Application deadline: November 25, 2026 at 11:59 PM PT
New applicant registration deadline: November 18, 2026
Applications opened October 14, 2026.
Applications must be submitted through the BC Arts Council Grant Management System.
New applicants must register and create a profile in the online system by November 18, 2026 to access the application.
Applicants are encouraged to review the full program guidelines and contact a Program Advisor before applying to confirm that both the applicant and proposed project are eligible.
The BC Arts Council Individual Arts Grants: Visual Artists program supports established visual artists, contemporary and traditional craft artists, and independent visual and media arts critics and curators with specific projects.
Funding can support:
- Research and creation of new visual artworks
- Creation or completion of a new work or body of work for exhibition
- Artist residencies focused on researching or creating new artwork
- Independent visual arts criticism
- Independent curatorial research or practice
- Curating exhibitions or other public visual or media arts programming
- Research related to visual arts creation or curation
Applicants can request up to $15,000, representing up to 100% of eligible project expenses.
Eligible costs can include:
- Subsistence costs of up to $750 per week
- Materials and supplies
- Equipment or space rental directly related to the project
- Professional and collaborator fees
- Fees for Elders and Knowledge Keepers
- Travel directly related to completing the project
- Eligible accessibility costs
Who Can Apply
Applicants must be established visual or craft artists, or independent critics or curators.
Applicants must:
- Be a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada
- Be a B.C. resident who has ordinarily lived in B.C. for at least 12 continuous months immediately before the application deadline
- Have final creative control over the proposed project
- Demonstrate appropriate and relevant training in their discipline
- Have completed at least two years of artistic practice following basic training
- Demonstrate a professional level of practice through eligible professional credits
Emerging and early-career practitioners with less than two years of professional practice are not eligible for this program and may instead be eligible for BC Arts Council’s Early Career Development program.
Important Note for Filmmakers and Media Artists
Filmmakers may be eligible only where their practice and proposed project fit the Visual Artists program criteria.
This program is not intended for standard film or television production.
Applicants who are eligible media artists and whose proposed projects are focused on media arts should apply through the BC Arts Council’s Individual Arts Grants: Media Artists program instead.
This Visual Artists program does not fund:
- Projects focused solely on single-channel moving images such as film, video, or animation when the applicant is eligible for the Media Artists program
- Commercial film and television projects
- Projects primarily intended for the commercial creative industries
- Amateur, pre-professional, or student projects
- Instructional, sponsored, or commissioned works
A visual artist whose broader artistic practice incorporates film, video, or animation may potentially be eligible where the proposed project meets the Visual Artists program requirements. Applicants should contact a BC Arts Council Program Advisor before applying if the distinction is unclear.
