How To Apply Online
System Guide
How to Apply Online and Manage Your Account in BC Arts Council’s Grant Management System
Welcome to the BC Arts Council Guide to the grant application process. The information below describes how to register in the grants management system and apply for a grant. Please note, you will need to be registered in the grant management system in order to apply for a grant.
Accessibility Supports
Applicants who are D/deaf or have a disability can receive funding for supports to address barriers in processes and procedures, including assistance to register in the online system, to create and submit grant applications, and complete and submit final reports. More information about BC Arts Council Accessibility is available here.
Change contact information
To change the legal name or mailing address listed in an Individual or Organization profile: BCAC staff need to make this edit. Individuals or Organization Contacts/Associations can email the change request to: bcartscouncil@gov.bc.ca
Change your Direct Deposit Information
Make an application to change your direct deposit information by downloading and completing the direct deposit form. See detailed directions in the previous section, under Receiving Grant Payments.
Add an Organization Contact or Association
IMPORTANT: BCAC staff will review the following request types and obtain written approval from existing organizational contacts/associations/leadership before approving the registration request.
- If the new contact has not already registered a profile in GMS, they can create a profile and be added as an organizational contact as follows:
- Go to: https://bcac.smartsimple.ca
- Click the Register Here button
- Choose the “Organization Contact” option
- Fill in the required information and click the Submit button
- If the new contact is an independent artist, arts professional, curator, or museum/cultural practitioner, and they are also working with one or more organization(s), they may choose to have an association with an organization, instead of being a main contact (see Choosing Your Registration Type: Individuals under Individual Registration).
- If the new contact has previously registered a profile in GMS, they can be added as an Organization Association as follows:
- Log into their GMS account here: https://bcac.smartsimple.ca
- Click on the “Add Role” icon
- Select “Organization or Collective”
- Search for the name and select, then click the Submit button
- If the new contact will be reusing an organizational email address that is already registered in GMS to a different person (for example, reassigning an organization’s “admin@” or “info@” email address), BCAC staff will need to assist with reusing an email address for a different person. Organization contacts/associations/leadership can email the change request to: bcartscouncil@gov.bc.ca to receive further assistance.
Remove an Organization Contact or Association
BCAC staff need to make this edit. Organization contacts or associations can email the change request to: bcartscouncil@gov.bc.ca
Change Organizational Profile Information:
- Log into the GMS account here: https://bcac.smartsimple.ca
- Click on the “Organization Profile” icon
- “Leadership Information” tab contains organization leadership information
- “Additional Information” tab contains non-profit registration details, board and staff lists, constitution and financial statement upload buttons
- Update information, then click the blue “Save’’ button
- Select “Home” (top right) to return to your main page
BC Arts Council uses an online Grant Management System (GMS) for accepting and assessing all grant applications.
Applicants use GMS to:
- create a profile,
- submit grant applications & complete final reports,
- receive system communications, including application results, via email, and
- keep their profile information up-to-date.
Peer assessors are individuals engaged from within the sector to review grant applications to ensure an open, accountable and neutrally administered process.
Peer assessors use GMS to:
- create a profile,
- receive system communications and submit contract and expense claim documents,
- complete assessment activities, including receiving and reviewing applications, and
- keep their profile information up-to-date.
STEP 1:
If you are a new applicant or using the online system for the first time, read REGISTRATION to choose the best registration type and method for you and/or your organization, then register to request an online account.
Registrations go through a review/approval process which can take up to 5 business days. You may receive an e-mail or phone call requesting further information, which can lengthen this process.
IMPORTANT:
- Register well in advance of the intake close date. grant intake close date may not be approved in time to submit an application. This can result in missing the intake for the grant program.
- Approval of a GMS profile registration does not confirm eligibility for any grant programs. Contact a BC Arts Council Program Advisor associated with the program(s) of interest to confirm eligibility before registering and/or applying.
TIP: System emails notifying approved registration requests, and containing a link to complete the registration process, will be sent from NoReply@BCArtsCouncil.ca. Ensure this address is on your safe senders list.
