The Saanich Peninsula Arts and Culture Grant (SPACG) Program provides funding for local arts and culture initiatives.
ArtSea is pleased to administer the SPACG program, with funds for grants and bursaries provided by the Town of Sidney and the District of North Saanich.
If you are an individual that resides on the Peninsula, or a group/collective that provides programs to the residents of the Peninsula, we invite you to learn more about this funding stream!
APPLY NOW!
SPACG Grant and Bursary Application Process
Step 1:
Review Program Guidelines
Step 2:
Select appropriate application form
SPACG Forms and Resources for Applicants
SPACG Q & A – Question and Answer (click to expand)
Saanich Peninsula Arts and Culture Grant Program, Q&A:
Q: Where do I find the application for the Peninsula Arts and Culture Grant Program?
A: The application can be filled out online – the Individual Application and Group Application links. This webpage also includes information about the Peninsula Arts and Culture Grant, as well as application guidelines and requirements.
Q: Do I need to be a registered non-profit or charity to be eligible for this funding?
A: No! It is not necessary for applicants to be a registered society, but charitable organizations and non-profits are welcome to apply. This funding stream is available for existing programs, as well as new and innovative initiatives that benefit the residents of the Saanich Peninsula. Please see the section: Who can apply?
Q: Can businesses and for-profit organizations apply?
A: No. This funding stream is for individuals, groups, and organizations that are not a part of a registered business. Please see the section: Who can apply?
Q: I am not a current member of ArtSea. Can I still apply?
A: While you can apply, your application will not be considered until you become a member of ArtSea. If you are not a member by the submission intake deadline, your application will not be considered during the intake period. To learn more about becoming an ArtSea Member.
Q: Where does the funding for the SPACG Program come from?
A: ArtSea identified a need to provide a consistent and reliable funding source for arts and cultural initiatives on the Saanich Peninsula. To respond to this need, ArtSea developed the framework of the SPACG program in 2020 and proposed it to the municipalities on the Saanich Peninsula as a partnership program. In 2021, The Town of Sidney, The District of North Saanich, and the District of Central Saanich agreed to provide grant funding for a new community program that would be administered by ArtSea. ArtSea is thrilled to work together with our municipal partners to support arts and culture in our community. Please see section: SPACG Funding Partners.
Q: Can initiatives that receive funding through the Town of Sidney or the Districts of North or Central Saanich also receive funding through the SPACG Program?
A: Initiatives that receive funding support from the Town of Sidney, the District of North Saanich, or the District of Central Saanich are not eligible to also receive funding through the SPACG Program. The SPACG grants and bursaries are funded directly by the Town of Sidney and the District of North Saanich. While the District of Central Saanich does not currently contribute to the SPACG program, it does provide funding for arts and cultural initiatives directly through the municipality.
Therefore, grant funding to support arts and culture on the Saanich Peninsula is available either through the SPACG program (with funds provided by Sidney and North Saanich) or directly through the municipalities, but not both. Receiving funds from both sources would be considered double-dipping into the pool of tax funding designated for arts and culture on the Peninsula. Please see section: SPACG Funding Partners.
Q: Can we apply for programs that have already started?
A: Yes, you can apply for funding for programs started (and will be complete) within the same year that the application is submitted, but you cannot apply for programs that are already complete (funds are not available for cost-recovery or debt reduction). Please see section: Dates and Deadlines.
Q: Can we apply more than once?
A: There are two scheduled application intakes each year; individuals or groups/organizations can apply once every 12 months. Please see the section: Dates and Deadlines.
Q: Can I apply for a portion of a larger project?
A: Yes. Be sure to provide a budget for the portion that you would like funded, as well as project details for the larger initiative.
Please see the section: Eligible Expenses.
To download a budget template (PDF) document, please see the section: SPACG Forms and Resources for Applicants.
Q: Can applications be submitted via email?
A: Our preference is that applications are filled out using the online Individual Application or Group Application available this page. PDF copies of the Individual Application and Group Application forms are available for download and can be submitted via email to: grants@artsea.ca, along with supporting documentation. Please ensure that you have read all sections of the guidelines and requirements, and that all required sections are complete (required sections are indicated by asterisks*). Please see the section: SPACG Forms and Resources for Applicants
Q: If my grant or bursary funding is approved, am I required to submit a report for my program or initiative?
A: Yes. All SPACG funding recipients are required to submit a report upon completion of their program or initiative, or within one year (12 months) of receipt of the funding. Please see the section: SPACG Report.
Q: If this is the first time applying for funding, can I get assistance?
A: Yes. Should you require assistance with completing the application, please email: grants@artsea.ca
Q: Will I/we be at a disadvantage if I am applying, or if my group is applying for the first time?
A: No. We encourage individuals and new groups to apply. Part of our mission is to be a springboard for new arts and cultural initiatives in the community.
Do you have questions for which you did not find the answer?
Email your question to grants@artsea.ca
Download PDF Applications (click to expand)
Our preference is that applications are submitted using the appropriate online application forms; however, if this presents a challenge, PDF versions of the forms can be downloaded and submitted via email to: admin@artsea.ca, or dropped of at the ArtSea Gallery: 9565 Fifth Street, Sidney BC V8L 1T3.
Did you see the January 25th, 2024 news article about the updates to the SPACG Program?
Individuals, organizations, groups and collectives based on the Saanich Peninsula can apply for Saanich Peninsula Arts and Culture grants. (Brendan Mayer/News Staff)
The Saanich Peninsula Arts and Culture Grant program is now accepting applications throughout the year.
