Osprey Community Foundation

Osprey Grant

BC Festival of the Arts Legacy Fund Grants

The 2023 BC Festival of the Arts Legacy Fund Grants is now closed. Check back in Winter 2024 for spring opening dates

In 2023 the Arts Legacy Fund grants goes to a Theatre Arts project. There is approximately $2600 available to award. This amount may be divided into more than one grant, or increased using additional Community Fund granting dollars.

BACKGROUND
In the 1990s, Nelson hosted the BC Festival of the Arts, a showcase and workshop for young and emerging artists from across British Columbia. In receiving the privilege of hosting this event together with the accompanying financial assistance from the provincial government, the local host organizing committee agreed that any profit generated by the festival would be turned over to the City of Nelson as a legacy to be used for a purpose consistent with the festival objectives. On the recommendation of the committee, the City of Nelson subsequently agreed to endow the BC Festival of the Arts Legacy proceeds with the Osprey Community Foundation for the purposes of providing an annual grant for local artists, preferably involving young or emerging artists, to create or perform a work of art. Osprey has supplemented the original endowment with matching funds from the Vancouver Foundation and the Columbia Basin Trust.

As a way to ensure this Arts Legacy funding benefits all artists, the granting focus changes each year, rotating among the following disciplines:

• 2021 Music
• 2022 Dance
• 2023 Theatre Arts
• 2024 Literary Arts
• 2025 Visual Arts
• 2026 Media Arts

HOW INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS CAN APPLY FOR ARTS LEGACY FUND GRANTS
As a registered charitable foundation, the Osprey Community Foundation is restricted by law to making grants to “qualified donees” as defined under the federal Income Tax Act. This limitation means that individual artists are NOT eligible to receive grants from The Osprey Community Foundation in their own name. The application must come from a qualified donee.

However, Osprey recognizes that the intent of the Arts Legacy Fund is to enable local artists to create works of art for the benefit of Nelson and area residents and that it is natural to expect that individual artists or groups of artists will be the most likely source of ideas for worthwhile projects.

Artists familiar with an arts organization or other suitable qualified donee that is already registered with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and has a CRA business number, could approach that organization for sponsorship of the project and submit a grant application to Osprey under the auspices of that organization. Feel free to call the Osprey Community Foundation if you would like more information on how to do that. Once the application is approved by Osprey, the sponsoring organization can then engage the artist(s) to implement the project either as employees or contractors of their organization. Please note that the sponsoring organization must accept full legal responsibility for the project.

ELECTION CRITERIA
In addition to the generic selection criteria listed in the Granting Guidelines applicable to all Osprey grants, applications for Arts Legacy Fund grants will also be assessed against the following arts-specific criteria. Please note that successful projects do not necessarily have to contain all these elements; however, the stronger they reflect these criteria, the greater their likelihood of success.

Applicants should ensure they include appropriate information in their application to enable the Osprey Community Foundation review panel to assess how their proposal meets these specific criteria.

1. Mentorship
   The project includes mentorship opportunities for young and emerging artists.
2. Artistic merit or excellence
   The artists who will carry out the project have demonstrated competence in their field, and in the opinion of the Osprey arts advisory panel, the work or activity to be carried out under the project has significant artistic merit that will enhance the arts reputation and/or capacity of the Nelson area.
3. Originality/Innovation
   The project includes an element of originality or introduces a new artistic experience to the Nelson area. In addition to the creation of a new artist work, originality/innovation would also include such elements as the premier performance of a work in the Nelson area or the introduction of a form of artistic expression new to the Nelson area.
4. Local interest, involvement and relevance
   The project has significant connection to the Nelson area through the individuals involved in implementing the project, those who will create the artistic work involved, and/or the nature or theme of the work itself. that individual artists or groups of artists will be the most likely source of ideas for worthwhile projects.

ONLINE
Applications are accepted on our online application system. First time visitors will need to register. Click here to preview the 2023 application.

MANUAL APPLICATIONS
While online grant applications are preferred and will ensure that all the information we require is received and processed accurately, Osprey still accepts manual applications. Contact us at admin@ospreycommunityfoundation.ca for an application.