Grants and Funding
Looking for financial support to help bring a creative project to life?
Vancouver Cantonese Opera performing at Gateway Theatre
City of Richmond Arts and Culture Grant Program
The City of Richmond provides financial support to registered non-profit arts organizations for programs and activities that enrich the cultural life of Richmond.
The Arts and Culture Grant program supports a range of artistic and cultural activity, reflecting different cultural traditions as well as contemporary art forms and practices. The program is open to registered, non-profit arts organizations through two annual grant streams: Project Assistance and Operating Assistance.
New applicants are encouraged to review the guidelines and criteria to confirm eligibility and contact Camyar Chiachian, Program Manager, Community Cultural Development, before applying.
Project Assistance
Project Assistance grants provide financial support to non-profit arts organizations for one-time or time-limited initiatives. Project funds may be requested for up to 50% of the total cost of the project, to a maximum of $5,000.
Operating Assistance
Operating Assistance grants support organizational capacity and operating activities to eligible non-profit arts organizations. Operating grants may be awarded for up to a maximum of 30% of an annual operating budget, to a maximum request of $10,000.
Photo: Weaving loom in the Richmond Arts Centre’s Fabric Arts Studio
Additional Funding Sources
BC Arts Council
Offers a wide range of operating and project assistance for individual artists and arts organizations in BC. Learn more.
BC Community Gaming
Provides annual grants to not-for-profit organizations in BC to support programs and services. Learn more.
Canada Council for the Arts
Supports individual Canadian artists, collectives and non-profit cultural organizations through a range of diverse funds. Learn more.
COVID-19 Resources
BC Alliance for Arts and Culture maintains an up-to-date list of funding, relief grants and other resources related to the pandemic. Learn more.
Richmond Community Foundation
Distributes a portion of their investment income in through grants to local, non-profit organizations and individuals through scholarships. Learn more.
Richmond Neighbourhood Small Grants
Supports small, localized initiatives and projects through a fund administered through the Vancouver Foundation. Learn more.
Fund Development Resources
Grant Calendars
Arts BC maintains a grants calendar and list of funding services, foundations and corporate funders who support the arts.
BC Alliance for Arts and Culture provides a comprehensive list of arts and culture grants and funding organizations, as well as helpful resources to set you up for success.
Little Dog Creative maintains a grant deadline calendar that allows you to easily search for funding opportunities, along with funding services and resources.
Grant Writing Workshops
The City of Richmond hosts free grant writing workshops through Art at Work.
BC Alliance for Arts and Culture also offers at least one grant-writing workshop every year and maintains a great list of grant writing consultants.
Charity Village also offers accessible and affordable online fundraising resources and workshops.
Fundraising Ideas
Donations can be found in surprising places.
Don’t under estimate the power of your personal and professional networks.
Consider setting up a crowdsourcing campaign, like GoFundMe or Patreon. Try approaching local businesses for sponsorship possibilities.
Online donation platforms, like CanadaHelps, make it easy for potential donors to easily give one-time and recurring donations from home.
Discover more opportunities for artists
Subscribe to our newsletters to learn about artists calls, program announcements, deadlines, events and workshops.
Look at our Opportunities for Artists page regularly for new programs and opportunities.
Visit our What’s Happening page to explore other ways stay in the loop.
Check out Richmond Arts Coalition, BC Alliance for Arts and Culture, Akimbo and Instant Coffee for calls to artists and arts news.