Artist Manager Program Funding

The AFA celebrates and supports diversity and is committed to creating equitable, inclusive, and accessible programs for all, free of barriers and discrimination. We recognize the unique contributions all artists make towards our community, and encourage applicants representing diverse communities, including Indigenous peoples, racialized communities, women, people with disabilities, and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

To be eligible for individual project funding, you must be a resident of Alberta. This means you:

• are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or Protected Person with an open work or study permit from inside Canada
• have had your primary residence in Alberta for at least one full year before applying
• ordinarily live in Alberta for a least six months of each year with the exception of attending a formal program of study

You must be in good standing with the AFA with no open or outstanding projects or reporting requirements to apply. Previous grant recipients must ensure all final reporting has been approved by the AFA before new applications are accepted. 

Applicants must not be incorporated under either provincial or federal legislation.

Applicants cannot apply and/or receive funding for multiple projects at the same time, whether as an individual or a member of an ensemble, collective, or collaboration. Applicants can only receive this grant once during their career.

Through this opportunity, you may apply for project funding to support professional development at Canada Music Incubator’s (CMI) Artist Management program.

Please note, AFA funding is not assured for any project.

Eligible expenses

You can receive up to $5,000, to cover expenses related to Canada's Music Incubator (CMI)’s Artist Manager Program. You may apply for up to 100% of eligible expenses that are directly related to carrying out your professional development.

These expenses may include, but are not limited to:

• registration costs
• round-trip transportation to/from Alberta and Toronto, ON
• local transportation and accommodation
• food, sundries and per diems
• other expenses and supplies considered by the AFA to be reasonable and necessary

Ineligible projects

This funding does not include expenses for capital purchases, such as computers/laptops, computer software, etc. In addition, this funding does not support self-directed artist management professional development. 

We only accept applications through Grant Administration Tracking and Evaluation (GATE) Front Office online application system. We must receive your online application through GATE Front Office no later than 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time on the deadline date, unless the deadline falls on a statutory holiday or a weekend when it will be extended until the next working day. Please give the system time to process your application so that we receive notification of your submission before the deadline falls.

• applicants may submit only one application to the AFA each deadline across all disciplines
• the AFA does not accept incomplete applications
• applications must be received prior to the commencement of the project.

We do not accept separate applications for the same project.

GATE Front Office username registration

First-time applicants will require a GATE Front Office user name and password. Email us at registrationafa@gov.ab.ca to get your login information at least five business days prior to the application deadline.

Please include:

1. your legal name
2. the funding opportunity to which you are applying
3. your email address

Your user name and password will be sent to the email address provided.

What to include in your application

Applicants are required to contact CMI for program screening prior to applying for funding and must include a letter of acceptance with their application.

For detailed step-by-step instructions, please download the GATE user guide.

GATE Front Office online formlets

• Applicant Information: Legal name and confirmation of the applicant status (minor/Albertan)
• Contact Information of applicant
• Applicant Contact Information: Street and mailing address for the applicant
• General Information: Confirmation of the application category (training/career development) and applicant status (individual)
• Project Description: A brief project title (CMI Artist Manager Training) and project start and end dates 
• Principal Artists: List yourself as an Artist Manager 
• Individual Applicant Agreement: A declaration of agreement with the statement of conditions e-signed by the applicant 
• Project Expenses: A listing of project expenditures in Canadian dollars 
• Project Revenue: A listing of non-AFA revenues in Canadian dollars, if applicable

Attachments

The GATE Front Office attachment section indicates that not all attachments are required for submission. This is because they are only required for certain types of projects (e.g., marketing plan for a marketing project). It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all attachments noted in the guidelines are submitted with their application according to project type. 

Please submit the following mandatory attachments for all project types. Wherever possible, written support material should be uploaded in PDF format and limited to 4 MB in size: 

• Artist resume of no more than four pages 
• Detailed project description, including an outline of the objectives, planned activities, timelines, and expected results and impact on the applicant’s career development.
  • in keeping with oral traditions, Indigenous project descriptions are welcome as oral submissions no longer than 3 minutes in length
  • for more information on how to submit oral project descriptions, contact the Arts Development Consultant for this program, prior to the application deadline, at the contact information below
• Two music selections: upload a blank document into the respective application attachments in order to complete your application. 
• Proof of acceptance: include your acceptance letter or acceptance email from CMI

This funding is administered at the discretion of the AFA board on a project-by-project basis.

Staff convene an expert panel to consider all eligible grant applications submitted to each grant deadline. The expert panel assesses the merit of each application both on its own terms and in relation to all other applications received for a given deadline.

Assessment of a project is based on the following general criteria:

• the impact of the project on both the applicant and the provincial music sector in Alberta
• how the project enhances both the capacity of the applicant and the provincial music sector
• the appropriateness of the project budget
• the ability of the applicant to carry out the proposed project

Assessment also takes into account the applicant's:

• achievements to date
• personal objectives

All expert panel recommendations are reviewed by the AFA board and all decisions are final. Funding is not assured for any project.

Learn more about expert panels and how the AFA adjudicates funding requests for all programs.

Grant recommendations are made to the AFA board of directors. Successful recipients will be notified upon board approval, generally between four to six months from the application deadline.

The expert panel does not record specific comments about individual applications.

Funding is intended for the purposes described in your application. By accepting funding, you agree to undertake the project as proposed in your original project description.

If you do not receive the full grant amount requested, you are still required to complete the project as proposed if you accept the grant:

• you must return the grant funds if the project cannot be completed as proposed

If you require a change to your project including outcomes, location or an extension to your final report due date:

• you must submit a request in writing for approval by the AFA
• the request must be submitted prior to the change being made and/or before your final report is due
• the AFA may consider a single extension per funding opportunity

Funding recipients are responsible for informing the AFA of how funds were spent and outcomes of the project:

• you must return funds if reporting requirements are not met
• you must return unused portions of funding to the AFA

Any funding recipient who does not provide a report prior to the date noted in the successful notification document, or does not fulfill any conditions associated with a grant or whose report is not approved will be made delinquent and ineligible for further funding from the AFA for a period of three years from the time the delinquency is resolved.

New applications will not be accepted until your previous project is completed and the final report is received and approved by the AFA.

Previous funding recipients must have met reporting requirements in order to be eligible to receive subsequent funding from the AFA.

The AFA, or our authorized representative, may examine a funding recipient's financial and other records to ensure that the funding is being, or was, used for its intended purpose. 

We require a complete and satisfactory final report submitted to GATE Front Office that demonstrates that funding was spend on the activities described in the application.

Funding acknowledgement

Whenever possible, you must acknowledge the AFA for financial support in any publicity prepared in relation to the project, including electronic, print, or visual material.

Download versions of the AFA logo and guidelines for usage.

In your final report, you must complete the following GATE Front Office formlets:

• Individual Project Evaluation with a completed project outcomes questionnaire
• Project Expenses with a complete and accurate financial accounting for the final project on the original budget submission 
• a travel itinerary or confirmation of attendance

Visit the Help and Resources section of our website to:

• download the new Front Office User Guide
• read application tips for individual artists that will help you write a stronger grant application