OAC — Deaf and Disability Arts Projects

• The applicant must be a professional artist, a deaf and/or disabled arts professional residing in Ontario, or an ad hoc group, collective, or nonprofit arts organization based in Ontario, focused on the practices of deaf and/or disabled artists and led by them.
• The artistic process of the project must be led by deaf and/or disabled artists and/or arts professionals.
• The project must pertain to an arts discipline funded by the Ontario Arts Council (OAC), such as media arts, visual arts, craft, dance, literature, multi-arts, interarts, music, or theater.
• Funded activities must take place in Ontario.
• The application must be submitted via the Nova system, accompanied by the required documents (project information, budget, examples of artistic works, resume, and other supporting documents if necessary).

Who is eligible?

• Ad hoc groups, collectives, and not-for-profit arts organizations led by Deaf artists and/or artists with disabilities

Who is not eligible

• For-profit businesses and commercial enterprises.
• Organizations not primarily led by Deaf artists and/or artists with disabilities.
• Student groups or organizations submitting projects related to studies at any educational level.
• Companies or entities applying for major capital expenditures, building renovations or real estate investments.

Eligible expenses

• Artist fees for yourself or other artists engaged in the project (excluding living and personal expenses).
• Workspace and equipment rental.
• Research materials.
• Transportation and travel costs.
• Accommodation expenses.
• Meal allowances.
• Contribution towards the purchase of small-scale equipment, software, electronics, and related materials necessary for the project.
• Artistic, production, venue, and administrative costs.
• Marketing or promotional costs specific to the project, including hiring an Ontario-based marketing manager or publicist (Production category only).
• Tuition and registration fees for conferences, master classes, workshops, and training courses.
• Mentor and tutor fees.
• Internship and apprenticeship expenses.
• Professional documentation of artworks, skills, training, or abilities.
• Childcare and other dependant care fees enabling participation in the project (excluding regular, ongoing expenses).
• Expenses for making the project accessible to audience members and participants who are Deaf or have a disability (excluding the applicant's expenses).

Eligible geographic areas

• Ontario

• Applicants may only apply to one program category per deadline.
• The amount awarded may be less than the amount requested due to limited funding and high application volume.
• Applicants can request supplementary funds for personal accessibility needs through a separate Accessibility Fund: Project Support.
• If the final project budget shows a surplus of more than $250, repayment of the surplus may be required.