Decision making: Awarding grants and prizes

This page explains how the Canada Council for the Arts makes decisions regarding grants and prizes.

It includes information on how peer assessment works, how grant applications are assessed and ranked, and how funding amounts are determined and distributed.

It also covers the three-step decision-making process used to select prize and award winners.

Peer assessment

Most applications and nominations are assessed by an external committee of peer assessors. The Canada Council selects peer assessors to reflect Canada’s population and the expertise of the arts community, as much as possible, representing a diversity of:

• regions
• artistic practices
• professional specializations
• cultures
• accessibility needs
• official languages
• ages and genders

A diversity of peer assessors ensures that applications and nominations for grants and prizes are assessed with a breadth and depth of relevant knowledge and experience.

Peer assessment for grants

The Canada Council engages peer assessors to read and score grant applications against assessment criteria to make recommendations for funding. They do not make financial decisions.

Peer assessment for prizes

Peer assessors select prize winners based on established assessment criteria. Prize amounts are pre-determined.

Awarding grants: A three-step decision-making process 

Most applications are reviewed by a peer committee; however, for applications that are not assessed against an artistic criterion (e.g., micro-grants), the Council may review applications internally.

All grant applications go through three separate steps:

1. Assessing and ranking
2. Determining grant amounts
3. Awarding funds

Assessing and ranking

Program officers select committees of peers with suitable knowledge and expertise to review the applications received, with the program director providing final approval of the committees’ composition.

As part of the assessing and ranking process, these peer assessment committees:

• evaluate and compare all eligible applications against program objectives
• score each application based on the assessment criteria
• participate in discussions about applications

Peer assessors may engage in discussions about applications. These discussions occur in a committee setting facilitated by a program officer and typically focus on the following situations:

• there is a significant difference in scores among assessors
• assessors need additional context or clarification
• there are equity considerations, particularly in terms of ensuring cultural contexts are appropriately understood and reflected in the assessment and scoring process

The individual scores given by each peer assessor are added up and averaged to produce a ranked list of all applications. This final ranking is reviewed and validated by the committee, with all members signing to confirm their agreement with it. Grants are then determined based on this ranking.

For core grants, once the applications have been scored, discussed and ranked, the peer assessment committee members also determine if the organization is in:

• a green zone (recommended for funding or an increase)
• a yellow zone (maintains existing funding)
• a red zone (grant decrease, Major Warning)

Due to budget limitations, not all organizations in the green zone will receive an increase.

Determining grant amounts

Following the ranking established by the peer assessment committee, the program officer and the program director together determine the amounts to be awarded to successful applicants.

They take into consideration:

• eligible expenses
• the amount requested by the applicant (a grant cannot exceed the amount requested)
• budget allocation for the program or amount of the prize within the Council’s overall budget

Strategic considerations

In addition to the program budget, the Council allocates dedicated funds to support applicants from strategic priority groups. These include the following communities:

• Deaf and disability
• Black and racialized
• First Nations, Inuit and Métis
• Official language minority

Applicants who identify as belonging to one or more of these groups—and who have completed the self-identification form—may be considered for strategic funding.

The ranking order of applications established by the peer assessment committee is respected when awarding this funding.

Awarding funds

The program director examines the ranking of applications from each peer assessment committee, the available budget and potential for allocating strategic investment provisions. In the case of core funding, recommendations are reviewed in consultation with the Director General of Arts Granting Programs.

In awarding grants, the Council follows its delegation of authority policy:

• Program managers approve grants of $30,000 or less.
• Program directors approve grants of $100,000 or less.
• The Director General of Arts Granting Programs approves grants between $100,001 and $500,000.
• The Board approves grants above $500,000.

All Canada Council for the Arts funding decisions are final. No decisions may be appealed unless evidence suggests that a procedural error may have occurred during the assessment process.

Feedback on individual grant application results

The Canada Council for the Arts is committed to supporting applicants in planning future applications. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Canada Council with questions or for guidance.
If you apply to a funding opportunity in the updated portal, you will receive a detailed breakdown of your scores for each assessment criterion. Core funding applicants will also receive written feedback from the assessment process.

Please note: Applications (except core components) submitted and assessed through the old portal will not include a scoring breakdown, even if results are sent after the launch of the updated portal.

Due to the high volume of applications and limited funding, not all requests can be supported. For details on when to expect results, visit the Deadlines and Notification of Results page.

Read more about application assessment.

Awarding prizes – A three-step decision-making process

Most applications are reviewed by a peer committee; however, for applications that are not assessed against an artistic criterion, the Canada Council may review applications internally. Certain prizes are grant-based, and winners are selected without having to apply or be nominated for those prizes.

Applications and nominations for prizes go through three separate steps:

1. Verification of the eligibility of the application or nomination
2. Assessing and ranking/selecting a shortlist for deliberation
3. Selecting awardees/prize winners

Verification of the eligibility of the application or nomination

Program officers verify that applications and nominations comply with the eligibility criteria for nominators and applicants (and projects, where applicable).

Assessing and ranking/selecting a shortlist for deliberation

Program officers select committees of peers with suitable knowledge and expertise to review the applications and nominations received, with the Director of Arts Promotion providing final approval of the committees’ composition.

As part of the assessment and ranking process, the peer assessment committees:

• evaluate and compare all eligible applications against established criteria
• score each application and/or select a shortlist based on the assessment criteria. For prizes where the process requires scoring, the individual scores given by each peer assessor are combined to produce a ranked list of all applications or nominations.

Selecting awardees/prize winners

• After a shortlist of applications/nominations is identified, it is brought forward for in-depth discussion facilitated by a program officer.
• Following these discussions, peer assessors choose a winner by consensus or majority.

Regarding prizes competitions, all committee decisions are final. There is no appeal process. The Prizes Section does not provide feedback on applications or nominations.