New Chapter by the numbers: Check out the latest data!
In 2016, the Canada Council for the Arts launched New Chapter, an exceptional, one-time program to mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation. Simon Brault called on the arts community to dream big and propose exceptional projects – ones that involved new collaborations, tours to new regions or connections to new audiences. The $35M program represented one of the largest ever one-time investments in the arts, in the first year of the doubling of the Canada Council’s budget from 2016 to 2021. It promises to leave a lasting legacy for the arts in communities across the country.
Pan-Canadian impact
New Chapter grants were awarded in every province and territory except for Prince Edward Island – scroll over each province on the map to discover more detailed data. Most of the applications and grants awarded were concentrated in three provinces: Ontario (709 requested and 62 awarded), Quebec (558 and 50), and British Columbia (357 and 36). The three territories combined had a total of 20 eligible applications and received 9 grants, representing 4.5% of all grants, a 45% success rate.
Outside Canada
5 Successful Applications
$600K Awarded
40 Eligible Applications
$5.2M Requested
| Geographical Distribution | Amount Requested | # Applications | Amount Awarded | # Successful Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | $137.3M | 709 | $10.5M | 62 |
| Quebec | $123.1M | 558 | $9.3M | 50 |
| British Columbia | $67.4M | 357 | $5.3M | 36 |
| Alberta | $23.5M | 135 | $2.1M | 12 |
| Nova Scotia | $12.4M | 72 | $1.4M | 9 |
| Manitoba | $15.8 | 64 | $1.3M | 5 |
| Saskachewan | $7.6M | 33 | $895K | 4 |
| New Brunswick | $5.4M | 31 | $880K | 5 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $5.0M | 26 | $627K | 4 |
| Prince Edward Island | $2.1M | 12 | $0 | 0 |
| Yukon | $2.1M | 9 | $455K | 2 |
| Northwest Territoiries | $2.3M | 6 | $1.0M | 4 |
| Nunavut | $1.7M | 5 | $815K | 3 |
| Outside Canada | $5.2M | 40 | $600K | 5 |
An incredible response
The New Chapter program received an unprecedented number of applications: 2,226 projects requested $441.5M total. In the end, there were 201 successful applications totaling $35M. First-time applicants represented 16% of the total, and first-time recipients represented 14%.
Art in every form
New Chapter projects come in every art form and discipline. The top five arts disciplines were visual arts, music, media arts, theatre and interdisciplinary arts. Scroll over each discipline to discover more detailed data. The discipline with the highest number of applications was visual arts (397 requested and 43 awarded), followed by music (322 and 34) and media arts (299 and 28).
| Disciplines | Amount Requested | # Applications | Amount Awarded | # Successful Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Arts | $75.5M | 397 | $7.7M | 43 |
| Music | $65.9M | 322 | $5.6M | 34 |
| Media Arts | $52.8M | 299 | $4.8M | 28 |
| Theatre | $65.8M | 291 | $6.3M | 34 |
| Interdisciplinary | $56.9M | 287 | $4.0M | 20 |
| Literature | $26.0M | 152 | $1.9M | 16 |
| Dance | $32.2M | 142 | $2.0M | 11 |
| Multidisciplinary | $27.1M | 132 | $1.1M | 10 |
| Other Disciplines | $8.6M | 34 | $1.5M | 5 |
Reporting on impact
The Canada Council will be gathering information about the impact of New Chapter as the grant recipients file their final reports. Stay tuned for updates. In the meantime, find out about the projects’ progress and presentations via social media at #CouncilNewChapter