Canada Council for the Arts Funding for Alberta Artists

Meet Francine Cunningham, Artist Liaison Consultant for the Canada Council for the Arts’ Alberta Focus Initiative, and learn about grants, awards and opportunities available to Alberta-based artists. The session includes a brief presentation followed by a Q&A, and is open to artists of all disciplines and experience levels. 

The Alberta Focus Initiative is a two-year commitment that aims to strengthen engagement and collaboration with Alberta’s vibrant arts community, as well as to deepen the Council’s understanding of the community’s unique realities. Two Alberta-based arts liaison consultants will establish an on-the-ground presence for the Canada Council in Alberta. The consultants will engage with communities across the province to increase awareness of and access to funding opportunities and provide the Canada Council with field intelligence. They will ensure that meaningful support is accessible to a diverse range of artists and arts organizations, particularly in communities that have been historically underserved.

 www.CanadaCouncil.ca/Alberta

Francine Cunningham is an award-winning writer, artist and educator and is a member of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation, in Alberta, but grew up in Calgary, Edmonton, and 100 Mile House, British Columbia. Francine is also Métis and has settler family roots stretching from as far away as Ireland and Belgium. She currently resides in rural southern Alberta, where she spends her days writing and mentoring emerging artists.

As part of her role with the Canada Council, Francine will focus on rural Albertans, Indigenous communities both on and off reserve and those needing extra support with understanding the granting process at the Canada Council, both virtually and in person through information sessions, webinars and one-on-one visits. She looks forward to providing information on granting programs and funding opportunities, creating greater connections in the Alberta Arts ecosystem and looking for ways to make Alberta-based artists’ voices heard.