STEP 2:
Once your registration has been approved, complete your profile with the required information. Profile information to be entered will depend on your registration type. See the detailed sections below on each registration type.
STEP 3:
Review the grant program Guidelines on our website to understand eligibility of both the applicant and the activity within the program of interest. Follow up with a Program Advisor to discuss eligibility or if you have any further questions.
STEP 4:
Once you have determined eligibility in a grant program, log in to your GMS account and choose the open “Funding Opportunity” for that program to generate a new blank draft grant application to fill in.
TIP: Having a “Funding Opportunity” available to select in GMS does not mean you are eligible for the grant program listed. Refer to grant program guidelines to determine eligibility.
Applications are open during an intake period of approximately 6 weeks. Check the Grant Program Calendar to view the grant schedule.
TIP: If a program is not currently accepting applications, you can review past program guidelines on the website program pages from the most recent intake. Past guidelines can be used for reviewing eligibility and for project planning purposes but will be updated for future intakes.
STEP 5:
Applications go through an assessment process. Applicants receive notification of application results after the assessment process is complete. Results are usually sent within 16 weeks of the application intake close date.
TIP: System emails containing application results will be sent from NoReply@BCArtsCouncil.ca. Ensure this address is on your safe senders list.
STEP 6:
Keep your profile information in the system up to date:
- changes to contact details, leadership information, board/staff lists and financial statements
- changes to mailing address or legal name (email these updates to BCArtsCouncil@gov.bc.ca)
- add/remove an organization GMS contact account (email removal requests to BCArtsCouncil@gov.bc.ca)
- changes to Designated Priority Group selections or Voluntary Self-Identification/Equity Data Tool questionnaire answers (optional)
New to the system? Read through the different registration types to choose the correct type before you register.
Then click Register Here at https://bcac.smartsimple.ca/ submit a registration request for your online profile.
IMPORTANT:
Unique email addresses are used as the login for each user. Individuals may need to access GMS in more than one role if they are associated with organizations or arts and curatorial collectives.
There are two options for registering in GMS to manage multiple roles. You can either:
- create one single user profile with one unique email login that can have multiple roles assigned to it within the system. GMS system roles include those for Individual applicants as well as for those acting as an Organization Contact or Associate that submits applications on behalf of organizations or collectives.; or
- create multiple user profiles each with different unique email logins to keep your accounts and communications separate (see the Individual Registration section for more information). For example, creating one user profile with a personal email address to submit grant applications as an individual or to act as a peer assessor, and a separate user profile to act as an Organization Contact using a business email from your place of work.
If you are serving on a peer assessment panel
You must have an Individual profile. We suggest creating one with a personal email login, even if you already have an Organization Contact profile.
See Peer Assessment for more information.
An Organization Profile contains information about the organization but is not a system user profile itself. Individual contacts must be registered and approved in GMS to have access to the Organization Profile and act on its behalf.
When you register an organization in the system, two profiles are created: an Organization Profile and an Organization Contact Profile. Each profile is approved separately.
- Organization Contacts or Individuals with an approved Organization Association can access the Organization Profile, and do so by logging in with their own user profile, using the email they entered during registration.
- The email you enter in the “Contact” section during registration becomes your unique identifier for your Organization Contact You will use this email to log in to your GMS profile and access the Organization Profile you are creating.
- It is recommended that organizations have more than one Organization Contact or Association registered in GMS that can access the organization’s profile.
- The Organization Profile contains information about the organization, such as its mailing address, as well as board and staff lists, fiscal year end, constitution (if applicable) or mandate, most recently completed financial statements, and GMS application history.
Organization Contacts and Associations
Profiles approved as either an Organization Contact or an Organization Association can access an organization profile. Both can submit grant applications on behalf of an organization.
If you are an independent artist, arts professional, curator, or museum/cultural practitioner, and you are also working with one or more organizations, you may choose to have an association with an organization, instead of being a main contact (see Choosing Your Registration Type: Individuals under Individual Registration).
An Organization Contact:
- Registers as an Organization Contact either:
- alongside the first-time registration of an organization; or
- by selecting the Organization Contact registration option to become the contact for an existing organization)
- Must submit name, email, and phone number to register.
