Grant Guidelines and Application Form

The following people are eligible for CRFA grants: 

• Full-time staff in Dance, Drama, Music, and Art and Art History
• Part-time instructors in collaboration with full-time faculty in Dance, Drama, Music, and Art and Art History
• Graduate students currently registered in Dance, Drama, Music, and Art and Art History*

*Graduate student proposals must relate directly to the student’s thesis research.

CRFA funding is intended as a contribution (as opposed to complete sponsorship) to assist with occasional, seed, base, or "top-up" funding for creative and scholarly research activities in Dance, Drama, Music, and Art and Art History. Appropriate projects include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Creative and scholarly research for dissemination to a wider public (for example, through performances, exhibits, workshops, recitals, refereed conference presentations, publications, etc.);
• Technology and web-based projects (virtual galleries, recitals, webcasts of live events, databases, websites connected to faculty research);
• Organizing conferences devoted to issues related to the visual and performing arts to be held at the University of Calgary (both new and ongoing meetings of professional societies and their chapters);
• Interdisciplinary collaborations with other departments and faculties;
• Collaborations with arts programs, institutions, and series in the city and region;
• Note: Guest lectures and workshops by visiting artists and scholars should normally be funded through other sources, but in exceptional circumstances, the CRFA may support University of Calgary researchers in taking advantage of unusual opportunities to bring to campus artists and scholars whose work enhances the university’s research profile in Dance, Drama, Music, and/or Art.

• The purchase of equipment and materials
• Paying an assistant
• Expenses not accompanied by receipts
• Course development
• Retroactive expenses for work already accomplished or costs already incurred prior to submission of the CRFA grant application

Grant Deadlines and Terms of Reference

The next deadline for CRFA grant applications is April 5, 2024. Applicants will be notified of the results as soon as possible after the Committee has met to adjudicate the applications. Due to the CRFA's limited budget, applicants are generally encouraged to submit their applications early in the budget year to optimize their chances of success. Please note that expense claims for projects funded in the 2024-25 budget year must be submitted no later than February 28, 2025 at the absolute latest (earlier if possible) or the grant holder may risk forfeiting the grant.

Please note that applications must be submitted in advance of the project expenditures. Projects with expenses dating after early March 2024 should be submitted for consideration in the first competition of the next budget year.

In cases where the appropriateness of the project is in question, the applicant may be asked for more information. Applicants are welcome to discuss their potential requests with the Director prior to making a formal application.

There is no limit on the number of requests an individual can make over the course of the year, although new applicants will receive priority, all things being equal.

The CRFA will normally provide a maximum of $500 in support of activities that occur locally or regionally, $750 for those that occur nationally, and $1000 for those that are international.