Dance

A Message from AFA Chair Cynthia Moore

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) Board of Directors is pleased to have approved its 2025-26 annual budget based on the increased provincial allocation of $34.6 million. I am pleased to share highlights of our plan with Alberta’s arts community. We are grateful for the government’s continued commitment to increase funding for the arts and its second consecutive increase of $4.5 million to the AFA in Budget 2025. 

This year, the AFA will focus on increasing support for arts organizations. Total spending allocated to operational and project grants for organizations will increase by 10 per cent. At the same time, I am pleased to share that increased support for individual artists announced last year will be maintained. The AFA will be sharing information with operational clients about how their funding may be impacted through its regular grant notifications.  

The AFA will begin rolling out new and updated grant programs this year based on the findings of our program review begun in 2022. This year AFA is beginning the process of modernizing its grant programs to provide more targeted and appropriate funding support to arts organizations and individual artists. While the grant review is unrelated to the AFA’s 2025-26 budget, increased funding from Alberta’s government has well-positioned the AFA to effectively update its programs to reflect today’s provincial arts sector.

We will continue to make the AFA Art Collection more accessible to more Albertans, including through additional support for the Travelling Exhibition (TREX) program. TREX providers will be curating additional AFA artworks into more exhibitions, expand their outreach and increase opportunities for new communities to book exhibitions.

I want to express our appreciation for the government’s continued commitment to increase funding for the arts with the second consecutive increase of our budget. Our commitment is to prioritize and invest in artists, art and cultural materials. This work is in line with the AFA’s 2024-2027 Strategic Plan, which is available to read in both English and French on our website. 

We look forward to continuing to support and contribute to the growth of Alberta’s arts sector.

Cynthia P. Moore, Chair
Contact the Chair at afacontact@gov.ab.ca  
 

Application intake for the Alberta Artist in Residence/Arts Ambassador grant is now open. The deadline to apply is June 16. The maximum eligible amount you can apply for is $50,000. This opportunity is open to individual artists from all disciplines.

Program guidelines and application materials can be downloaded from the Artist in Residence website at www.alberta.ca/alberta-artist-residence-apply.

This program seeks to inspire innovation in the arts and to promote a wider understanding and appreciation of the arts and artists in Alberta.

Artists are encouraged to apply for this grant to become Alberta’s Artist in Residence / Arts Ambassador for a one-year term.

Through this grant, the successful artist will:

• work with communities across Alberta as an Arts Ambassador to promote the importance of Alberta artists and the arts
• communicate and share personal perspectives on the artistic process, the role of artists, and the contributions that artists make to Alberta
• act as an advocate for greater understanding of the realities of artists and the communities in which they work
• complete an art project that promotes the value of the arts in Alberta

En ce dernier jour du Mois de la francophonie albertaine, l'AFA est heureuse de partager la version française de son plan stratégique triennal. Instauré en 2018, le Mois de la francophonie nous donne l'occasion de souligner le dynamisme et l'énergie de la francophonie en l'Alberta. 

Le plan affirme l'engagement de la Fondation envers la communauté artistique diversifiée de l'Alberta, y compris les artistes francophones et francophiles de la province. Le français est la langue maternelle d'un Canadien et d’une Canadienne sur cinq et d'environ 88 000 Albertaines et Albertains, et l'AFA est heureuse de rendre son plan stratégique accessible à ces communautés dans leur langue. 

Pour découvrir comment nous soutenons les arts, visitez : affta.ab.ca/about-afa/mission-and-mandate

English

On this last day of the annual Mois de la francophonie albertaine (Alberta Francophonie Month), the AFA is pleased to share its three-year Strategic Plan en français. Established in 2018, the month of March provides an opportunity to highlight the vibrancy and energy the Francophonie brings to Alberta. 

The plan affirms the foundation’s commitment to Alberta's diverse arts community, including French-speaking and Francophone artists across the province. French is the mother tongue of 1 in 5 Canadians and approximately 88,000 Albertans, and the AFA is pleased to make its Strategic Plan accessible to these communities in their language. 

 See how we are supporting the arts: affta.ab.ca/about-afa/mission-and-mandate