- Is subject to approval by the organization contacts/associations/leadership.
- After registration is complete, can add themselves to additional organization profiles as an Organization Association through “Add Role” button in their profile.
- Cannot access grant programs for individuals unless they “Add Role” as an Individual after registration.
An Organization Association:
- Registers as an Individual (or may have an existing account).
- Must submit name, email, phone number, mailing address, and social insurance number to register.
- Is subject to approval by the organization contacts/associations/leadership.
- Can access grant programs for Individuals, and
- After registration is complete, can add additional organization profiles as an Organization Association through “Add Role” button in their profile.
Choosing your registration type: Organizations
There are four organization types to choose from on the registration page (see below for more information about each type):
- Arts and cultural organization
- Arts or curatorial collective
- First Nations Band Councils and Indigenous community organizations
- Non-profit community service organization
Request a profile registration type that best matches your organization’s legal structure and purpose, based on the organization’s constitution (for non-profits) or mandate (for other organization types), operations and activities.
Generally, organizations must have been operating for at least one fiscal year prior to application, with the majority of key staff and board members based in B.C.; and creative control and decision making for programming and engagement primarily maintained within the organization and by leadership based in B.C. Organization information and chosen registration type are subject to an internal committee review process based on eligibility criteria contained within current, or most recent, guidelines. Registration as any type does not indicate eligibility within any specific grant programs. For information about eligibility, refer to current grant program guidelines.
- Arts and cultural organizations:
- Registered non-profit organizations and community service co-ops with a dedicated arts and culture purpose (for non-profits) or mandate and have operations and activities that reflect this dedicated purpose or mandate.
- Registered non-profit organizations and community service co-ops with a focus on a specific arts community (such as Indigenous arts; Mad, disability or D/deaf arts; community arts councils) and with a dedicated arts and culture purpose (for non-profits) or mandate.
- Registered non-profit Museums and Indigenous Cultural Centers that hold a permanent art or cultural history collection with a physical space designated for public exhibition of collection material.
- Professional non-profit literary organizations, non-profit periodical publishers, or book publishers (non-profit and for-profit) that provide public arts and culture programming, publishing, dissemination, and engagement, or service to the arts and culture sector.
- Registered non-profit organizations and community service co-ops with a purpose (for non-profits) or mandate to provide services to either the arts and culture sector or the museums and Indigenous Culture Sector in B.C.
- Professional arts organizations operated by a local government or post-secondary institution that hold a dedicated programing space, dedicated staff, offer ongoing public programming by professional arts and cultural practitioners, and primarily operate with autonomy around creative control, decision making and financial record keeping.
- Arts or curatorial collectives:
- Are established and readily identified as a collective of independent artists, curators, or arts and cultural practitioners, consisting of three or more individuals who are professionally active in their field of practice, each of whom must:
- Have a minimum of two years of professional practice in their field following basic training, with roles that hold creative control of projects;
- Have a demonstrated body of previous work as an individual practitioner, including at least one public presentation of work for which an artist fee or equivalent was received;
- Be a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident; and
- Have been a resident of B.C. for at least 12 months immediately prior to the application deadline, and ordinarily reside in B.C. See Determining B.C. Residency page.
- Have a demonstrated history of creating or presenting work as a collective and have a clear commitment to a current practice.
- Have eligibility confirmed by program staff prior to GMS registration approval.
- Arts or curatorial collectives designate a representative within the application who must also have their own system account as an Individual. If the application is successful, this person receives payment of the award on behalf of the group, is issued a T4A, and is responsible for submitting the final report.
- First Nations Band Councils and Indigenous community organizations:
- First Nations Band Councils and Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, or Inuit) governments in B.C. that offers regular arts and culture activities,
- Indigenous Friendship Centres and Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, or Inuit) community organizations, registered as non-profit organizations or community service co-ops, that have a commitment to offering regular arts and culture activities but do not have a dedicated arts and culture purpose or mandate.
TIP: Indigenous arts and culture organizations that do have a dedicated arts and culture purpose or mandate are best positioned within the “arts and cultural organization” or “arts and curatorial collective” types, should they fall within either of those definitions.
