1)  When was the CALQ established ?
On December 21, 1992, the Québec government adopted Bill 53 (1992, chapter 66), which created the CALQ des arts et des lettres du Québec. In the summer of 1993, Liza Frulla, then Minister of Culture and Communications, announced the appointment of the president and director general and the other 12 members of the Board of Directors. The CALQ officially commenced its operations on April 1, 1994, following several months of structuring and organization.



2)  What is the CALQ's mission ?
The CALQ des arts et des lettres du Québec is a government corporation whose mission it is to support throughout Québec artistic and literary research and creation, experimentation, production and dissemination in the realms of the visual arts, the arts and crafts, literature, the performing arts, the multidisciplinary arts, the media arts, and architectural research. It also promotes artists, writers and arts organizations and their works in Québec, the rest of Canada and abroad.



3)  Who manages the CALQ ?
A Board of Directors administers the CALQ. For more information, please consult the Loi sur le CALQ des arts et des lettres du Québec (Publications du Québec (www.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca)




4)  Under whose authority is the CALQ des arts et des lettres du Québec ?
The CALQ des arts et des lettres du Québec is a government corporation under the authority of the Minister of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women, who approves its plan of action each year.



5)  From what source does the CALQ obtain funding ?
The CALQ receives its budget allocation from the Minister of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women.



6)  How big is the CALQ's budget ?
For details, please consult the Annual Report and the lists of awarded grants. (These documents are in French only)



7)  How is the CALQ's financial assistance apportioned ?
For details, please consult the Annual Report and the lists of awarded grants. (These documents are in French only)



8)  What kinds of initiatives does the CALQ support ?
The CALQ offers professional artists and writers grants intended to support research and creation, development grants, and grants to cover travel and sojourns abroad. The CALQ offers arts organizations grants to support their operations or production, promotion and dissemination projects, tours, the organization of province-wide and international events as well as the reception of foreign performances.



9)  Who decides on the awarding of grants ?
The policy governing the awarding of grants by the CALQ relies on a fair, rigorous evaluation process centred essentially on peer assessment. Each year, over 300 artists, writers, cultural managers and specialists of the cultural community participate as members of advisory committees and juries, or as evaluators, in decision-making pertaining to the awarding of grants.

Among other things, the CALQ ensures that representatives of the regions sit on the committees and juries. The Board of Directors makes the final decision on the awarding of grants.

For additional information, please read the Peer Evaluation Information Guide.



10)  How are the members of advisory committees and juries chosen ?
The CALQ maintains a bank of resource-persons who are called upon to evaluate grant applications from artists and arts organizations. Resource-persons must be renowned in an artistic discipline. Members of the CALQ's Board of Directors or staff and civil servants are ineligible. Candidates wishing to be registered as resource-persons must fill the "Jury and Peer Advisory Committee Application Form" available on the CALQ's Web site (here) and submit it along with their their curriculum vitae to the CALQ at: banque @ calq.gouv.qc.ca.



11) How many grants does the CALQ award each year ?
For details, please consult the Annual Report and the lists of awarded grants. (These documents are in French only)