top of page
FUNDING AND RESOURCES

Indigenous Languages, Arts, and Culture - Events, Funding, Opportunities

A few things to note:

  • FPCC’s Reclaiming My Language program for silent speakers is open (see Funding below)

  • BC Arts Council Project Assistance grants are open right now

  • The federal government’s new program Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities is open for application (very end of funding listings – no deadline to apply)

  • FPCC has some employment opportunities

 

 

Funding

 

Indigenous Tourism Recovery Fund. (Indigenous Tourism BC). April 1 to April 30. This Fund is to assist Market-Ready Indigenous tourism businesses in BC who are experiencing business disruption and financial loss due to COVID-19. It is meant to provide support to ongoing needs to bridge businesses towards the implementation of business recovery. Indigenous Tourism BC expects to receive a high volume of applications for this program. To ensure that as many Indigenous tourism businesses as possible receive recovery support, applicants may be approved for a lower amount than requested. Requests will not exceed $20,000 per applicant/business.

 

Cultural Infrastructure Grant (City of Victoria). Deadline April 29. 2022. Non-profit organizations can apply for funding ranging from $15,000 to $100,000 per organization to improve arts and cultural spaces in Victoria. The program provides funding to ensure that affordable, well-suited, and accessible cultural spaces can continue to support artists and community groups with spaces to work, practice, host activities, and engage audiences. For 2022 program applicants, please note that there is additional one-time funding of $150,000 allocated specifically for Accessibility Upgrades.

 

Heritage Legacy Fund. Deadline April 29, 2022. The Heritage Legacy Fund supports a financial assistance program for Heritage Awareness, Heritage Conservation, and Heritage Planning. Program funds are used for community initiatives that conserve and increase the understanding and appreciation of heritage resources. Heritage resources may include existing heritage buildings, structures, sites, cemeteries, districts, cultural landscapes, or intangible heritage such as language and customs. The Heritage Legacy Fund will also support Indigenous Partnership projects. Program funds will be used to support communities and heritage organisations in working towards reconciliation with Indigenous peoples through collaboration.

 

Scholarship Awards - Individual Arts Awards (BC Arts Council). Deadline May 2, 2022. The Scholarship program supports the development of B.C.’s rich diversity of future artists and arts and cultural practitioners. Awards of up to $6,000 per year are available to B.C. residents to attend full-time post-secondary arts training or to pursue high school half-day dance programs.

 

Arts Micro-Grant Program. FPCC. Deadline May 6, 2022. The Arts Vitality Micro-Grant supports Indigenous artists, Knowledge Holders and Indigenous arts organizations in B.C. who are recovering from the adverse economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate emergencies (wildfires, floods, heat waves etc.) and changes to the arts and culture sector. Eligible applicants will have completed basic training in their field and demonstrated a commitment to their artistic practice in any discipline including cultural, ceremonial, visual, performance, literary and others. Grant amounts are from $3,000 to $5,000.

 

Arts-Based Community Development & Leon and Thea Koerner Award. (BC Arts Council). Deadline May 17, 2022. This program supports community organizations to engage professional artists in the development and delivery of projects providing arts-based community development impacts and benefits to a specified community. Through collaborative, community-based, arts-centred activities, these projects provide a tangible and active understanding of arts and culture as a path to health, well-being, human dignity, and social transformation. There is no maximum request amount, but A-BCD grants typically range from $15,000 to $30,000. Requests for larger grants will need to articulate a clear rationale for why the project requires a higher amount. Up to four LTK Awards at a minimum of $25,000 each will be given in a single year.

 

Interactive Fund. (Creative BC). Deadline May 26, 2022. A partnership between Creative BC and the BC Arts Council, The Interactive Fund supports the creation of high quality, original interactive digital media projects that support diversity in artistic expression, demonstrate clear connections between art and technology, and provide opportunities for access, dissemination, and engagement with audiences and within the BC arts and culture sector.

 

Reclaiming My Language Program (FPCC). Deadline May 31, 2022. Reclaiming My Language is a course to assist silent speakers to reclaim their language and begin speaking again. Silent speakers are people who have a good understanding of their language but do not speak it. There are many kinds of silent speakers, including people who spoke their language before attending residential school or people who grew up hearing their language and understand it, but do not speak it. FPCC provides training for program facilitators and ongoing support as well as course materials, videos, workbooks and up to $25,000.