- Non-profit community service organizations:
- Non-profit community service organizations that that do not have a purpose (for non-profits) or mandate dedicated to arts and culture, and the majority of their operations and activities are not arts and culture centred, even if they offer some arts and culture programming or activities, and include arts and culture as a purpose along with a number of other purposes, such as social service, education, recreation, sport or the environment.
- Non-profit organizations that have a non-arts and culture purpose or mandate (for example, but not limited to, social service, education, recreation, sport or the environment) even if they are using arts and culture as a tool in service of achieving their primary purpose.
How to Register a New Organization, Contact or Association
- To register both a new organization profile and your new profile as an Organization Contact at the same time
- Go to the login page, click Register Here
- Choose correct organization type (see above for details): Arts and Cultural Organization; Arts or Curatorial Collective; First Nations Band Council and Indigenous Community Organization; or, Non-profit Community Service Organization.
- Complete the fields and Submit. The registration request for the organization and the association with that organization will be subject to an internal review process, which may require submission of additional information.
- All registrations are subject to approval. The applicant organization’s leadership may also be contacted to confirm the registration request and the associated contact information.
- To register your new Organization Contact profile and request to be added as a contact to an organization that is already registered:
- Go to the login page, click Register Here
- Click Organization Contact at the bottom of the page.
- Check to make sure your organization is registered in the system: in “Organization Name” field, add name to locate the registered organization and select it when it appears.
- TIP: Try using the first few letters of the title or checking different words if your organization is known by many names/titles or uses alternate spellings or abbreviations.
- If your organization is listed, then it has a system account. Select it and use this page to register and request to add yourself to the organization. The request will be sent to existing organization contacts/associations/leadership for review and approval.
- To request an Organization Association or Individual role to add to your existing profile:
- Login to your profile, click “Add Role”.
- Select from the drop down the role you would like to add: Organization or Collective or
- For Organization or Collective: Type in the name of the organization you wish to register with, then select. Try using the first few letters of the title or checking different words if your organization is known by many names/titles or uses alternate spellings or abbreviations.
- For Individual: enter your Social Insurance Number information and other contact details in the required fields.
- Click “Submit”. The request will be sent to existing organization contacts for approval.
An Individual B.C. artist, or independent arts professional, curator, museum/cultural practitioner, or BC Arts Council assessor:
- Registers as an Individual.
- Must submit name, email, phone number, mailing address, and social insurance number to register.
- Can access grant programs for Individuals, and
- After registration is complete, can add additional organization profiles as an Organization Association through “Add Role” button in their profile (subject to approval from the existing organization contacts/associations).
Choosing your registration type: Individuals and Peer Assessors
There are different ways to register as an Individual, depending on whether you are only writing grants for yourself, if you work with others, or if you are a BC Arts Council peer assessor:
- If you are a B.C. artist or an independent arts professional, curator, or museum/cultural practitioner and want to apply for grants for yourself as an individual applicant, register as an Individual Practitioner here.
- If you are registering to be a peer assessor for the BC Arts Council, you should be registered as an Individual Practitioner with a personal email address that is being used for an Individual profile login.
- If your existing profile is registered as an Organization Contact: to protect your personal information we recommend using a different email to register separately as an Individual, especially if the existing organization contact profile uses an organizational email account and not your personal email account.
- If you are a B.C. artist, arts professional, curator, museum/cultural practitioner, or are a professional grant writer, and want to apply for grants for individuals for yourself and also apply on behalf of an organization that you are connected with, you have the following options:
OPTION 1: Register one Individual profile attached to one personal email login.
This single profile will contain all of your roles and activities. All correspondence will be sent to this one email address.
Once this Individual profile is approved:
- login to your Individual profile;
- select “Add Role”, search for the organization you are working with; and
- request an Association to that organization.
Once this Organization Association is approved by the organization, you can then login and switch between your roles as an Individual and Organization Contact for any organization(s) with which you have an approved association. Click on the ‘building’ icon in the upper right menu section on your screen to toggle between these accounts. Repeat this same process for any additional organizations you are working with.
