By us for us: Innovation towards equity in arts funding

The new Building Arts Equity: BPOC (Black and People of Colour) Program was specifically designed by and for artists of colour who have been marginalized and excluded from arts funding. The inclusive and equitable program design, resulted in many new first-time applicants and another success with the participatory grant-making process.

Leading up to this point, SK Arts and SaskCulture, in partnership with the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan (MCoS), brought together artists from African, Black, Asian, Latin American, Caribbean and Middle Eastern descent in Saskatchewan to develop a grant program that would best meet their funding needs and eliminate identified barriers to access. These consultations, part of the participatory grant-making process, led to the development of a grant program designed for these communities, by these communities.

“When we take direction and listen to the people who are experts in their cultures and their arts practice, we find out how to best support them,” says Damon Badger Heit, supervisor, Partnership and Inclusion, SaskCulture. The partners were involved in the creation of the Share and Connect grant in 2022 that used a participatory grant development to ensure more funding was accessible by Indigenous artists. “It creates a reciprocal relationship that we can continue to refine and improve. Community-led solutions build accessibility, equity and opportunities for arts activities that are truly informed by all the cultures present in Saskatchewan.”

He says, when equity-deserving communities are consulted through a participatory grant-making process, their needs are bettered identified and it results in empowered solutions. The consultations identified a number of ways to better support artists of colour in Saskatchewan, such as mentorship opportunities, support for newcomers to find and apply for the grant, the need for authenticity of expression in their own culture and art, community-led knowledge transfer, as well as increased recognition, value, and respect for the diversity of the BPOC community.

Organizers acknowledge that using the acronym BPOC, to recognize people of African, Black, Asian, Latin American, Caribbean and Middle Eastern descent, is an imperfect term that is not agreeable to all who are involved in this process. Using a name or acronym to identify numerous distinct cultures is challenging. While BPOC is currently being used for this program, all partners will strive to identify specific peoples involved where possible.

Chancz Perry, program consultant, diversity and inclusion, SK Arts, says, the first round of funding had 33 applicants and successfully met some of the aims identified through the consultations. “Because this funding program focuses on BPOC people, it creates an invitation for people who might normally not know, or not normally apply,” he says. “It encourages them to pursue funding so that they can create and develop new work that can be traditional, contemporary or nontraditional.”

At the first allocation, artists of colour that applied were able to connect with others from their artistic and cultural communities, as well as, artists from other ethnocultural communities, which provided opportunities of learning, mentorship and empowerment. As a result, 14 artists received funding from this program, and applicants had the opportunity to be involved in assessing their peers proposed projects. Perry adds that, “As a result of the applicants having access to many

other applications through the assessment process, they saw some of the strengths in other people's writings. Learning how other artists approached writing the grant helped them to see how they could improve their own application the next time they applied.”

Aster Ghebermicael, an applicant and assessor for the first round of funding, says she was surprised when she discovered a grant that she could apply to based on her cultural heritage. “I didn't think there would be a grant for someone just like me,” she says. ”I loved to see that there is this movement of welcoming other cultures to show their artistic side, as I feel like we all want to be seen and heard. I had such a huge network of artists open up to me that are willing to mentor and help me out the next time I apply. It was such a learning journey.”

Rhonda Rosenberg, executive director, MCoS, says “I am excited to learn from Building Arts Equity and I hope to see other grant programs, in our own organizations and beyond, implement approaches based in collaborative relationships and equity to address barriers related to racism and oppression.”