 

Museums and Indigenous Cultural Centres - Project Assistance. (BC Arts Council). Deadline May 31, 2022. This program supports the development and creation of artistic or cultural history programming; including exhibitions, dissemination projects, artists’ residencies, exploration of new museological and curatorial practices, community engagement projects and collections management projects. There is no maximum request amount but grants typically range from $3,000 to $15,000. Requests for larger grants will need to articulate a clear rationale for why the project requires a higher amount.

 

Local Food Infrastructure Fund. (Government of Canada). Intake period from June 1 to July 15, 2022. The Local Food Infrastructure Fund (LFIF) is a 5-year, $60 million initiative aimed at supporting community-based and not-for-profit organizations in their efforts to create long-term solutions to address food security challenges. This new phase of the LFIF has been tailored to meet the needs of Indigenous, Northern and remote communities by providing funding to help them build a food system that will meet both current and future community needs. For example, a project could help expand a community harvest program to include traditional methods for transforming food and distribution. Eligible projects must be infrastructure-specific, community-driven and dedicated to improving access to healthy, nutritious, and local foods for Canadians at risk of food insecurity. Grant funding for projects can range from $100,000 to $500,000 to support larger initiatives that will have a lasting impact in communities.

 

Indigenous Screen Office

  • Sector Development Partnerships Grants – Accepting applications year round

  • Enhancements Grants for Feature Film Grants & Television Series – Applications accepted year round

 

Legacy Fund - Building Communities through Arts and Heritage. Applications accepted on continuous basis. This Department of Canadian Heritage Program provides funding for community-initiated capital projects, intended for community use. Recipients may receive up to 50 per cent of eligible project expenses up to a maximum of $500,000. Funding supports community-initiated capital projects that: commemorate a significant local historical event or pay tribute to a significant local historical personality; mark a 100th anniversary or greater, in increments of 25 years (e.g., 125th, 150th); involve the restoration, renovation, or transformation of existing buildings or exterior spaces with local community significance that are intended for community use; encourage arts and heritage activities in the local community that are intended for and accessible to the general public.

 

B.C. Employer Training Grant Program. Applications are prioritized. The B.C. Employer Training Grant program (ETG) supports skills training to address provincial labour market needs. The program is delivered by the Province of British Columbia and is funded by the Government of Canada through the Workforce Development Agreement (WDA). The goal of the ETG is to help British Columbians access the skills training needed to adapt to the changing requirements of jobs and the labour market while encouraging employer involvement in the training of their employees. Due to high demand for limited funds, applications are prioritized and are not assessed solely on a first come, first served basis. Priority is given to first-time applicants, small businesses, applicants from disadvantaged regions and applicants from industries facing the greatest challenges acquiring skilled workers. There are 6 streams: Covid 19 Impacted Worker Training, Workforce Training, Technical Training, Foundational Training, Employment Transition Training and Persons with Disabilities Training. (It looks this program might support the needs of communities to train individuals to support language and cultural heritage revitalization work.)

 

Indigenous Peoples Resilience Fund. Ongoing. The Indigenous Peoples Resilience Fund (IPRF) is an Indigenous-led effort to respond to urgent community needs while taking a long-term view on building community resilience. Any Indigenous-led organization or Indigenous-serving organization working to foster resilience in Inuit, Métis and First Nations communities anywhere in Canada can apply for resiliency funds ranging from $5,000 to $30,000.

 

BC Arts Council Grant Programs. The BC Arts Council has MANY programs with intakes throughout the year. Please visit their website for more information: https://www.bcartscouncil.ca/program

 

Canada Cultural Spaces Fund. No deadline – ongoing. The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund (CCSF) supports the improvement of physical conditions for arts, heritage, culture and creative innovation. The Fund supports renovation and construction projects, the acquisition of specialized equipment and feasibility studies related to cultural spaces. The CCSF annual grants and contributions budget is $54 million for the period 2018-2028.

 

National Creation Fund. No Deadline. The National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund invests up to $3 million a year in the development of 15 to 20 compelling and ambitious new Canadian works in theatre, dance, music and inter-disciplinary performing arts. Fuelled entirely by donors, the Fund provides Canadian artists with the additional time, space and resources they need to create great work. The Fund invests in both new work, and in promising productions that need additional development after their initial run to produce stronger, more polished work that will be remounted and toured across Canada and around the world.

