General information

Through this program, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) wishes to financially support professional circus arts organizations that create, produce and disseminate works on a regular or a one-off basis.

This program comprises two sections:
Section 1 - Support for production projects
Section 2 - Operational support

Note: Section 2 (operational support) is intended solely for organizations and is not examined in this brochure.

Organizations must submit their grant applications in French in conjunction with the Programme de subventions en arts du cirque.


General objectives of the program
By awarding grants to circus arts organizations, the CALQ is seeking to:

• support artistic excellence in the circus arts, the diversity of practice and creative renewal;
• encourage the creation, production and dissemination of Québec works;
• support revivals;
• foster the integration of young Québec artists and performers into a professional work environment;
• facilitate access throughout Québec to circus arts performances and broaden public exposure to such performances;
• develop and heighten audience awareness;
• contribute to the recognition of professional artists.

General eligibility criteria
This program is intended for professional circus arts production organizations. The circus arts encompass forms of expression in which the mastery of one or more circus techniques is essential and in respect of which the practice, language and works are aimed, first and foremost, at the renewal of this artistic discipline. Circus techniques eligible for this program are those widely recognized by professional circus arts schools.

The CALQ may grant circus arts organizations specific financial assistance to cover the realization of original production projects or performances that rely on new or barely explored techniques in the realm of contemporary or traditional circus arts.

An artists' group may also obtain support for a production project in conjunction with section 1 of this program.


Professional artist
For the purposes of this program, the term "artist" also refers to writers, storytellers and craftspeople. An artist is defined as follows:

• they declare themselves to be professional artists;
• they practise an art on their own account or offer their services for remuneration, as creators or performers, especially in the fields under the responsibility of the CALQ des arts et des lettres du Québec;
• they have gained the recognition of their peers;
• they disseminate or publicly interpret their works in places and/or contexts recognized by their peers.

The professional artist must be a Canadian citizen or a landed immigrant as contemplated in section 2(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and in both instances must normally reside in Québec and have resided there over the past twelve (12) months.


Artists' groups
An artists' group designates a group of artists, regardless of their number. Each member of the group must be a professional artist as defined above. One member must represent the group as coordinator. Moreover, the group must not have received collectively grants in respect of the same project under other programs offered by the CALQ.

The same coordinator must always represent permanent groups unless exceptional circumstances arise.

To be eligible, an artists' group must either:

• not be registered

or

• be registered as an association with the Registraire des entreprises du Québec.

Ineligibility
The program is not open to artists' groups registered with the Registraire des entreprises du Québec as a general partnership.


Submission of the application
An artists' group wishing to register for this program must fill out the appropriate application form and be sure to submit all of the documents demanded.

Application forms are available upon request from the CALQ. They may also be downloaded from the page of the program to which they pertain on the CALQ's Website. [under the heading Application form in the upper left-hand corner of this page]

A single copy of the registration file must be submitted (21.6 cm x 27.9 cm or 8½" x 11"). To facilitate photocopying, do not staple, bind or print the documents on both sides of the page.

The CALQ is not responsible for the loss of items submitted with the application or damage sustained by such items during shipping. Applicants are urged to avoid sending the originals of items or supporting documents, with the exception of financial statements.

Only visual material, sound recordings and publications are returned to applicants within 90 days of the announcement of the results.

Subject to the provisions in the Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information, the CALQ respects the confidentiality of the documents and information in its possession and of those sent to it.


Place of registration
Applications must be submitted to the CALQ office in Québec City or Montréal.

Registration deadline
March 1, 2012

If the registration deadline falls on a weekend or statutory holiday, it moves to the next business day. The CALQ deems the postmark to be the date of reception of the application. Incomplete applications or those received after the registration deadline are not accepted.

The CALQ sends an e-mail acknowledgement to applicants who have an e-mail address. Applicants who submit their applications to the CALQ's offices receive a dated acknowledgement of receipt.

Response time
If the application is complete, the CALQ will inform the applicant of its decision following the evaluation of the application within roughly five months of the registration date.

Applicants who submit an application that is deemed to be ineligible will receive a letter explaining why it is unacceptable.


Evaluation of grant applications
Grant applications are initially analysed by the CALQ's program managers in light of eligibility criteria and the program's general objectives.

Applications that are deemed to be eligible are submitted to the advisory committee that is set up pursuant to the CALQ's Policy governing juries, committees and assessors. The members are individuals recognized for their competence in the field concerned who possess a sound knowledge of the organizations and their impact on the artistic milieu.

The advisory committee evaluates on their merit applications according to program evaluation criteria and takes into account the CALQ's guidelines. At the conclusion of its deliberations, the committee makes recommendations to the CALQ.

The advisory committee's recommendations and the analyses conducted by the specific discipline sector are then submitted to management and the Board of Directors, which makes a decision. The Board of Directors may accept the recommendations or hand down any other decision that it seems appropriate, especially in respect of the policy directions adopted. The Board of Director's decision in this respect is final.

