Supporting Artistic Practice (multi-year grants)

Composite Activities is the multi-year stream of Canada Council's Supporting Artistic Practice program, built for artists, cultural workers, ensembles and organisations whose plans span more than a single project. Rather than funding one album or tour, it backs a bundle of related activities carried out together over as long as three years, which might mean performing, recording, touring, mentoring and professional development all under one grant. It absorbs ground once covered by three retired streams: Explore and Create's Concept to Realization, Supporting Artistic Practice's Sector Innovation and Development, and Arts Across Canada's Public Outreach, so anyone who used those should expect their work to now sit here. Eligibility is open to Canadian artists, arts workers, bands, labels and organisations, but the programme is pitched at applicants with an established track record rather than someone starting out. The Council doesn't publish a minimum or maximum grant on its programme page; the only figure available is that Supporting Artistic Practice overall paid out $37.2 million in 2023-24, which speaks to scale rather than to what any single project might receive. Everything runs through Canada Council's online client portal, where the actual application form, budget template and guidelines live, and where dedicated application assistance is available to applicants who are Deaf, hard of hearing, living with a disability, or Indigenous and facing language, geographic or cultural barriers. Because Supporting Artistic Practice has several components on different cycles, check the portal for Composite Activities' current deadline before starting an application.