TIP: Option #1 is the recommended option for professional grant writers or those who work on a temporary contract basis for an organization (as opposed to permanent employees of organizations).
OPTION 2: Register separate profiles for your Individual and Organization Contact/Association roles.
Correspondence will be sent to the different emails specific to each of these roles. You need to register each profile separately, using unique email addresses. Register with a personal email for an Individual profile, and register again using a different email as an Organization Contact/Association.
When registering as an Organization Contact, you will be prompted to select an organization to connect with. If you choose this option and want to apply on behalf of multiple organizations:
- you can use separate emails for each new Organization Contact profile you create,
OR
- you can login to your single Organization Contact profile, select “Add Role”, search for the organization you are working with, and request an Association to that organization.
- Once this Organization Association is approved by the organization contacts/associations, you can then login and switch between your organizational roles that you have an approved association with by clicking on the ‘building’ icon in the upper right.
- Repeat this same process for any additional organizations you are working with.
If you are an accessibility service provider or a grant writer assisting in completing an application on behalf of an Individual who is utilizing accessibility supports, you will also need to be registered as an Individual in the system and then email the Grant Administration team directly at bcartscouncil@gov.bc.ca to arrange access to the specific application form.
How to register a new profile as an Individual Practitioner
- Go to the login page, click Register Here button.
- Click Individual Practitioner at the top of the page.
- Complete the required fields.
- The Voluntary Identification section is optional, but you must check the “Verification” field that specifies “I understand that the following questions are optional and will be used as described above” to Submit the form. You are not required to complete any of the fields after that, but you are encouraged to fill in this section.
IMPORTANT: Voluntary Self-Identification Information entered will not be used to assess applications. It will be used internally to help measure the impact of and identify gaps in funding, conduct internal research and evaluation, improve programs, conduct outreach activities, and develop equity policies. If the information is accessed for any reporting purposes, it will be shown as aggregate percentages in which your responses will be combined with the responses of others so that your information cannot be identified.
- Indicate if you would be interested in being contracted as a peer assessor. Peer assessment is at the core of the work we do and peer assessors are paid for their work. If you would like more information about the role of peer assessors, please see the Guide for Assessors.
- Click Submit
Choosing a Grant Program
Grant Information: Visit The BC Arts Council Grant Programs to see information about which grant programs are currently open for intake, and which have been run in the past. Grant programs usually open for intake over a 6-week period. Some grant programs run annually, some programs run more or less frequently, and some grant programs are one-time opportunities. All grant programs are subject to review and change. Follow the BC Arts Council on social media to see when grant programs open for intake or look on the Funding page for a Calendar showing the annual grant program intakes.
Eligibility: It is important to determine your eligibility before starting an application. Eligibility is required for both the applicant and the activity.
TIP: Each grant program may be limited to a certain type or types of applicant for example, individual artists, arts collectives, professional arts organizations (ex. literary, performing, visual, media museums, Indigenous cultural centres) or community arts organizations.
On the BC Arts Council Grant Programs page, click on the title of the grant program you are interested in and read through the grant program guidelines. A preview of the application form is also available on this page so you can read the application questions before starting an application.
Even if you have a great project idea, not all projects are eligible for support through the BC Arts Council. The Province of British Columbia contains many Ministries and organizations, and many pathways to arts and culture funding support.
Questions: If you have more questions about a specific program including eligibility or application requirements, contact the Program Advisor connected to that grant program. You can see the Program Advisors responsible for each grant program by choosing the grant program page you are interested in from the list of Grant Programs.
You can also find a list of all the Program Advisors on the Staff Directory
Creating a Grant Application
You must register and have an approved profile in the grant management system (GMS) to apply for a grant.
IMPORTANT: Accessing the Apply now button through GMS does not mean you are eligible for that program. Read the Program Guidelines on the grant program page to make sure the you and your activity both meet the eligibility criteria before starting an application.
Application Preview: Each grant program has its own application form. If you want to see the application questions before you start an application, an application preview is available through the Grant Programs page by selecting the program you are interested in. That page has links to the program guidelines and the application preview.
