WE LITERALLY WANT TO GIVE YOU MONEY.

In 2020, the MAAE will be giving out up to FOUR PROJECT GRANTS of $1500 each.  If you are a member of the MAAE, have a spectacular project in mind, and you meet the eligibility criteria outlined below, we encourage you to apply for a grant! 

GRANT APPLICATION - DEADLINE EXTENDED - NOVEMBER 30th, 2020

Who is eligible to apply?

You must be an MAAE member who is currently teaching Grade K-12 students in the Manitoba school system. The MAAE provides grants to MAAE teaching members who would like to implement art projects with their students in the 2020-21 or 2021-22 school year.

Membership (for new members) is $20. To become a member, you can apply when registering for our fall MTS PD conference, or here. If you are applying for a membership in the middle of a school year, you may submit your membership application and dues at the same time as your grant application and they will be reviewed together.

If you have received previous grants, please ensure that you have written an article for the MAAE explaining the use of your prior grant (with photographs/release forms) for publication on our website, prior to submitting a new application.

TIPS FOR APPLICANTS:

A great application describes a project that will be:

NEW FOR YOUR SCHOOL. How is this a new experience for you and for your students / your school?  We want to provide funding for a project that you would otherwise not attempt; one that enriches your teaching practice and that is new for your students and / or your school.

MEANINGFUL AND TRANSFORMATIVE. Does this project provide a transformative experience for the participants? (This can be a small group/class of students, the whole school, or the school community.)  Will it reach students in a meaningful way?  Does it provide an intensive, deep art learning experience?  

A QUALITY ART EXPERIENCE.
Is the project focused?  Does it have meaningful art-based content? Does it allow plenty of room for individual interpretation, creativity and personal expression? Does it have unpredictable, open-ended results?
Note: Visual Art is often justified by its connection to another subject (i.e. ELA / science / social studies).  While we welcome proposals for interdisciplinary projects, the MAAE is always in FULL support of projects in which art is made, studied and exhibited for its own sake!

MODELLED ENTHUSIASTICALLY.
Is the project going to be led by an enthusiastic teacher, artist, or art specialist?  Grants can be used to fund a visting artist!  The grant recipient may organize the activity and instruct.  He / she may also organize the experience while a professional artist teaches.  It's up to you!  If you need help finding an artist to work with, CONTACT US!
​*Hired Professional Artists are to be paid in accordance in CARFAC (Canadian Artists Representation / Le Front des Artistes Canadiens) pay-scale recommendations to instruct, respond to student work, or give a presentation about their work.

FUNDED COLLABORATIVELY.
While this is not an essential criterion for grant applicants, in addition to the MAAE, seeking additional funding (through ArtSmarts, the Manitoba Arts Council, your school, school division, etc.) could allow you to attempt an even more ambitious project!

How many applications
can an individual submit?

One grant application per MAAE member is eligible to be considered, per application deadline. (However, multiple applications from the same school / division are fair game!)

What projects are eligible
for funding?

A)  With a view to fostering innovation while also preserving cultural traditions, the MAAE now funds 2 distinct kinds of art projects.

1. CULTURAL GRANT:
  • These funds support projects about a cultural tradition, whether Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, Metis), or any other visual cultural tradition from any part of the world.
  • Such projects often teach cultural values and stories alongside traditional ways of making art. While allowing some scope for individual interpretation and expression , these projects teach skills and use of media associated with a particular cultural tradition, and may have more predictable outcomes.
  • An example of a cultural tradition project funded by the MAAE is “Story Stones” completed in 2014. 

2. INNOVATION GRANT:  
  • These funds support projects that are innovative.
  • Our aim in offering grants for innovative projects is to encourage teachers to take risks by designing projects that are open-ended, and characterized by inquiry-based leaning, flexibility about the end-results of the project, and the ability for students to make choices about media. 
  • These projects actively encourage personal inquiry, creative thinking and experimentation. Not only do they allow a great deal of scope for students’ individual interpretation and expression, the outcomes can be unpredictable. This is because the focus is more on the process of exploration and quality of student learning than on the finished product.
  • This is a good place for teachers to seek funding when they want to work through the creative process WITH their students, rather than determine the process or finished product ahead of time.
  • An example of such a project is the History/Herstory Project featured here. 
*In your grant application, please indicate whether you are applying for a cultural tradition project or an innovative art project.  

B) The grant must be used for a new art-based project or art initiative in your school (not one that your school has previously tried);

C) Must show connection to all four Essential Learning Outcome areas from the Manitoba Education Visual Arts Curriculum.  This includes:  Making, Creating, Connecting, and Reflecting;

D) The project must be completed within 14 months of receiving the grant money;

E) Project funding can be used to hire a professional visiting artist, a cultural leader (e.g. Indigenous Knowledge Keeper), and/or to purchase consumable art materials (for example, clay, paint, wood, etc.).

NOTE:  Please be aware that MAAE Grants are not intended to fund large or permanent equipment purchases for a school, a classroom, or an art program (e.g. digital tablets, printing presses, video cameras, kilns, 3-D printers, laptops, VR glasses/headsets, etc.).

SUBMITTING YOUR GRANT APPLICATION

How do I get an application form?

If your project meets the criteria above, you can apply here.

WHERE DO I SEND MY APPLICATION?

Email your application to Rose Montgomery-Whicher (Grants Chair) at rosemont@mymts.net.

When are the APPLICATION deadlines?

Applications must be received by NOVEMBER 9th, 2020 for projects that will be developed between January 2021 and April 2022. 

Successful projects must be completed within 14 months of receipt of the grant funding.  (e.g. Grants awarded in May will be completed by end of June THE FOLLOWING SCHOOL YEAR.) 

when will I find out
if my application was successful?

It will take approximately one month after the project deadline for our committee to send your results.  Time sensitive event funding does not suit our review process - please be aware that applicants will only be notified within one month of the application deadline.

All applicants will be notified by email of the results of their applications. If approved, a formal letter will be sent to you, which you can share with your school / school division.

What if my project plans
change significantly?

Your approved grant is based on the Grants Committee's review of the plans, content and budget as outlined in your original application and has the right to withdraw funding if we deem that any changes in the project are significant. If you need to change any of the approved plans or budget after being approved for funding, please contact Dawn Knight as soon as possible.

Reporting and follow-up

Grant recipients will get 75% of their grant money prior to the project's start date.  The second installment of funds (the remaining 25%) will only be awarded once the following two items have been received by the MAAE:

THE COMPLETED PROJECT REPORT:
In order to share successful grant-funded projects with our members, each grant recipient must provide a final article for publication (1-2 typed pages) within four months of the estimated completion date of the project. 

The article should:
  • describe the main concept for the project and the project goals
  • describe the process (how the project was done)
  • highlight student achievements by including a minimum of five images of student work. Please avoid featuring student faces in the photos - this article will be published on the MAAE website. We encourage grant recipients to also share this report with their schools and divisions.
THE RECEIPTS ACCOUNTING FOR THE PROJECT SPENDING:
Successful grant recipients must collect and submit copies of all ORIGINAL receipts (including store / art supply receipts, invoices for artists' fees, etc.) for submission to the MAAE.

The report, photos, original receipts and student release forms (if applicable) should be emailed to Dawn Knight at dknight@pembinatrails.ca, within two months of the completion of the project. Check out past project reports here.

What if I have other questions?

Please CONTACT US!