Earning money as a musician can be tough, and there are more challenges now than ever. To get a music project off the ground, you’ll need to be creative in looking for ways to fund your music.
If you’re a Canadian musician, one way to find funding is through the extensive network of grant programs that provide financial assistance for music projects.
What are music grants?
Music grants in Canada are funds usually awarded by municipal, provincial, or Federal governments. They’re given out as a way to help musicians compose music, record new music, go out on tour, and even for marketing and promotional support.
Many grants are aimed at emerging artists. But there are also programs that exist to further support the careers of established bands, as well as to help record labels develop their roster of artists.
As you can imagine, the application process for getting a music grant in Canada can be rigorous, and very competitive. Be sure to plan ahead and give yourself lots of time to go through the application and prepare any required materials.
While you might not receive the first grant that you apply for, the application process itself can be helpful in planning and focusing the goals for your career. Some organizations will also provide feedback on why your application wasn’t successful, and that can help you for the next time.
Below is a comprehensive list of music grants offered in Canada, starting with Federal grant programs. We hope this helps you find some additional funding for your next project!
National Canadian music grants
Canada Council for the Arts
Explore and Create: This grant is open to all artistic disciplines, including music. It supports the research, development, creation, and production of work.
Arts Across Canada: This grant is designed to support artistic relationships across Canada. One of the goals of the grant is to help artists showcase their work through touring.
Arts Abroad: The Arts Abroad grant is designed to help bring Canadian arts and culture to an international audience. It gives funding and opportunities for artists to travel and share their work with the world.
Canada Music Fund
New Musical Works: Awards funding and opportunities for Canadian musicians to produce and promote sound recordings.
Music Entrepreneur: This grant provides financial assistance to Canadian publishing firms, sound recording companies, and music industry national service organizations.
FACTOR
Artist Development: This grant offers a small subsidy for artist development to help with recording, touring and showcasing, video production, and marketing.
Comprehensive Artist: This grant supports Canadian musicians looking to create a full-length album. Awarded funds can be used for marketing, recording, and touring.
Comprehensive Music Company: This funding program helps record labels and other music companies record, produce, and market full-length records for artists.
Juried Song Recording: With special funding awarded by a music industry panel of judges, this grant is also designed to help musicians record and promote full length albums.
Live Performance: A grant designed to support artists with touring and showcasing their music in Canada and internationally.
Marketing and Promotion for Non-FACTOR-Funded Sound Recordings: This grant provides funding to market and promote commercially recorded music that has not been previously supported by FACTOR.
Support for Eligible Music Companies: Provides funding for music industry companies for travel, promotion, and marketing.
Video: A grant helping Canadian musicians to create music videos.
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Radio Starmaker Fund
This private fund supports the marketing and touring initiatives for Canadian artists both within Canada and abroad. It’s designed to help more established artists that have a proven sales track record.
SOCAN Foundation
Travel Assistance Program: This grant is designed to help musicians and music industry professionals tour, showcase work, attend award ceremonies, and conduct other music-related travel business.
Professional Development Assistance Program: A grant to help with music career development that provides funding for conferences, seminars, workshops, and courses.
Work Commissioning Assistance Grant: This grant helps Canadian musicians create new musical works.
*All grants through SOCAN are only offered to their members
Provincial Canadian music grants
Alberta music grants
Cultural Relations Individual Project Funding: A grant that financially supports artists who are invited to represent Alberta or Canada.
Music Individual Project Funding: A grant that provides funding for specific music projects.
Queen's Golden Jubilee Scholarship for Performing Arts: Funding awarded to a young Albertan performing artist.
Travel Grant for Individuals and Ensembles: A grant offering funding for groups and ensembles who perform original work outside of Alberta.
British Columbia music grants
Project Assistance - Touring Initiatives: Grant funding for artists based in British Columbia to support touring outside the province.
Professional Development Project Assistance: This grant funds artists based in British Columbia who engage in special training and education to further their careers.
Professional Project Assistance - Performing Arts: A grant supporting initiatives for the development, creation, production and/or live performance of classical, experimental, original, traditional, and contemporary music.
Artist Travel Grants: Funding for musicians based in British Columbia who travel to showcase or perform their original music.
Let’s Hear It Live Micro Grants: Grant funding awarded to BC-based artists who present unique live music experiences throughout British Columbia.
Showcasing Series: Domestic and international performance opportunities and funding awarded to musicians based in British Columbia.
Manitoba music grants
Music Recording Production Fund: Grant money designed to support commercially and culturally relevant music made in the Manitoban music recording industry.
Music Recording Production Fund For Out-Of-Province Artists: A grant designed to encourage those not from Manitoba to travel there for music industry purposes.
Record Product Marketing Fund: Funds designed to market and promote a completed music recording project.
