National Creation Fund
The Fund is a catalyst for Canadian artists to take their projects to a new level. Our investments provide the additional time and resources that bold, ambitious projects need to be successful on the national and international stage.
Offered by National Arts Centre Corporation
Amount
Up to $2,000,000 a year in 9 to 11 projects; investments to date have ranged from $80,000 to $240,000 per project
Quick eligibility check
Who can apply
To be considered for an investment, your project must:
- be led by Canadian creators in theatre, dance, music and inter-disciplinary performing arts;
- have a strong artistic team and be artistically ambitious and compelling;
- have committed Canadian and/or international producing and presenting partners;
- have long-term national or international impact, including through touring; and
- have a significant amount of confirmed funding and a clear plan for how our investment would enhance your development process and elevate the project to a new level.
About the funding
We do not invest small amounts of money in a large number of projects; instead, we invest up to $2,000,000 a year in 9 to 11 projects.  To date, our investments have ranged from $80,000 to $240,000.
We aren’t the sole investor in a project: we provide support above and beyond funding from arts councils, producing partners, donors, and others. We are interested in projects that have this traditional funding in place and are looking to use our additional investment to take their development to a new level.
We provide artists with the resources they need to bring their work to a new level. In addition to our investment, we offer access to other NAC resources, such as production expertise and connections to national and international networks.
We invest in projects with the potential for significant growth and impact beyond the premiere. While many projects will not have commercial aspirations, some will. For those that do go on to commercial success, we will be looking for a reasonable return on our investment, which will be used to support future Canadian creations.
We support development opportunities that are rarely available to artists in this country and that risk and innovation demand: longer creation timelines, additional workshops or work-in-progress showings, residencies, integrating new technology, and working with the best creative teams, including collaborations with international artists.
Similar programs
| Program | Type | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| BDC Growth & Transition Capital: Working Capital | Loan, Investment | Financing from $250,000 to $35M, repayable over 2 to 8 years | Open |
| Theatrical Documentary Program | Grant, Investment | Production Stage, Canadian budget less than $500,000: the lesser of 49% of eligible Canadian production costs or $175,000 | Closed between intakes |
| BDC Growth Equity Partners | Investment | Equity investments from $3M to $45M, acquiring ownership stakes up to 49%, for growth capital or an ownership transition | Open |
| FCC Capital | Investment, Loan | Direct equity investments with a minimum FCC Capital investment commitment of $5 million | Open |