Grant Programs page by selecting the program you are interested in. That page has links to the program guidelines and the application preview
Starting the Application
- Log in to your profile. Click on Funding Opportunities and you will see the programs that are currently open for intake, broadly related to your registration type.
- If you have a profile that includes Individual and Organization Contacts/Associations, this will impact which available grants you see through your GMS homepage. When seeking grant applications open for intake, remember to choose the correct user profile ”Role” by clicking on the building icon in the upper right menu. The menu title in this list says “ORGANIZATIONS”, but it includes both Organization Profiles and Associations as well as your Individual profile, if you registered as an individual.
- When you have selected the role of an Individual, you will only see grants for individuals in “Funding Opportunities” on your GMS homepage.
- When you have selected the role of an Organization, you will only see grants for organizations and collectives in “Funding Opportunities” on your GMS homepage.
- For organizations: the person that first starts the draft application form will be named as the ‘Primary Contact’ for that application and will receive all communications about that application. To switch an application to another Organization Contact/Association, email the request to the Grant Administration team at: BCArtsCouncil@gov.bc.ca.
- Click on Apply now to start a new application – the form will open in “Draft” status for you to fill in. You can save the application to work on it again later.
TIP: Every time you click on the Apply Now button, a new blank draft application form is generated.
- To access the saved “Draft” application: Log into GMS. On your GMS homepage click on “Draft Applications” to see all your applications in draft status. Click on the application you want to edit.
Time Limits and Intake Deadlines: You do not have to complete an application in one session. Although there is an autosave every five minutes, it is still recommended to save periodically in case of internet or service interruption. The system will time out automatically after 120 minutes of inactivity and unsaved information will be lost. Ensure you click Save Draft before you log out. After the application intake deadline has passed, you can not edit or submit “Draft” applications.
Browsers and Pop-Up Blockers: GMS is a web-based application accessed through your internet browser. GMS only supports the two most recent versions of web browsers Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge. Older versions may not work. This is a known issue for users with older versions of Safari. If you are having problems, update your browser to the most recent version, or you can try the following: clear your browser cache, restart your browser, restart your device, or switch to a different browser. NOTE: Internet Explorer is NOT supported.
GMS uses pop-up windows. Some browsers automatically block pop-up windows by default. If your browser is blocking pop-ups, you may need to check your browser settings and change the default setting, or try using a different browser.
Formatting: Text fields are formatted as plain text. You can type right into the fields, using a dash “-“ and a line return for bullet points. You can copy and paste from other documents, but formatting such as bold, italics, tabs and underline formatting will be lost, and the text will be converted to plain text. Bullets will copy and paste over into plain text fields. When using copy and paste, limit formatting as invisible formatting characters add to the word count.
Word Limits: Text fields have word limits. As you type into the field, you will see the word count change at the bottom left corner of the field. If you copy and paste text from another document and the text is too long, you may lose some text. You will need to edit your submission to fit within the word limit.
Number fields: Some fields require number inputs, particularly in the budget portions of the submission. Please only enter the number values. Do not include any symbols ($, #, %, commas). Any cents amounts will be rounded to the nearest dollar. For budget projections, it is recommended to round to the nearest $10.
Mandatory Fields: Fields with an * (asterisk) are mandatory and need to be completed for an application to move forward. The system will not allow you to “Submit” the application if you haven’t filled in all mandatory fields.
Support Materials and File Uploads: The maximum file upload limits and accepted file types are listed below the upload field. You can also see the upload limits and accepted file types by reading the Application Preview, available on each program page.
IMPORTANT: You will not be able to upload large files or submit your application if you go over the maximum upload limits.
If you are having problems uploading: It may be because either the file size is too large, the file is not a compatible format, you are using an unsupported browser, or you have an unstable internet connection. Update your browser to the most recent version, or save and logout, then switch to a different browser, log back in and try again. For an unstable internet connection, you can try to log in from another location or from a public access point, such as a public library. Wi-Fi in airports or hotels generally are not adequate connections to access and submit applications through our online system.
