Public Art Grants

• The applicant must be a Vancouver-based professional not-for-profit arts and culture organization or a local First Nations Band Council.
• The organization must be legally registered and in good standing, such as a not-for-profit society, community service co-op, or a registered charity with the CRA for at least six months prior to the application deadline.
• The organization must have an active presence and deliver programs or services within Vancouver, or, if led by specified First Nations, the project must be held in their traditional homelands, which include Vancouver.
• The proposed project must be an artist-led public art initiative that is a stand-alone, one-time creative project or a time-limited series, produced after the application deadline and completed by the end of the designated period.
• The applicant must have an active volunteer board of directors and demonstrate sufficient financial and administrative capacity to support the project.

Who is eligible?

• Vancouver-based not-for-profit arts and culture organizations
• Local First Nations Band Councils
• Community service co-operatives legally registered and in good standing in BC
• Registered charities with the Canada Revenue Agency (for at least six months)

Who is not eligible

• Publicly funded or private educational institutions (e.g., public schools, universities, colleges, training organizations).
• Organizations whose proposed project does not meet the grant's intent and vision.
• Projects that are annual or recurring (such as festivals), unless they uniquely commission an artist for a public art work.
• Organizations proposing projects outside Vancouver city limits, except for those led by Musqueam, Squamish, or Tsleil-Waututh Nations in their unceded traditional homelands.
• Organizations engaged in fundraising, commercially-oriented activities, third-party advertising, demonstrations, rallies, or core artistic training/in-class activities.

Eligible expenses

• Artist fees and compensation
• Design and artistic supplies
• Fabrication and production costs
• Permits and insurance required for the project
• Installation and site preparation
• Project management (up to 20% of the total project budget)
• Engineering and technical services
• Community notification expenses
• Documentation of process and artwork
• Maintenance provisions for the artwork during its display
• Anti-graffiti treatments
• Site restoration after project completion
• Contingency costs (generally 10-15% of the overall budget)

Eligible geographic areas

• Organizations based in Vancouver, British Columbia.
• First Nations Band Councils located in Vancouver or on their unceded traditional homelands that include Vancouver.

• Artist-centred approach: Projects must provide meaningful commissioning opportunities for professional artists and demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing artists’ creative and critical investigation.
• Strength of the proposed project: Preference is given to unique, stand-alone artworks with project coherence, clear ideas, relevance to place and time, and engagement with critical dialogues in contemporary art.
• Organizational capacity: Applicants must show a realistic and achievable plan, experienced contributors, proper maintenance planning, effective communication and engagement strategies, and methods for evaluating project success.
• Realistic and achievable budget: Project expenses must be directly related to producing the artwork, with a guideline of a maximum of 20% of the total project budget allocated for project management costs.

• The program is offered every two or three years, depending on budget availability.
• Grant recipients must ensure confidentiality; application documents become the property of the City of Vancouver.
• Panel members assessing applications include artists and arts professionals, with representation from xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwxwú7mesh ̱ and səlilwətaɬ Nations.
• Information session notes and Q&A are posted online for applicant reference.