Meet Grant: A Milieux Guide to Research and Creation Grants

2026-04-14

Meet Grant: A Milieux Guide to Research and Creation Grants

The financials of being an artist or a researcher have always fascinated me. Coming from a working-class background and a family of teachers, engineers, accountants, and more teachers, I never had an example to follow as I embarked on a path in the humanities. I had a natural inclination towards what I understood: full-time jobs, part-time jobs, internships, fellowships, awards…these felt like concrete paths to sustain myself and my work.

Grants were far on my horizons, a concept reserved for…someone else? Not me! It was only once I started my graduate studies, balancing classes, research,my creative practice, and—well work that paid bills, that I realized research and creation grants might be not just viable, but essential.

For the uninitiated, grants are elusive, confusing, intimidating; the requirements, sums, and competition seemingly prodigious. To demystify the process, I met with members of the Institute to learn from their wealth of experience winning — and losing — grants of all kinds.

Introducing the Major Funding Bodies

The Tri-Agencies are the three primary federal granting agencies responsible for supporting academic research in Canada:

On the provincial level, the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) serves Quebec residents at the master’s and doctoral levels in the natural sciences, engineering, health sciences, social sciences, humanities, and the arts.

For artists and arts organizations, funding is primarily distributed through dedicated councils:

Canada Council for the Arts
Provincial and municipal councils like the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres de Québec (CALQ) and Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM).

Beyond the major councils, several government departments offer targeted funding:

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)
Canadian Heritage which oversees funding for culture, history, and sport, including the Canada Music Fund and the Canada Book Fund.

While most research and creation grants are funded by government agencies, some organizations and companies offer funding for research and creation projects relevant to their mandates. Students and researchers also have access to internal funding programs at universities.

Researching and Finding Opportunities

Researching funding can be approached similarly to academic research, casting a large net and then narrowing in on more relevant programs. Start by looking at the major funding bodies outlined above, at the federal, then provincial, then municipal level, using filters to narrow down on more relevant opportunities. Keep in mind that your positionality might be a factor at this stage, as many grants are reserved for specific demographics.

Researcher Aurélie Petit highlights the importance of looking beyond the major agencies, especially if your work doesn’t fit into the mainstream. Despite the prestige associated with certain grants, Petit found success applying for small sums from research institutes. Newsletters from any institutions/organisations you’re part of or relating to your work are a great way to find funding.

Once you’ve identified promising opportunities, take the time to study successful applications. Reading examples can help you understand expectations around structure, tone, and formatting. As dancer and choreographer Victoria May explains, this process can also support your own creative visualization: “For me, it’s a big part of my visualization and manifesting it. If I have a template of something that worked, because I’m not going to reinvent the wheel.” Later, once you’ve gained experience and received a grant or two, it might be worthwhile to self-nominate for peer assessment committees, to better understand the jury process.

Finally, before investing significant time in writing, consider reaching out directly to program directors. May recommends this step as a way to clarify expectations and ensure your project aligns with the grant’s mandate. “It’s not that it gives you an advantage,” she notes, “It’s just that they put a voice to an application and if there’s something a little bit off or missing, sometimes they’ll contact you afterward.” She specifies that this is more suitable for arts grants.

Applying for Grants

When preparing a grant application, start by carefully reviewing the requirements and planning your project accordingly. Keep the assessment timeline in mind to ensure your proposal is realistic and achievable within the given parameters. At this stage, it’s also helpful to think of the application itself as part of your creative process. The constraints of a grant can push you to clarify and strengthen your ideas, sometimes even leading to unexpected and innovative solutions.

As you begin writing, make sure you address every question in the application thoroughly. Artist Skawennati stresses how often applicants overlook this basic step, “I have been on a number of juries and have always been surprised that people do not answer all the questions asked in a grant application form.” To avoid this, she suggests copying and pasting all the questions into a working document so you can systematically respond to each one.

Equally important is adapting your language and approach to the type of grant you are applying for. Victoria May describes a type of code-switching: academic grants typically emphasize theory, methodology, and clearly defined outcomes, whereas arts council applications tend to prioritize audience engagement, impact, and creative process. Regardless, it’s a good idea to avoid flowery language or convoluted arguments. A grant application is exactly where you want to be explicit about your ideas and plans.

Alongside content, formatting plays a critical role and should never be overlooked. Many organizations have strict guidelines that must be followed precisely in order for your application to be considered. For example, documents like the Tri-agency CV require adherence to specific rules such as a five-page maximum, 12-point Arial font, and 2 cm margins. As May notes, “As an artist I never really took that stuff into consideration for an arts council grant. But for an academic one those things really matter—where you put the period and how you format your citations.”

In addition to the written components, pay close attention to your support materials. If your portfolio is visual, ensure that each image clearly highlights your work. Skawennati advises, “If you are showing a portfolio of your artwork, be sure that it is your artpiece that is the main focus of each image. Remember that it is not always obvious to someone who does not know your work!” Similarly, double-check that any links you include remain functional for the entire evaluation period—for instance, SSHRC requires links to work for at least six months after the deadline.

Securing strong letters of recommendation can be crucial to the success of your application. Reach out to referees early, choosing individuals who are familiar with your work and enthusiastic, generic letters won’t add to your application. Be prepared to send polite reminders as the deadline approaches to ensure their letters are submitted on time.

Before submitting, take the time to have others review your application. Experienced peers and mentors familiar with your work are an incredible resource but even a friend or relative might catch a typo, a missing link, or descriptions that lack clarity. After spending so much time on your application, your eyes naturally start to glaze over mistakes, call a friend!

Remember that there is inherent value to be found in the application process, regardless of the outcome. Victoria May advises that,“Somebody else is going to see your name out there… maybe you won’t get the grant, but they’ll go, ‘Oh, that person’s work is really interesting’ and they may offer another opportunity.”

Whenever I’m asked for advice on freelancing and pitching, I tell people they have to overcome any fear or shame associated with failure or simply being seen trying, and the only way to do that is to do it a lot. After five years of freelancing, I probably only remember ⅛ of my “failed” pitches, and I regret none of them.

Using and Managing Grant Funds.

When managing grant funds, it’s important to be organized and plan conservatively. In many cases, grants award less money than initially requested, so anticipating potential budget shortfalls can help you avoid financial strain later on. Maintaining an emergency fund is a practical way to prepare for unforeseen expenses that may arise during the course of your project. Many grants are “receipt-based”, meaning you need to keep careful records of every purchase, in any case, it’s a good idea to regularly update your budget. Be sure not to overlook your own labour in the budgeting process, paying yourself a fair hourly wage throughout the project to ensure your work remains sustainable and properly valued.

Almost all funders require a report (or several) on your progress. Submitting these on time is important to remain in good standing with the funder so you won’t be disqualified from any future opportunities.

Romantic ideals about starving artists, tortured genius, chosen ones, and ingenues obscure the real, mundane, bureaucratic labour required to dedicate yourself to academic or artistic pursuits.

“I find most people really don’t like grant writing and I really like it,” Victoria May tells me, “it’s just another layer of creativity for me, where I can dream and plan.”

It’s a beautiful thing to plan for the future, but my future has always seemed too uncertain to plan further than the next contract or the next semester. There’s a beauty to improvisation, but there’s only so much it allows for.

Dearest esteemed juries, I hope you’ll take my application into consideration.

– Nadia Trudel, Milieux Storyteller

research creation