

The collective’s representative is the person in charge of the application.

Please note that at the end of the year, the person responsible for applications will receive the tax slips (T4A and Relevé 1) for the grant amount.

Non-profit arts organizations

The organization’s or cooperative’s designated representative (administration, management) is the person responsible for the application.

Can I submit an application in English?

Only collectives can submit their applications in English. Note that the questions on the form are in French only.

What information and documents must I include in my application?

For all applications:

completed application form;
a budget using the Excel form provided;
a technical data sheet for the work;
internet links (three maximum) that present excerpts or complete works;
if there have been any amendments, amended letters patent and by-laws of the organization;

Organizations that are applying to the Conseil des arts de Montréal for any program for the first time will need to provide: the organization’s letters patent, by-laws

Evaluation

How are applications evaluated?

Applications are evaluated by members of the sectoral evaluation committees and representatives of the Maisons de la culture de Montréal. All works are evaluated on merit, taking into account the dissemination potential and the comparative value of all of the applications.

What are the evaluation criteria?

The evaluation committee will take into account the program objectives and the following criteria:

Artistic quality: 45%

Quality of previous works by the members of the collective or organization.
Originality: how the work stands out from all artistic proposals.
Audacity: work showing imagination, creativity and difference in the subject matter, its artistic composition and practice.
Merit of the project in terms of the artistic approach and the applicant’s discipline.

Impact: 35%

Impact of the Icebreaker component on the development of the collective or organization.
Relevance of the project for target communities.
Ability of the collective or organization to forge ties with the community(ies) targeted by the proposed work.
Ability of the work to reach residents of the Island of Montréal.

Feasibility: 20%

Availability of spaces based on expressed needs.
Realistic budget forecasts and efforts made to compensate artists.
Ability to coordinate and complete the project.

What is the response time?

It will take 8 to 12 weeks from the deadline for the CAM to process the application and reach a decision.

The decision-making process involves four steps:

The territorial initiatives team receives and checks the eligibility of the application.
The sectoral evaluation committee submits their artistic evaluations and recommendations based on evaluation criteria.
The Maisons de la culture network presenters review the works recommended for the Icebreaker program and select those that will be part of the 2022–2023 edition.
The CAM Board of Directors meets to make a final decision and award the funding. A commitment contract relating to the Icebreaker component must be entered into between the presenters and the participants in this program.

How will I be informed of the decision?

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

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

Obligations

Commitments

Accepting payment of the grant constitutes, for the artist, collective or organization, an undertaking to complete the activities covered by the grant and to comply with the accompanying conditions.

The artist, artists’ collective or arts organization agrees to:

present the work as planned;
notify the CAM as soon as possible if unable to carry out as planned the project for which the grant was awarded; depending on the situation, a full or partial refund may be requested;
submit the activity and financial reports or reports when required;
if applicable, include in the report photographs, videos or any other relevant, royalty-free visuals that the CAM may use for promotional or archival purposes;
state the commitment to comply with the CAM’s visibility standards.