The Indigenous Visual Artists' Materials (IVAM) program supports Ontario-based Indigenous artists working in the visual arts, crafts, or traditional/customary art forms to create artwork. The Inuit Art Foundation is an official recommender for this grant and strongly encourages all Inuit visual artists to apply.  Inuit artists wishing to apply should submit their application to the Inuit Art Foundation through Nova, the Ontario Arts Council’s grant application system.  As part of the IAF’s mission to expand opportunities for Inuit artists, it only recommends Inuit artists for funding. First Nations and Métis artists are also eligible for the program and can apply through the following recommender organizations on the Ontario Arts Council Recommenders list.

Grants of $500 or $1,000 are available to help cover the cost of 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 the artwork or for harvesting or gathering materials, such as blades, carving tools, awls, scissors, etc.

• purchase of materials or tools required to run or participate in workshops

• delivery: cost of transporting or shipping materials and supplies

• travel costs for gathering natural materials

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants must self-identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit

• Applicants must be Ontario Residents

• Applicants must be individual artists or Elders; groups, collective and organizations are not eligible

Other

• A grant awarded in this program year (September 2023 – March 2024) counts towards a recipient’s three-grant OAC limit for 2023

• You may submit one application to each recommender

• You may receive one Indigenous Visual Artists’ Materials grant in the 2023-24 program year

Assessment Criteria

The IAF will convene an external jury of Inuit to assess applications according to this rubric:

Artistic Merit / Up to 70 points

• Demonstrates quality of work in the proposal

• Support material examples demonstrate artistic merit

• Demonstrates dedication to continuing their practice

Viability and Outcome / Up to 20 points

• Clear articulation of intended use of funds and the desired or potential outcomes

• Proposed use of funds is eligible based on the program’s guidelines

Quality of Application / Up to 10 points

• Necessary documents and files are provided by the applicant

• Writing is clear and concise and efficiently uses the allotted word count

• Support materials demonstrate professional quality

To Apply

Complete and submit an application through Nova. You can preview the application questions in advance here 

Please be sure to include:

• The name of the recommender you are applying to

• Images and video documentation of your work (8 images maximum)

• Résumé (optional)