Submitting and Error Messages
Be sure to “Submit” the application when you are finished. Applications cannot be submitted past the stated intake deadline and any applications in draft form will lock after the deadline has passed. Locked drafts cannot be edited or submitted, and draft applications will not be reviewed.
Applications must be submitted by no later than 11:59 pm Pacific Time on the intake deadline date.
The system will not allow you to “Submit” an application if:
- There are problems with any of the fields you have filled in and you receive an “Error Warning” message. For example: you have not filled in a mandatory field or attachment, have too many words in a field, or are over the maximum file size for attachments. When you click on each “Error Warning” message, it will take you to each field on the application that has a problem to fix.
- The applicant has any Final Reports in “Overdue” status on previous BC Arts Council grants. As soon as you complete and submit the “Overdue” Final Report(s), the system will let you “Submit” the application. To avoid problems, review any “Pending Reports” through your GMS homepage well in advance of the deadline to ensure you do not have any “Overdue” Final Reports.
After Submitting: Once you click Submit, the application will move from “Draft Applications” to “Submitted Applications” on your homepage.
- You should receive an email confirmation of your submitted application which will include the assignment of a file number. Use this file number in any correspondence related to the application.
- Once your application is submitted it can no longer be edited.
- If your project activities, participants, timeline, budget or planned outcomes change substantially after submission or during the timeframe of a project, you will need to update the Program Advisor via email. Significant project changes are subject to approval.
- If an organization’s leadership or staff changes after submission or during the timeframe of a project, you must update the organization’s profile in GMS and update the Program Advisor via email.
Final Reports: Most grants require Final Reports. Completing the Final Report by the deadline is a condition of receiving the grant. Final Reports are due 30 days after project completion. To locate the Final Report, log into GMS. On your GMS homepage find the “Final Reports” section. “Pending Reports” are Final Reports in “Draft Status” that will need to be completed and submitted by the deadline. Any Final Reports in “Overdue Status” will prevent you from being able to submit grant applications.
Old paper-based applications submitted to the BC Arts Council were not brought into GMS. You will only be able to view applications created in GMS on your online profile. Depending on record storage and retention policies, older paper records may no longer be accessible.
To access applications made through GMS:
- On your GMS homepage, select Personal Profile and in the left menu, select Grants to see applications created by you as an Individual, OR
- Select Organization Profile and, in the left menu, select Grants to see applications created by any contact or association connected with that organization.
Application Status and Results
Once the assessment process has been completed, your application will move from “Submitted Application” to “Approved/Declined Application” in your GMS profile. You will be notified by email of the results. Ensure the email address: noreply@bcartscouncil.ca is on your safe sender list and check your spam folders.
Results are usually available 16 weeks after the application deadline.
To see your results:
For Individuals: on your GMS homepage, select Approved/Declined Applications from the My Applications section. This takes you to the Approved/Declined Applications page where you will see a list of assessed applications and application status. Your results letter will be sent to your email account. Remember to check your spam folder for the letter.
For Organizations/Collectives: select Organization Profile and, in the left side menu, select Grants to see applications and status for grants created by any contact or association connected with that organization. To read the results letter for an application, click on the grant to open the file. On the left sidebar, click Activities, then on the tabs that appear across the top, click Letter. Only organizations can access their letter through GMS.
Receiving Grant Payments
Payments are either sent as a mailed cheque or as direct deposit (EFT, electronic funds transfer) to your bank account. To make sure you receive your cheque or direct deposit, make sure your mailing address or banking information is kept up to date (see Updates to your Online Account).
If you are a returning applicant or are an assessor, you can apply to receive payments by direct deposit instead of cheque. Download the Direct Deposit Form then save it to your computer. Do not fill in the form in using your web browser as this restricts the editing required during processing of the form.
You can either print the form and have the form stamped by your financial institution or attach a void cheque. To submit, you can either:
- email the form (and void cheque if the form is not stamped) to bcartscouncil@gov.bc.ca; or
- mail the form (and void cheque if the form is not stamped) to: BC Arts Council, PO Box 9819, Stn Prov Govt., Victoria, B.C. V8W 9W3.
TIP: Direct deposit requests take time to process and should be requested before application results are known.