Winnipeg Individual Artist Grants 2027: C$3,000–7,000 for Local Film, Video and Media Artists — March Deadline
Winnipeg's next individual grant is for work beginning in mid-2027
Winnipeg Arts Council has scheduled its next Individual Artist Grant Program deadline for Tuesday 2 March 2027. It supports professional artists living and working in Winnipeg who create new works or develop, produce, curate or exhibit visual, film, video, media and other art forms. Applications for this 2027 round are not open as of 20 October 2026: the Council expects its 2027 guidelines and online intake to become available in mid-December 2026. Artists can begin considering a suitable project now, but must consult the documents issued for 2027 rather than submit an out-of-date form for September 2026.
C$3,000 for emerging artists; C$7,000 for established practice
The programme offers two funding categories determined by relevant professional experience. Category B grants can contribute up to C$3,000 for an emerging artist; Category A grants can contribute up to C$7,000 for mid-career or established artists. These amounts are upper limits and do not automatically reach every eligible applicant. Budget planning should identify the actual artistic activity, rights and materials, equipment rentals, collaborators, public presentation and necessary travel or facilities where guidelines allow. The Council also publishes a pathway for additional accessibility costs for eligible Deaf artists and artists with disabilities, subject to consultation.
Who may apply: individual Winnipeg professionals, not outside companies
This is a city-specific programme for individual professional artists working in Winnipeg, rather than a general Canadian or global media-arts scholarship. The proposed work should fall within an artist's established professional practice, and the applicant needs to satisfy the eligibility conditions detailed in the current guidance. Collaborations are not necessarily forbidden, but artists proposing a genuinely collective or jointly owned project may be directed to the Council's separate Project Grant Program. The Council asks collectives to consult its Grants Consultant in advance to decide which route applies.
Experimental film, video art and digital installations
A new experimental film, sound-image study, artistic software installation, moving-image exhibition, video-art presentation or interdisciplinary project can be a relevant proposal when the applicant's creative practice, originality and public or professional outcome fit the Council's artistic criteria. Applicants should not assume that any routine commercial video commission or purely technology-service contract qualifies. A good proposal will describe the artistic objectives, schedule, previous relevant work, role of collaborators and realistic financial and technical requirements. Planning can start before the portal opens, but project activities for this round should not begin before 1 June 2027.
Deadlines and practical reporting
The Council announces 2 March 2027 for applications. The 2027 project start is no earlier than 1 June 2027 and the French-language programme announcement gives 31 December 2028 as the outer completion limit. Applications are to be submitted via the official GoSmart portal after the mid-December 2026 opening. Successful artists must complete a final project report; the French grant guidance specifies submission within 90 days of the agreed project completion date. Eligibility rules, 2027 budgets and reporting templates may be revised before the online intake starts, so confirm the final published application package.
How it differs from the Winnipeg arts organisations' grant
The Council also operates a 2027 Project Grant Program for Winnipeg arts organisations and collectives, opening 2 November 2026 and closing 2 February 2027 with a different maximum of C$10,000. That is a distinct form designed for groups and organisational projects, not a second automatic award for the same individual applicant. Professional artists developing an original individual film or digital artwork should research the Individual Artist Grant first; incorporated institutions and collectives should evaluate the group programme with Council staff instead of submitting duplicate budgets.
Council history, recipient record and secure application
Winnipeg Arts Council is a long-established public arts-support organisation working in partnership with the City of Winnipeg. It publishes assessment practices, results and awarded grants in visual art, contemporary dance, film, video and interdisciplinary fields. Its publicly reported recipients include film and moving-image practitioners among the broader local artistic community, illustrating that eligibility is not restricted to painting or theatre. Applicants can consult the official programme pages in English and French, register at winnipegarts.gosmart.org when the 2027 portal opens, and contact its grants team rather than relying on agents promising an award.
Official documents and application
https://winnipegarts.ca/grants/individual-artist-grant-program-for-winnipeg-artists-working-in-all-disciplines
https://winnipegarts.ca/grants/programme-de-subvention-aux-artistes-individuel