Canada-Korea Connections

About Canada-Korea Connections Fund

The Canada-Korea Connections Fund will provide grants of up to CA$10,000 to support creative research and relationship building projects that develop a shared understanding and strengthen artistic relationships, thereby increasing future capacity for potential creative collaborations between people from Canada and Korea.

Special consideration will be given to projects that reflect a commitment to developing capacity around and exploring questions of environmental sustainability and equity, diversity, and inclusion. Artists looking to establish or deepen new or emerging relationships are encouraged to apply.

A separate fund to support Canada-Korea co-creation and collaboration projects will be offered in 2024, the details and deadlines for which will be announced at a later date.

Note that Arts Council Korea will be launching a parallel fund for Korean artists and arts organizations in April. Interested Koreans should visit the Arts Council Korea website for details.

The deadline for Canada-Korea Connections Fund applications is March 8, 2023.

Eligibility criteria

The Fund is open to any artist, arts professional, arts group, or institution from Canada working in any discipline currently funded by the Canada Council for the Arts who:

• is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident (though not necessarily living in Canada at the time of application);
• meets the Canada Council’s definition of a professional artist;
• has a minimum of 5 years of professional experience in their creative field;
• has demonstrated capacity for international work and collaboration;
• has existing ties to Korean arts and culture; and
• has identified and secured interest from a professional Korean artist or arts group with whom to work.

Eligible activities include those that:

• invest in the development of Canada-Korea artistic relationships and knowledge;
• build applicant capacity towards potential future Canada-Korea co-creation and collaboration;
• have clearly identified goals and objectives; and
• are feasibly achievable within a one-year timeframe.

Note that travel is eligible, but not required.

Ineligible activities include those in the Council’s general list of ineligible activities, as well as activities that:

• are funded through regular Canada Council or ARKO Art Center programs;
• are funded by ARKO through its parallel ISAC project;
• focus exclusively on presentation; and
• have not identified a professional Korean artist or arts organization to work with.

How to apply

Please submit your complete application by email to international.coordination@canadacouncil.ca by 11:59 p.m. (PST) on March 8, 2023.

Applications should be submitted in single email. The maximum accepted file size is 25 MB (this includes all attachments). Late or incomplete applications will not be assessed.

Applications should include a cover letter, a project overview, and support material, as outlined in the application requirements below, and can be submitted in either English or French.

Note that applicants are not required to have a profile on the Canada Council portal in order to submit an application.

If you do not receive a confirmation email within three working days of submission, please contact us.

Application requirements

• A cover letter (600 words maximum) that includes:
  • the applicant’s name and contact information (mailing address, phone and email address);
  • a description of the applicant’s artistic practice;
  • a demonstration of eligibility (professional with 5 or more years of experience, recognized by peers, with a capacity for international work and collaboration and a connection to Korean arts and culture); and
  • an identification and a description of the Korean artist or group with whom you intend to strengthen connections. Note that this individual must be a Korean citizen or permanent resident and a professional artist or arts organization.
• A project description (600 words maximum) that:
  • demonstrates clear and feasible creative research and/or relationship building goals, including:
    • objectives,
    • an action plan,
    • a timeline, and
    • a budget (including in-kind resources). State whether you will draw on additional funding to support your project. The use of any other Canada Council funding must be declared, and you must clearly demonstrate that there will be no overlap of expenses;
  • illustrates the potential to facilitate future Canada-Korea collaboration, including:
    • a rationale for selecting the Korean artist or group you plan to work with and why this makes sense for you as a professional artist or arts organization,
    • a description of what you hope to explore or gain in your work together, and
    • an articulation of how the project will help you better address potential challenges commonly encountered in international relationship building, co-creation or collaboration (e.g., cross-cultural understanding, language barriers, geographical distance, time zones, environmental impacts, etc.); and
  • explains how the project demonstrates commitment to, develops capacity around, and explores questions of environmental sustainability and equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Support material to assist the committee in assessing your application, including:
  • a signed letter of interest from a Korean artist or arts organization;
  • a one-page list of support material, with a brief (1–2 sentences) explaining relevance to the project, what is demonstrated, and what the assessment committee should be watching for. Please use a separate page from the cover letter and project description;
  • up to 10 pages of written or visual material (scripts, reviews, photos, etc.) submitted as an attachment (keeping the 25MB maximum in mind) or available online through a link. (Note: WeTransfer or other file sharing services are not accepted); and
  • up to 4 minutes of high-quality video and/or sound on YouTube, Vimeo or SoundCloud, providing any passwords necessary to access the files. Specify which 4 minutes the assessment committee should watch or listen to (start and end times). Please send a link to the files only.

Note that some of the support materials can be used to highlight the Korean artist and arts organization with which you are looking to connect.

Assessment process

The Canada Council for the Arts, in collaboration with Arts Council Korea, will assess applications to ensure eligibility using the information provided.

All the requested information and supporting documents must be provided. You must submit only the required documents. Any additional documents will not be presented to the assessment committee. Choose your supporting documents carefully, as the committee members will have limited time to review each application.

Eligible applications will be assessed by an internal assessment committee composed of Council employees knowledgeable about the relevant artistic areas and fields of practice.

Results will be communicated to applicants by the end of March 2023.

Assessment criteria

Applications will be assessed based on:

• the clarity and feasibility of goals and objectives; and
• the potential to facilitate future Canada-Korea co-creation or collaboration.

Special consideration will be given to projects that demonstrate a commitment to, develop capacity around, and explore questions of environmental sustainability and equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Accessibility

There are two types of support available to applicants who are Deaf or living with a disability, or who face other barriers and require accommodation.

1. Application assistance

You may be eligible for Application Assistance to pay for someone to help you with the application process if you are experiencing difficulty and self-identify as:

• an artist who is Deaf, hard of hearing, has a disability or is living with a mental illness; or
• a First Nations, Inuit or Métis artist facing language, geographic and/or cultural barriers.

To obtain Application Assistance, contact the officer in charge at least 2 weeks before the deadline.

2. Support for successful applicants

For selected artists or group members who self-identify in their cover letter as Deaf or living with a disability, an additional contribution to cover the cost of disability-related services and supports specifically required for completing the project may be provided.

About Arts Council Korea

Arts Council Korea (ARKO) is a national organization for the arts of Korea under the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. To make the arts more central to life, ARKO supports arts organizations and artists in Korea and overseas through various services, programs and initiatives, and provides grant-based support.

ARKO was founded with the belief that fine art has the power to change all lives, so that everyone can share in the joy of creation and enjoy a rich life.

ARKO strives to expand the capacity of the Korean arts and raise its international profile by supporting international arts and cultural programs at home and abroad in the private sector, including joint and collaborative research, and invitation projects by artists in the fields of literature, visual art, and the performing arts (dance, theatre, music, and traditional art).

Through programs like the International Partnership in Support of Arts Creation (ISAC), ARKO seeks to accelerate artistic and cultural exchanges between Korea and other countries, working in partnership with arts councils, developing Korean arts at the international level, and creating long-lasting relationships that enable artists from both Canada and Korea to exchange and collaborate.