Recording Artist Touring Support Program: This grant helps Manitoban artists with performing outside of their hometown, both across Canada and internationally.
Music and Viral Video Fund: A grant designed to help Manitoban artists create engaging and viral video content.
Create: Grant to help emerging and established artists create new work or develop works in progress.
Share: Grant funding geared towards helping Manitoban artists with touring.
New Brunswick music grants
Emerging Artist: Funding designed to help emerging artists from New Brunswick further their careers.
Live Performance: A grant that funds NB-based artists who tour domestically and internationally.
Marketing & Promotion: Grant funding to help NB-based artists and music industry professionals promote their projects.
Professional Development & Business Travel: Money to help artists and music industry professionals based in New Brunswick attend conferences, showcases, and other music industry events.
Showcase: Provides funding for showcase opportunities for NB-based artists.
Sound Recording: Grant money designated for recording projects based in New Brunswick.
Career Development: Funding and opportunities aimed at developing artistic talent in New Brunswick.
Creation: Grant funding awarded to NB-based artists to conduct work or research on an original creative project.
Arts Infrastructure Grants for Emerging Artists: Funding aimed at helping NB creatives purchase equipment for their creative work.
Newfoundland and Labrador music grants
Professional Project Grants Program: Grant funding available to help artists and creative groups work, travel, collaborate, and perform.
Professional Artists' Travel Fund: This grant funds the travel of artists to perform and showcase their work.
Professional Development: Grant funding designed to help musicians develop their careers and perform outside of the province.
Artist Development: This grant helps to fund everything from demos to full-length albums, as well as marketing and promotion materials.
Market Access: A grant designed to help NL artists tour nationally and internationally.
Nova Scotia music grants
Artist Development: Grant to help NS-based artists tour, record, market, and showcase their work for one year.
Ontario music grants
Music Creation Projects: Money to assist Ontario-based artists at all career stages, working in all music genres/styles, to create original musical works.
Music Production and Presentation Projects: This grant funds Ontario-based artists, groups, and collectives who present original music.
OMF - Music Futures: Funds aimed at developing and supporting musicians in Ontario.
Music Annual Operating: A grant that supports musicians and organizations that contribute to Toronto’s culture.
Music Multi-Year Operating: A grant with funding that spans multiple years that supports musicians and organizations that contribute to Toronto’s culture.
Music Creation and Audio Recording: A grant providing financial assistance to artists for the writing and production of original music.
An overarching grant aimed at developing artists who live and work in the Waterloo region.
Prince Edward Island music grants
Golden Ticket Program: A grant designed to help develop musicians and groups living and working in Prince Edward Island.
Taking Care of Business Program: A grant program aimed at helping PEI musicians with the business aspects of their careers.
Quebec music grants
Touring: Provides support to Quebec-based artists who showcase their work through touring.
Prizes: Offers support and recognition designed to celebrate outstanding artists from Quebec.
Initiatives For Emerging Artists: Funding support to help develop new Quebec-based talent.
Studio Rental: Subsidized community-based studio rentals for artists.
Commissioned works and residencies: Funding designed to help artists create, release, and showcase their work.
Professional Development: A grant aimed at helping to further develop artistic professional careers through training, seminars, and conferences.
Travel: This grant helps fund artists who tour to showcase their work.
Musicaction (Francophone artists only)
Production d’un album: Provides financial assistance to create an album.
Production et promotion de titres: A grant providing funding for artists to record and promote up to four tracks.
Soutien à l'émergence: This program helps emerging musicians to develop their career in the music industry.
Commercialisation nationale: Grant funding aimed at helping musicians from Quebec market their work across Canada.
Commercialisation internationale: This grant helps Quebec-based artists market their music internationally.
Saskatchewan music grants
Sound Recording Grant: Funding for sound recordings by Saskatchewan-based artists, including demos, singles, EPs, and full-length albums.
Tour Support Grant: Aimed at helping artists and bands ready to perform for new audiences nationally and internationally.
Market Travel Grant: Funding to help musicians with travel costs associated with showcase and festival opportunities.
Micro Grants: Small grants aimed at helping artists with emergent needs.
Independent Artists Program: Grant funding available to help artists pursue their creative work.
Yukon music grants
Yukon Sound Recording Program: A program aimed at providing support and funding to Yukon-based musicians, recording studios, and music companies.
Touring Artist Fund: A grant that supports Yukon-based musicians with concert, festival, and showcase opportunities.
Touring: Grant money aimed at helping Yukon-based artists tour outside Yukon.
Record a professional demo: Grant money to help artists record a professional demo.
Record a full-length album: Grant money to help Yukon-based artists record full-length albums.
Via: https://bandzoogle.com/blog/funding-for-musicians-music-grants-in-canada