 

Movable Cultural Property Grants. (Government of Canada). No Deadline. Movable Cultural Property Grants help designated organizations acquire cultural property of outstanding significance and national importance to Canada, as outlined in the Cultural Property Export and Import Act. Designated organizations are located in Canada and demonstrate the ability to ensure the long-term preservation of cultural property. Grants can be used to purchase cultural property: for which an export permit has been denied; or that is important to Canada’s national heritage and available for purchase outside the country.

 

Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities. (Government of Canada). No Deadline to Apply. The Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative will provide $103.8 million over 5 years to assist First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities and partners, both on and off-reserve, to implement Indigenous-designed projects to improve community safety and well-being. This initiative will support projects which: recognize the importance of traditional knowledge and practices to contributing to greater community safety and well-being, recognize holistic models of community safety and well-being, address existing and emerging needs relating to the safety and well-being of Indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

 

 

Events

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jobs

 

Employment Opportunities at the First Peoples’ Cultural Council

  • Communications Officer and Marketing and Communications Officer. Deadline May 3, 2022.

  • Office Manager. Deadline May 6, 2022.

  • FirstVoices Full-Stack Developer. Open until filled.

  • Request for Proposals – Indigenous Cultural Heritage Vitality Research Project. Deadline May 6, 2022.

 

Gitxaala Nation employment opportunities:

  • Museum Archivist. Deadline May 1, 2022.

 

 

Announcements

 

New Review on Heritage Legislation: A Selected Review of Federal and Provincial Legislation Implicating Indigenous Heritage in British Columbia. April 12, 2022. Are you involved in Indigenous cultural heritage projects and are looking for more information about the laws that apply to Indigenous heritage in B.C.? A Selected Review of Federal and Provincial Legislation Implicating Indigenous Cultural Heritage in British Columbia is a new resource with information about federal and provincial laws in Canada, as well international laws or policies, that impact Indigenous heritage in B.C.

 

Historic Action Plan Guides UNDRIP Implementation in BC. March 30, 2022. The Province is releasing the Declaration Act Action Plan, developed in consultation and co-operation with Indigenous Peoples, outlining 89 specific actions every ministry in government will take to create a better province for Indigenous Peoples in B.C.

 

Métis Nation BC Receives Grant for #MÉTISINBC Exhibition. April 12, 2022. Métis Nation British Columbia is excited to announce it has been awarded a grant to develop a #MétisinBC Exhibition. This will be one of the first exhibitions developed and shared as part of the Amelia Douglas Institute for Métis Culture and Language. We gratefully acknowledge Heritage BC and the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the 150 Time Immemorial Grant Program.

 

BC Museums Association is conducting a survey: Building Relationships with Indigenous Communities. Despite years of educational and training opportunities, settler-led heritage institutions often struggle with Indigenous relationship building. This survey seeks to uncover related barriers experienced within these institutions. Your candid and honest perspective will remain anonymous. This survey has been created in collaboration between the BCMA and the archives department at the Musqueam First Nation. Submit your answers by May 31, 2022. Questions can be directed to Leia Patterson at engagement@museum.bc.ca

 

Wordle for FirstVoices Language Sites is Now an Option for BC First Nations Languages. March 31, 2022. Word games are a great way to practice using your language and we are excited to share that Wordle for FirstVoices is now available for B.C. First Nations communities to add to their existing FirstVoices.com language sites. Playing the popular word guessing game in your language is a fun new way to add language to your daily life and activate your vocabulary. So far seven First Nations communities in B.C. have added Wordle to their language sites.

 

Language in the Home – IDIL 2022 – 2023. March 22, 2022.  As we mark the beginning of the United Nations International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022–2032, we will be sharing stories from those learning, teaching and documenting their First Nations languages across B.C., like this story that demonstrates the importance of language in the home. FPCC programs support language learners at all stages of their language fluency, from beginning through to becoming a fluent language teacher. Cheyenne Gwaamuuk is from Gitwangak and is a Gitsenimx Sim Algyax speaker using language in the home to support her daughter, Skiltuu, to be a future speaker and to increase language opportunities for others in her community. 

 

 

Opportunities

 

ARC Scholarships. Deadline May 15, 2022. This multi-stage program will advance the business, creative, and technical skills of recording artists to help them build sustainable careers in the music industry—both at home and away. Led by a faculty of music industry professionals, participants will benefit from decades of experience and success within the music business. ARC is a program designed to aid in the development of new and emerging artists (as opposed to artists with no track record or established artists with a significant track record). ARC Artists should have some track record in BC but have yet to break out and achieve significant success in the music industry domestically or internationally.

