Operating Assistance: Literary Arts

Description

Operating Assistance: Literary Arts provides funding to support activities of professional, non-profit organizations in B.C. that provide an annual artistic and/or editorial program encompassing any form of artistic expression or social, cultural, or intellectual commentary or inquiry through:

  • regular publication in print or digital form;
  • presentation, programming, and/or development of writing-based arts and artists.

The Operating Assistance program supports an organization’s operations over a funding cycle of two years. Applicants must meet the specific eligibility requirements within these guidelines.

Who Can Apply

If your organization does not meet the eligibility criteria, your application will not be forwarded for assessment. To be eligible, an organization must:

  • Be an arts and culture organization, registered and in good standing as a non-profit society or community service co-op in B.C. for at least one fiscal year prior to application, with a dedicated arts and culture purpose.

OR

  • Be a professional arts periodical publisher operated by an accredited B.C. post-secondary institution with an advisory editorial board that sets policy for programs and services. Both print and digital periodical publishers may apply and must meet the specific eligibility criteria for the relevant form.

AND

  • Provide ongoing literary arts programming, service, and/or professional development opportunities to the arts and culture sector in B.C. and have done so for a minimum of one year with a commitment to continued operations. Some examples include a reading series, a writer in residence program, or an ongoing writing workshop.

OR

  • Publish an eligible periodical in B.C. and have done so for a minimum of one year with a commitment to continued operations.

AND

  • Engage professionals in artistic, curatorial, editorial, administrative, or project leadership;
  • Fairly compensate artists, arts and cultural practitioners, technicians, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers. Compensation must align with community contexts and industry standards within the field of practice, including adhering to international intellectual property rights standards and cultural ownership protocols;
  • Adhere to the Criminal Records Review Act which requires that people who work with or may have unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults must undergo a criminal record check by the Criminal Records Review Program;
  • Have received at least one Project Assistance grant from the BC Arts Council within the past seven years. Grant programs that fulfill this eligibility criteria include Professional Project Assistance; Arts-Based Community Development; and Arts Impact Grants. Grant programs that do not fulfill this eligibility criteria include, but are not limited to: Pivot Program; Arts Infrastructure; Resilience Supplements; Community Arts Festivals; Project Assistance: Community Arts Organizations; Touring; Early Career Development; Youth Engagement; or Co-op Placement.

In addition to the above eligibility criteria, organizations should have stability in current operations, both administratively and financially. Stability would be demonstrated through:

  • having at least one staff person (part-time or full-time) that maintains consistency in operations and programming;
  • ongoing and diverse sources of revenues outside of BC Arts Council programs;
  • ability to plan programming and activities up to two years into the future; and
  • the capacity to compile annual financial and statistical information.

An eligible arts periodical publisher must also:

  • have published at least two issues in the year preceding the application deadline (print periodicals) or have maintained a publishing program and had two issues available for at least 12 months before the application deadline (digital periodicals);
  • operate year-round and publish on a regular, clearly communicated schedule, and publish at least two editions or issues per calendar year;
  • produce periodicals that:
    • feature the first publication of original content;
    • prioritize work by writers and artists based in British Columbia or Canada;
    • include content created by more than one person;
    • provide clear submission guidelines and editorial selection processes;
    • have and honour a clearly articulated policy on the use of contributors’ work and intellectual property;
    • clearly identify, on the masthead or equivalent, who is responsible for editorial processes and decisions;
    • have identified the target audience and developed an appropriate distribution plan.

Print periodicals must:

  • be printed on paper;
  • have a minimum average of 24 pages per issue over a one-year period;
  • have paid circulation of a minimum of 20% of the copies printed.

Digital periodicals must:

  • have paid subscription access to content, maintaining an average of 100 subscribers over a period of 6 months.

OR

  • have scheduled email delivery of content, maintaining a minimum average of 300 registered email recipients over a period of 6 months.

Arts periodicals published in any written language or combination of written languages are eligible for assistance if all other eligibility criteria are met.

Confirmation of eligibility and intention to apply should be established with a Program Advisor prior to submitting an application. Ineligible applications will not be forwarded for assessment.

How to Apply

The submission deadline is September 15, 2022, no later than 11:59 p.m. The BC Arts Council office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday.

Submit your application through the Grant Management System. Ensure that all information (including address verification) and documentation in your organization’s online profile is up to date before submitting an application.

New applicants must register and create a profile in the online system. Once the registration request is submitted, it may take up to four business days to process your request. BC Arts Council will email you once your registration is processed and you are able to access grant applications.

Ensure the email address bc.artscouncil.noreply@gov.bc.ca is on your safe senders list and check your spam folders.

Applicants can submit a portion of their application by way of an audio or video recording. See instructions within the application on this option.

Program Guidelines

Program Guidelines (PDF)

Application Preview (Word)

Program FAQ (PDF)