Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Calgary Arts Development (CADA)

Calgary Arts Development is the City of Calgary’s arm’s‑length arts development agency, dedicated to supporting and strengthening the arts to benefit all Calgarians. It plays a central role in the local cultural funding ecosystem by distributing municipal arts funding and stewarding public art projects. Through a portfolio of operating, project, microgrant and specialized programs, it provides financial support to non-profit arts organizations, individual artists, artist collectives and Indigenous creators working in the Treaty 7 region.

The organization administers an Operating Grant Program that offers stable, multi‑year funding to nearly 200 non-profit arts organizations in Calgary, supporting any area of their overall budgets. It also runs Project Grant Programs for organizations and for individual artists and collectives, providing one‑time support for research, creation, production, presentation, dissemination, and experimentation in artistic practice or organizational development.

Calgary Arts Development offers the Artist Development Microgrant, a lottery‑based microgrant program that helps individual artists and collectives build professional and artistic skills or advance business and career development. Dedicated Indigenous programs include the Original Peoples Investment Program and the Indigenous Cultural Connections Program, which fund First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists, collectives and Indigenous‑led organizations for art projects, cultural preservation and traditional practices in the Treaty 7 region.

Additional initiatives such as the ArtShare Program, the Cultural Activation Fund and the Changemakers Program focus on equity‑deserving communities, civic cultural priorities and art for social change. The organization also invests in public art through calls to artists and commissioned projects, such as community‑informed public art opportunities and programs like utility box artworks, mini galleries and transit‑based art.

Calgary Arts Development collaborates with other funders and institutions to expand its impact. The Future Focus Program, for example, is a joint initiative with the Rozsa Foundation and the Calgary Foundation that supports arts organizations to investigate and implement strategic adaptations in their operations. The Changemakers Program partners with the Institute for Community Prosperity and other initiatives to sustain artist‑driven social change work.

The organization demonstrates strong accountability through detailed publication of grant results, including complete lists of grantees and grant amounts across its programs and year‑end reporting. Terms of reference and program guidelines are made available online, and assessment processes, including lottery‑based selection where applicable, are clearly explained. Calgary Arts Development also offers information sessions, open office hours and accessibility supports to help applicants understand programs and equitably access funding opportunities.

By investing millions of dollars annually into the arts, Calgary Arts Development supports a wide spectrum of disciplines and communities—from large institutions and festivals to small collectives, emerging artists, and Indigenous and equity‑deserving creators. Its combined grantmaking and public art commissioning foster a vibrant cultural life in Calgary, amplify underrepresented stories, and strengthen the city’s creative ecosystem for residents and visitors alike.