Cultural Spaces Grant Program

Types of grants

The grants program includes the following facility operating and capital infrastructure, planning, and urgent life-safety grants.

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  Affordable space grants

  When to apply: spring

  Grants up to $50,000 for facility operating costs for local non-profit space operators who provide subsidized affordable space for Vancouver-based artists and/or cultural organizations.

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  Cultural Infrastructure Grants (CIG)

  When to apply: spring

  Matching grants up to $250,000 for capital building-based projects including:

  • Space planning and research
  • Acquisition (purchase), renovation, or expansion of an arts and cultural facility
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  Small grants for cultural spaces

  When to apply: spring or fall

  Grants up to $25,000 to provide improved capital building-based funding support for:

  • Equity-denied groups or areas of practice underrepresented in the CIG Program
  • Cultural space planning, research, improvements, accessibility upgrades, or mentorships between organizations or between organizations and professionals to support space planning, knowledge sharing, and capacity building 
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  Critical Assistance Grants

  When to apply: anytime

  Grants up to $25,000 to support urgent building life safety upgrades and other critical timely support for cultural spaces, including:

  • Unforeseen and urgent replacement, repairs and/or life-safety capital infrastructure projects
  • Hiring of code consultants for time-sensitive projects

   Emergency affordable spaces operational support may also be available depending on availability of funding for the year

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  Eligible applicants

  Your organization must be a registered Vancouver-based non-profit society, charitable organization, or non-profit cooperative with a publicly stated culture-first vision, mission, and/or mandate having an independent, active governing body composed of volunteers.

  We strongly encourage applications from local First Nations band councils and urban Indigenous non-profit organizations are also eligible to apply.

  Organizations we don't fund

  We don't fund organizations with a publicly stated primary purpose, vision, mission, or mandate to support:

  • Education
  • Health care
  • Recreation
  • Religion
  • Sports
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  Eligible projects

  Your organization may apply for a Cultural Spaces Grant for:

  • Affordable Spaces Grants (up to $50,000)
    • Facility operating costs for organizations that operate space for the express purpose of supporting independent artists and/or arts organizations
    • Open January 2022
    • Deadline: Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at 11:59pm
  • Capital Infrastructure Grants (up to $250,000)
    • Complete capital projects; buy, build, renovate, or expand a cultural facility
    • Open January 2022
    • Deadline: Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at 11:59pm
  • Small Grants (up to $25,000)
    • Funding support for equity-denied and/or under-represented groups for planning, research, accessibility upgrades, minor renovations, and/or peer-based mentorships that support space planning
    • Open January 2022
    • Deadline: Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at 11:59pm
  • Critical Assistance Grants (up to $25,000)
    • For urgent building life-safety upgrades and/or urgent replacement/repair
      • Applicants to the Critical Assistance Grant may complete an application at any time, regardless of deadline dates. Contact planners directly.

  What we don't fund

  Cultural Spaces funding cannot pay for:

  • Equipment that is presentation or exhibition-related, including, but not limited to:
    • Non-integral portable lighting/audio/visual systems/equipment
    • Tents
    • Heaters
    • Pottery wheels
    • Computer or communication systems
    • Furniture
    • Appliances
  • Regular or routine repair and maintenance, or part of ongoing, day-to-day operations, except for affordable spaces funding. Review more details in the guidelines in the resources section.
  • Any work that is already underway or completed prior to the application deadline. For affordable spaces grants, funding support will be considered for the applicant’s current fiscal year.
  • Strategic planning, capital campaigns, fundraising, or marketing activities
  • Operations or administration items such as: moving expenses, tools, non-space related training, computer software, food, and beverages (unless as part of community engagement for space planning project)
  • Projects not located in Vancouver
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  Cultural spaces resources

  • Cultural spaces grants program information guide and glossary of terms PDF file (527 KB)
  • Culture|Shift
  • Making Space for Arts and Culture
  • Available funding programs for cultural organizations PDF file (120 KB)
  • Sample financial statements PDF file (53 KB)
  • Final report template Excel file (31 KB)