September 2, 2025 Submissions
General Expert Panel comments
Comments made by the panel during its assessment of applications submitted to the September 2, 2025 deadline are outlined below. Please note that these comments provide a summary of the panel's assessment and do not necessarily relate to every individual application submitted to this deadline. The panel does not provide individual comments.
Project Description
- Please be sure that your description clearly outlines how you plan to do your project, because vague descriptions make it difficult for the panel to understand what your goals and intentions are.
- It is important to provide names, quotes and other information about the creative team you are working with where possible.
- The panel wished to extend their appreciation for all the work that applicants did, and to encourage them to continue pursuing their artform regardless of the granting decisions.
- An unsuccessful grant request did not necessarily mean your project was without artistic merit. Not all strong projects could be supported. The panel encourages applicants to reapply in the future, and to reach out to AFA consultants for feedback prior to next submission.
- The panel prioritized projects where a clear connection to Indigenous culture was made explicit. For example: sharing your personal connection to that community, how you are following Indigenous protocol, and including names of Knowledge Keepers and/or Elders that are being consulted.
- If the project itself was not cultural in nature, the panel appreciated when applicants described their own connection to Indigenous culture.
- Panelists appreciated projects that were accountable to Indigenous community and culture, with indications of permissions being given, where relevant, for the work and teachings to be created and shared with others.
Budgets
- Budgets should be sufficiently detailed to give the panel all the information they need to evaluate the potential of a project.
- Budgets demonstrating that expenses were researched did better than those without support materials. Example: Included quotes or invoices (where relevant), and/or budget notes stating which websites and other sources were used.
- When you have pending revenue in your budget (in addition to the AFA grant you are asking for), the application is strengthened if a contingency plan is provided. For example: If the only revenue received is the AFA grant, can you still do the project as proposed, or can you modify it to fit a smaller budget?
Support material
- Please provide enough images or work samples to provide a clear sense of your work. If images or work samples do not reflect the proposed project, provide a context.
- Panelists appreciated projects that were accountable to Indigenous community and culture, with indications of permissions given, where relevant, for the work and teachings to be created and shared with others.
- For images: Ideally have one image per page, where possible. By adding multiple images of design elements, your artwork may be more difficult to see clearly.
- Please reach out to the AFA staff in advance of a deadline if you need help with preparing or providing support material items (images, video, etc.).