NWT Arts Business Support Fund

• Completed application form
• Professional and/or artistic resume
• Samples of work, if applying for inventory reproduction
• Copies of quotes
• Proof of NWT residency

Who is eligible?

• Professional artists and individual entrepreneurs.
• Sole proprietors and small businesses participating in or supporting the arts sector and based in the NWT.
• Individuals who have been a resident, or have been operating in the NWT for at least 6 months prior to applying, and are living in the NWT at the time of application.

Eligible expenses

• Arts business start-up costs, including business licence and registration fees
• Equipment and tool purchases for arts activities
• First-run production of original artwork for sale
• Marketing and promotion costs, including websites, design, printing, videos, and agency fees

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Subsequent commercial print runs
• Raw materials and artwork bought for resale
• Operating costs such as rent, wages, food, and utilities
• Office expenses and GST/HST/PST on eligible costs
• Assets already acquired or previously funded by GNWT or the Government of Canada

• Artistic Merit, weighted at 20%, including artistic practice, applicant skill, and project relevance.
• Impact, weighted at 50%, including development potential and market impact.
• Feasibility, weighted at 30%, including applicant readiness, project planning, and budget.

• Step 1: Review guidelines
  • Read the application guide before applying.
  • Discuss your project with your regional ITI office.
• Step 2: Complete the form
  • Download and fill out the Arts Business Support Fund application form.
• Step 3: Gather supporting documents
  • Prepare your resume, work samples if needed, quotes, and proof of NWT residency.
• Step 4: Submit to ITI
  • Send the completed form and supporting documents to your regional ITI office.

• Applicants are informed in writing within 15 business days of the review of a complete application whether approval has been granted and which eligible costs have been approved.
• Approved applicants receive a contribution agreement that outlines the funding terms, payment schedule and reporting requirements.
• Applicants must sign the agreement and return it to their regional ITI office.
• Payment is processed and sent to funding recipients within 14 to 30 days of the GNWT receiving the signed contribution agreement.
• Applications must be approved before beginning the activity, and expenditures made prior to approval will not be considered.

• Applications are assessed on a first-come, first-served basis until the annual budget is exhausted.
• Funding recipients must credit the GNWT in publicity related to the funded activities.
• A contribution agreement must be signed before payment is issued.
• Applicants may only have one funded project at a time.