Creative Saskatchewan announced last week that a significant change has been made to its policies that will give more provincial organizations, for the first time, access to its grant programs.
Previously, art and culture organizations that received operational funding from either the Saskatchewan Arts Board (SAB) or SaskCulture, were not permitted to apply to Creative Saskatchewan’s grant programs.
That is not the case now and at least one local art-centred organization’s leadership sees some potential for Creative Saskatchewan funding and programming in the future.
“We’ll have to see what fits. Their focus was on the commercial and travel budget market before, but we’ll see what may work for us. It’s pretty exciting no matter what. We can maybe design some programs to fit,” said Amber Andersen, director at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum (EAGM).
Andersen said the EAGM didn’t qualify for any Creative Saskatchewan grants before since they received a little over $38,000 in annual funding from the SAB, based on a four-year funding format that the board usually signed with not-for-profit galleries like the EAGM in the past.
“The opportunities might open up for the arts council, too,” she said. That might include a residency program.
The new mandate is effective immediately, said Creative Saskatchewan’s interim board chairwoman Susan Whitney.
“When developing Creative Saskatchewan’s original grant programs we did not want to duplicate financial support that was already available from existing provincial agencies,” said Whitney. “With a few years of operational experience behind us, and in close consultation with our colleagues at the Saskatchewan Arts Board and SaskCulture, we are now confident that lifting this particular restriction will allow us to fulfill our mandate even more effectively.”
“I am pleased to see our provincial funding agencies working closely together with the goal of improving support to the province’s arts organizations,” said Mark Docherty, minister for parks, culture and sport. “This co-ordination reflects the growth of Creative Saskatchewan and is another example of how it is maturing into an even more responsive and effective organization.”
“This change will be very well received by various organizations that receive operational funding through our agency,” said Michael Jones, CEO of the SAB. “It will contribute to the success of these organizations and will ultimately strengthen our province’s arts community. We couldn’t be more thrilled.”
While this change in policy means many arts organizations now become newly eligible to apply for Creative Saskatchewan grants, proven commercial viability of every proposed project remains a critical component of all successful applications. Grants will continue to be awarded using a criteria-based selection process that focuses on supporting commercial success.
Andersen said “the vast majority of non-profits were knocked out of the process,” due to the need for commercial gain before, but with the new mandate, non-profits such as the EAGM may be able to find Creative Saskatchewan support for specific projects that bear a commercial gain objective. Andersen said, “there is a limited pool on the commercial side. So we will see what they develop. The details are not up on their website yet (as of April 14), but hopefully there is an opportunity here if we see what we can do that will fit that model.”
Since the inception of Creative Saskatchewan, it has invested nearly $15 million directly into creative producers in the province.
Creative Saskatchewan is dedicated to the growth and commercial viability of Saskatchewan’s creative industries that include visual arts, publishing, music and sound recording, live performing arts, screen-based media and digital media.
