Glossary

Explore our glossary to understand important grant-related terms and how we use them.

A

aboriginal people

First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples, as defined in the Constitution Act.

applicant profile

The applicant profile is how you tell us who you are and what you do so that we can determine if you’re eligible to apply for funding. Once ...

application deadline date

An application deadline date is a date by which an application must be submitted. Generally, for project grants and composite grants, the portal o...

associated grant

The original grant related to a request for a supplement.

C

capital expenditures

Capital expenditures are not eligible for grants from the Canada Council unless explicitly stated as eligible in the component Guidelines. Capital...

co-production

Artistic co-production: An arrangement where two or more artistic groups and/or organizations combine creative, financial and human resources to p...

composite grant

Support for multiple projects taking place over 1 to 3 years. Instead of submitting a number of separate project applications, individuals, groups...

concerned status

Concerned status is a term assigned to an organization receiving a core grant that may place Council’s investment at risk. It may be ap...

core-funded organization

An organization that receives a core grant over a 2-4 year funding cycle.

core funding

Multi-year funding to organizations that cover a broad array of operating costs

cultural intellectual property

Indigenous peoples right to own and control their cultural heritage. Indigenous heritage is used to refer to these rights to bring the terminology...

cut-off date

A cut-off date is different from an application deadline date. For some components, you can apply any time before the start of your project, and t...

D

deaf

Refers to people with hearing loss, or who are hard-of-hearing, oral-deaf, deaf-blind and late-deafened, many of whom identify as culturally Deaf&...

deaf and/or disability

Deaf: Refers to people with hearing loss, or who are hard-of-hearing, oral-deaf, deaf-blind and late-deafened, many of whom identify as culturally...

direct project costs

Direct project costs pay for items and people that are needed for a specific project. These are variable costs that relate directly to the activit...

disability

Refers to people with physical or intellectual disabilities, mental or chronic illness, or neurodivergence who experience discrimination and disad...

dramatic work

Text intended for presentation before an audience. This could be an original text, an adaptation of a dramatic or literary text drawn from a Canad...

E

electronic magazine

Digital publications that are primarily text with photographic and illustrated editorial content. They are: delivered via a website, download...

equity

Equity is a principle and process that promotes fair conditions for all persons to fully participate in society. It recognizes that while all peop...

F

fields of practice

Fields of practice are linked to applicant profiles in the portal and describe a general field of artistic activity or an artistic discipline.

first nations, inuit and métis arts/cultural professional

Arts/Cultural Professionals are individuals whose work supports, facilitates, investigates or examines the work of First Nations, Inuit and M&eacu...

first nations, inuit and métis aspiring artists

Aspiring Artists must be working under the mentorship of an artist who fulfills the professional artist criteria. First Nations, Inuit and M&eacu...

first nations, inuit and métis cultural carriers

Cultural Carriers are individuals whose role within First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities supports the preservation, retention, maintenance, ...

first nations, inuit and métis for-profit organizations

To be eligible as a First Nations, Inuit or Métis for-profit organization, you must: have a board of directors or equivalent governanc...

first nations, inuit and métis groups or collectives

Eligible groups and collectives have two or more members with at least 50% of the membership of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. To ...

first nations, inuit and métis not-for-profit organizations

To be eligible as a First Nations, Inuit or Métis not-for-profit organization, you must: have a board of directors or equivalent governance g...

first nations, inuit and métis professional artist

The Canada Council supports art made by First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists for creative and cultural purposes. It values distinctive voices th...

I

indigenous

The first inhabitants (First Peoples) of a land (including First Nations, Inuit and Métis of Canada), and the philosophies, cultures, cosmologies ...

indigenous traditional knowledge

Traditional knowledge refers to tradition-based literary, artistic or scientific works; performances; inventions; scientific discoveries; designs;...

internal committee

An assessment committee composed of Council staff knowledgeable about a given artistic activity or field of practice.

L

literary book publisher

A professional literary book publisher is an organization that publishes books as its primary activity (fiction, poetry, literary non-fiction, chi...

literary works

The Canada Council for the Arts supports creative writing in all of its genres and forms. Literary non-fiction is one of the genres supported by t...

M

major warning

A status given to an organization following multiple reductions in core funding. Further to an assessment, a peer committee may recommend a decrea...

market access

The ability to: present, exhibit or sell works outside a home market participate in co-productions, residencies or exchanges (usually ab...

micro grant

Grants that normally have one payment and that are for one-time small-scale activities. Such project grants may have activities spanning more than...

minoritized culture

A community of people whose access to political, financial, or social power and resources has been markedly limited regardless of the size of the ...

N

new/early career artist

An artist who: is entering, or is in the early stages of, his or her professional career in one or more fields of practice recognized by the ...

non-literary publishing

Critical or interpretive texts about an art form such as essays, theory, etc.

O

official language minority communities

Canada’s official languages are English and French. Official language minority communities (OLMCs) are groups of people whose maternal ...

operating costs

Operating costs pay for items and people to generate the ongoing activities of the business. Typical operating costs of arts organizations and gro...

P

peer assessment committee

The Canada Council for the Arts peer assessment committees are groups of peer assessors who are invited to evaluate applications and nominations f...

peer assessor

The Canada Council for the Arts peer assessors are individuals who are invited to join peer assessment committees to evaluate applications an...

performing arts

The fields of practice of theatre, circus arts, music and sound, and dance. Inter-arts work may also be among the performing arts.

professional artist

An artist who: has specialized training in the artistic field (not necessarily in academic institutions) is recognized as a professiona...

project grant

Grants that normally have one payment and that are for a single project or for a project that repeats over a given period.

R

racialized (culturally diverse)

Refers to people of African, Asian, Latin American, West or Central Asian, Pacific Islander, or mixed heritage that includes one or more of these ...

racialized (culturally diverse) groups

Refers to people of African, Asian, Latin American, West or Central Asian, Pacific Islander, or mixed heritage that includes one or more of these ...

remote community allowance

Funding available to applicants in the Creating, Knowing and Sharing program who face increased or unusual costs due to their geographic inaccessi...

S

supplement grant

Additional funding applied to an awarded grant.