Indigenous Visual Artists’ Materials
The program supports Ontario-based First Nations, Inuit, and MĂ©tis artists working in the visual arts, crafts or traditional/customary Indigenous art forms to create artwork or facilitate workshops. Grants of $500 or $1,000 help cover the cost of buying art materials and supplies only.
Offered by Ontario Arts Council (OAC)
Amount
Grants of $500 or $1,000 to help cover the cost of buying art materials and supplies only; grants awarded may be smaller than the amount requested; one grant per program year
Quick eligibility check
Who can apply
This program is for Indigenous applicants only. In the application you will be required to state your Indigenous nation and community and clearly speak to your lived experience.
The program supports Ontario-based First Nations, Inuit, and MĂ©tis artists working in the visual arts, crafts or traditional/customary Indigenous art forms to create artwork or facilitate workshops.
- artists and Culture Carriers who are First Nations, Inuit or MĂ©tis (see definition below)
- applicants must be Ontario residents
Read the Guide to OAC Project Programs for more eligibility information.
The activities for which you are requesting funding:
- must finish after you receive your grant results
- must be completed within two years after you receive your grant results
Artists who have a conflict of interest with a particular recommender may not apply to that recommender. An artist is in a conflict of interest if they are:
- an employee or board member of the recommender organization
- a member of a committee or jury reviewing applications for the recommender
- immediate family members of those described above
About the funding
Grants of $500 or $1,000 help cover the cost of buying art materials and supplies only.
- $500
- $1,000
Important
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: Due to the number of applications received and the limited funds available, grants awarded may be smaller than the amount requested.
- A grant awarded in this program year (October 2026 – March 2027) counts towards your three-grant limit for 2026.
- You can only receive one grant from this program per program year. However, you can submit applications to multiple recommenders.
- You may only submit one application per recommender per program year.
- If you receive a grant of over $500, OAC will issue you a T4A.
The grant can be used for the following expenses:
- materials and art supplies, such as wood, fabric, thread, stone, leather hides, sinew, beads, needles, photographic printing, inks, metals, paint, canvas, paper, pencils, etc.
- small tools for making artwork or for harvesting or gathering materials, such as blades, carving tools, awls, scissors, etc.
- materials or tools required to run or participate in workshops
- cost of transporting or shipping materials and supplies
- individual travel costs for gathering materials, such as to collect beading/sewing supplies or to gather natural materials on the land
See the Eligible art forms list under Definitions for examples of visual art and craft practices supported through this program. Projects can involve more than one eligible art form.
Similar programs
| Program | Type | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AgriScience Program – Projects | Grant, In-Kind Support | Up to $5 million per project and $10 million per applicant over the program's duration (2023 to 2028) | Open |
| Sector Innovation and Development: Project Grants Component of Supporting Artistic Practice | Grant | Up to $100,000 | Open |
| Small-Scale Activities Component of Creating, Knowing and Sharing: The Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and MĂ©tis Peoples | Grant | Up to $5,000 per year | Open |
| Achievement Incentive (AI) | Grant | Up to $17,000 | Open |