 

Nsyilxcen Language Fluency Certificate Diploma Program. Deadline to Apply May 31, 2022.  The Nsyilxcen language fluency certificate/diploma programs are currently delivered virtually (online). This Enowkin Centre program is accredited through affiliation with the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT).

 

Miki Mackenzie Educational Craft Bursary (Craft Council of BC). Deadline June 1, 2022. The family is honoured to be able to provide this award in Micki’s name in order to assist individuals in their pursuit of a career in the field of craft and to help promote the development of excellence in crafts in British Columbia. This will be a bursary to support an emerging artist to attend a recognized institution that offers material-based courses. The tuition will be paid directly to the institution and the remainder of the funds will be issued to the artist to be used for supplies. The award is for $4,000.

 

Geoff McMurchy Artist Development Grant. Deadline June 30, 2022. The grant is given annually to an Artist that identifies as living with a disability, residing in British Columbia, working in any media to support them directly with their artistic practice. ELIGIBILITY: Must be a resident of British Columbia; Must be a practicing artist in any discipline; Must identify as: mad, D/deaf, disabled, crip, chronically ill, sick, etc (self-identification welcome). The 2022 Grant Recipient will receive $3,000 cash award for artistic related costs and $250 Gift Card to OPUS Art Supply.

 

Join the FPCC Indigenous Language Translation Registry! Are you a speaker of a B.C. First Nations language? Are you interested in making connections and sharing your language? If so, we invite you to join our Indigenous Language Translation Registry! FPCC is committed to the revitalization of Indigenous languages in B.C. and through the Indigenous Language Translation Registry, we hope to connect speakers from different communities with companies and organizations seeking language translations. The registry uses a simple online form to record the speaker's name, contact information, language that can be translated and community. Joining the registry is free and personal information remains private and confidential. The registry will accept translators on an ongoing basis with no deadline to ensure a growing resource for meaningful connections. Add your name to the registry. Speakers of First Nations languages in B.C. are invited to add their names to the list. Simply click this link https://forms.gle/2RgFM9DomXbbRym56 to complete a short online form. Participation in the registry is free, voluntary and your personal information is kept confidential until the relevant request is made. We are here to provide support. If you have any questions or need any assistance, please contact info@fpcc.ca.

 

 

International Decade of Indigenous Languages

 

The Global Task Force for Making a Decade of Action for Indigenous Languages was officially launched by UNESCO with participation of Member States, indigenous peoples’ organizations, three-party United Nations mechanisms, the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

 

 

Resources

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Guidelines to Support Working with Elders. FPCC. May 18, 2021. With guidance from Dr. Lorna Wanosts’a7 Williams, FPCC has developed a free resource Working with Elders to support anyone who is interested in engaging with Elders. The guide also includes suggestions about ways to engage with Elders and Knowledge Keepers, even when we are unable to gather during COVID-19 restrictions.

 

  • Virtual & at Home Language Revitalization Program Ideas. A new resource from FPCC. During this time, the health and safety of all FPCC program participants, especially our Elders, is important to us. FPCC understands that programs need to be adjusted during this pandemic and we developed this resource to help you modify your program and keep your community safe. This guide provides program ideas and practices to safely continue language revitalization work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual & at Home Language Revitalization Program Ideas includes:

  • Ways to connect with Elders and the community through technology.

  • How to take an inventory of existing audio and video archives.

  • Ways to digitize audio, video, and print materials in your language.

  • How to create new materials to support language learners, such as exercises, lessons and games.

  • Ways to stay connected with your community through social media.

  • How to start a new language revitalization project in your community.

 

  • Indigitization Program Videos: You can now watch our Indigitization Futures Forum videos broken down by speaker - so now you only need about fifteen minutes to learn more about digitization and language preservation.

 

 

Federal Indigenous Languages Act

 

The Department of Canadian Heritage held the Indigenous Languages Symposium from January 25 to 29, 2021. The theme was  Building on Strengths and Successes. The Symposium provided an opportunity for the federal government and Indigenous peoples, as well as other stakeholders, to share best practices and discuss their perspectives. https://www.canada.ca/en/services/culture/canadian-identity-society/languages/indigenous.html

 

 

Media
bottom of page