Transformation
The AFA is transforming its grant programs to provide more targeted and appropriate funding support to arts organizations and individual artists following a comprehensive review of the AFA’s programs that began in 2022.
We anticipate completing the rollout of all new and updated grants in 2028. The AFA is taking an incremental approach to ensure all grant applicants, recipients, and clients are aware and understand any applicable changes throughout the transition.
This page provides a general overview of this project. If you have specific questions about your grant, please reach out to your grant consultant (contact info found at the bottom of your grant guidelines).
What is happening?
The AFA is currently restructuring its operating programs to improve our delivery of grants and provide greater impact for the arts sector and Alberta as a whole. This restructuring includes both updates to current programs and introducing new programs. Changes are also intended to provide more options to support organizations’ future planning.
In 2025, the AFA launched the Volunteer Based Arts Organizations operating grant. This grant provides annual funding to arts-based organizations that foster community connections and primarily run on volunteers to carry out their missions and mandates. More than 200 funding clients were transitioned to this program.
In 2026, the AFA launched the Community Focused Arts Organizations operating grant. This grant provides annual funding to arts-based organizations that foster artistic engagement and community participation through regular and recurring programming.
- the deadline for this operating grant was in May
The AFA has also reviewed and will be updating its project grant streams for organizations and individuals. While we do not currently anticipate fundamental changes to these programs, we continue to look at ways to update and improve them.
- Some changes have already been implemented: the increased maximum eligible amount for individuals from $15,000 to $18,000 in 2024 was informed by and recommended by the AFA’s grant program review.
How were these changes decided upon?
In 2022, the AFA began a long-term project to modernize its grant programs. This project was informed by external specialists, good practices in other jurisdictions, and extensive stakeholder engagement over a three-year period.
The AFA contracted KPMG through a competitive procurement process to support this project and provide expertise and recommendations. After this contract was completed, the AFA began implementing program improvements.
Impacts on existing clients
The AFA is focused on stable and sustainable support for our clients as we work to improve our suite of grant programs.
Changes to operating programs may affect eligibility criteria for some operating clients receiving funding in current programs. These changes will ensure the AFA provides comparable annual funding to organizations of similar size and capacity.
Organizations that have been impacted by changes to AFA grants have been notified directly. Future changes that affect additional organizations will be shared in advance through direct communication. These notifications will happen before updates to existing programs are announced to the wider community.
The AFA will continue to provide supports and information to our grant clients throughout this project and update this page as new information and updates to programs become available.
Future changes
For the most current updates on AFA’s changing grant programs, please continue to visit this webpage.