The CALQ's Policy governing juries, committees and assessors is available at its offices and on its Website.

The Peer evaluation information guide, which is available from the CALQ and on its Website, describes the application evaluation process.


Procedures for awarding grants
Procedures for awarding grants are described in a letter of agreement that must be signed by the coordinator of the artists' group.

The CALQ's grant must complement other sources of revenue. When artists' groups know the amount of the grants that they are obtaining from the CALQ and other public agencies, they must, if need be, draw up a revised, balanced budget for submission to the CALQ.

The grant awarded may be applied to part or all of the activities described by the artists' group in the application. If the artists' group is unable to carry out part or all of the activities covered by the grant, the grant recipient must immediately inform the CALQ accordingly. The CALQ may, consequently, adjust the amount of the grant and the artists' group may be required to repay part or all of the grant.

Grant recipients, whether artists, artists' groups or independent curators, must abide by Québec legislation that applies to them, including the Act respecting the professional status and conditions of engagement of performing, recording and film artists (R.S.Q., c. S-32.1) and the Act respecting the professional status of artists in the visual arts, arts and crafts and literature, and their contracts with promoters, in particular by concluding a written contract that sets forth the six items mentioned in section 31 of the Act (R.S.Q., c. S-32.01).

An artists' group that receives a one-time grant in respect of a project must submit within four months of the completion of the project an activity report and a financial report concerning the use of the grant. The reports must be submitted on the grant application form that the applicants initially completed and must contain all of the factual data.

The grant recipient must comply with the following requirements:

• if the total amount of such grants is under $50 000, the artist or the artists' group may prepare the financial statements;
• if such grants total between $50 000 and $250 0000, the financial statements must be presented in an examination report prepared by a public accountant;
• if the total amount of such grants exceeds $250 0000, a chartered accountant must audit the financial statements.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the CALQ reserves the right to request at any time the audited financial statements of an organization or group that it subsidizes and the audited financial statements of one or more affiliated organizations and any other information concerning them that it deems to be relevant. The organization or group authorizes the CALQ and ensures that the CALQ or its duly identified representatives have access during normal business hours to the organization's or the group's premises, books, documentation, the contracts signed by the organization or group and the artists, writers and collaborators, and any other document that the CALQ may reasonably request for the purposes of the administration and verification of this agreement. The organization or group also authorizes the reproduction of any document necessary for these purposes.

The artists' group obtaining the grant must comply with standards governing the use of the CALQ's logo, as described in a document available from the CALQ or on its Website.

Failure to comply with the conditions governing the awarding of a grant and the specific conditions pertaining thereto and non-compliance with the legislation in force may compromise the artists' subsequent eligibility for CALQ programs.


Review process
The decisions reached by the CALQ's Board of Directors regarding a production support grant are final and without appeal.

The review process is intended solely for organizations that obtain operating grants.

Support for production projects

The CALQ may grant circus arts organizations specific financial assistance to cover the realization of original production projects or performances that rely on new or barely explored techniques in the realm of contemporary or traditional circus arts.

An artists' group may also register in this section.

To be eligible for this section, an artists' group must satisfy the program's general eligibility requirements, outlined earlier.

An artists' group made up mainly of the same people who are working in another artists' group or an organization submitting an application may not submit more than one application.

A project involving the revival of a performance is eligible for this section.

An artists' group may submit only one grant application per year. However, the CALQ may, under exceptional circumstances, support for a period of two years projects that display artistic promise.


Evaluation criteria
Grant applications in respect of production projects are subject to an evaluation of merit focusing primarily on the projects' artistic quality and potential influence and the realism of the budgets submitted. The evaluation also takes into account the specific niche in which the artists' group is working. The evaluation criteria are indicated below.

Artistic quality of the project (60%)

• the quality and artistic interest of the project;
• the quality of the organization's previous achievements;
• the quality of the artistic work of members of the artists' group associated with the project;
• mastery of one or more circus techniques.

Impact of the project (20%)

• the project's contribution to the development and renewal of the discipline;
• the project's contribution to the region's artistic development;
• the extent of the dissemination planned (number of performances and spectators in light of the nature of the project).

Management of the project (20%)

• the project's feasibility, the realism of budget estimates, and financial equilibrium;
• the remuneration of artists, performers and cultural workers.

Exceptionally, when the type of project warrants doing so and the artists' group makes such a request by checking off the appropriate box on the form, the CALQ will attach greater importance to the criteria concerning the project's impact. In this instance, the project's artistic quality will account for 50% of the weighting, its impact for 30% and its management for 20%.


Maximum amount of the grant
The maximum amount of the CALQ's grant to support projects may not exceed 75% of the cost of the project. Project grants are specific in nature and are not renewable.

If the actual cost of carrying out the project exceeds the scale respecting the maximum amount of the grant, the CALQ may demand the repayment of the surplus amount.