The ArtSea Community Arts Council manages the program and says this change gives artists and groups the flexibility to apply for support when it best aligns with their creative timelines.
…Read the full article. (click to expand)
Individuals, organizations, groups and collectives based on the Saanich Peninsula can apply for the grant to help with organizing arts and culture initiatives for the benefit of residents.
Applications are also no longer limited to one submission each year. The program will now accept applications for each initiative separately.
There is technically no funding limit, but applicants usually request between $200 and $5,000.
The grants are not intended to be the only source of funding for initiatives. Applicants must be current ArtSea members.
The funding is coming from the District of North Saanich and the Town of Sidney.
Initiatives could include workshops programs, training, performances or presentations.
An example of a successful applicant is Deep Cove Folk, who received funding for a contest asking artists to write songs about the Saanich Peninsula.
The artist who writes the song that the judges believe is the best overall will win $1,000, and two runner-up prizes of $500 will also be given out. Deep Cove Folk co-director Tim Rogers says Deep Cove Folk has received around $4,800 for the project.
Those interested in applying for the grants can do so at artsea.ca.
Creative timeline: Peninsula arts grant applications now open year-round – Peninsula News Review
SPACG Grants Awarded
ArtSea would like to congratulate the following grant recipients and thank them for their contribution to arts and culture in our community! We also recognize the Town of Sidney and the District of North Saanich that provide the funding stream for these grants and bursaries.
Sidney Arts and Media Society (Radio Sidney) is the first SPACG recipient of 2025, awarded funding to support An Audio/Visual Documentary called “Kelset Creek – Flowing Through Time.”
This development project will create foundational materials for a documentary about Kelset Creek (formally known as Reay Creek), focusing on its significance to First Nations, its environmental resilience, and its role in community life. It is first and foremost intended to be a thought-provoking visual arts piece.
Working closely with First Nations elders and community members, we will gather oral histories and stories that capture the creek’s cultural and ecological importance. We will incorporate archival footage and record new visual elements that showcase the creek’s historical and future significance.
…[This] will preserve essential stories and perspectives about Kelset Creek and provide compelling materials to support the development of a comprehensive one-hour documentary. This initial phase will
establish the documentary’s narrative foundation and demonstrate its potential to explore
cultural continuity, environmental recovery, and community connection to place.
Learn More about Radio Sidney Documentaries: https://www.radiosidney.ca/videos
(click to learn more)
Eine Kleine Summer Music continues to be dedicated to presenting concerts performed at the highest artistic level, by our very own local, provincial, national, and international musicians in dynamic and memorable concerts to share with our audiences of the Saanich Peninsula. We are very grateful for the generous donation from ArtSea. This donation will directly help us to achieve our goal of bringing outstanding performers to EKSM this upcoming season. It will allow us to achieve our utmost goal – to share, enrich, and bring contentment and joy to our valued and devoted audience and to our dedicated volunteers.
EKSM is run by an all volunteer board of directors as well as 2 artistic directors who are given honoraria. Tickets are kept as low as possible allowing top quality performances affordable for seniors, students, and the general public of the Saanich Peninsula. The musical works for the concerts are selected from the best of the classical repertoire. EKSM hopes to spread appreciation for chamber music making t less intimidating and in fact, most enjoyable for the residents of the Saanich Peninsula.
(click to learn more)
The Via Choralis Performance Society, Via Choralis
Performance Society is a mixed voice community choir performing on the Saanich Peninsula
which strives to enrich lives and cultivate community through choral music. Key activities are:
a) engaging the community participation of the residents of the Saanich Peninsula:
b) delivering high quality choral music:
c) encouraging performance of Canadian composers including Indigenous composers:
d) providing opportunities for music students and professional performers to participate in concerts.
In 2025, The Via Choralis Performance Society was awarded SPACG funding to support their Elizabethan Spring project, which aims to provide a unique concert of rare, high-quality
choral music for the residents of the Saanich Peninsula. We will be singing music from the
gardens, pubs, chapels, and courts of 16th-century England and France as well as several songs
from the “New World”.
Our concert features madrigals, street songs, and some rounds & catches – several of which will involve the audience. This concert affords us the rare chance to sing pieces from the Golden Age of polyphony by Elizabeth I’s court composers, Thomas Tallis and William Byrd.
(click to learn more)
The Society held the first Sidney LitFest in 2013, serving the CRD and beyond. Based on the success of that inaugural event, the
Society went on to host the Sidney LitFest in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2023, with exponential growth in attendance and residents electing to become members of the Society. In non-festival years the Society hosted spring and fall reading series featuring local authors. Based on member feedback and Board strategic planning in spring 2024, the Society decided to commit
to offering fall and spring events rather than the biannual Literary Festival.
ArtSea is pleased to provide a SPACG Grant to support the 2025 season.
February event theme: Falling in Love with Literature
Inviting authors reading from their novels and poetry on love and romance.
Location: SeaCider
April event theme: A Tea Party with Mystery and Curiosities
Inviting authors well known for their mystery novels. Readings and panel discussion.
Location: Mary Winspear Community Centre
May event theme: Mystery
Co-hosting with publisher of Iona Whishaw’s latest novel.
Location: Shoal Centre
Late Summer event: B.C. Landscapes
Early Fall event theme: Cook books; Foraging; Farm to Table; Indigenous foods
Later Fall event theme: Canadian History—fiction and non-fiction
(click to learn more)
The Peninsula Folk & Fiddle Society, is a non-profit arts organization run by music lovers, based on the Saanich peninsula and dedicated to the presentation of diverse traditional and contemporary music styles including but not limited to Celtic, Roma, Black American Music, Bluegrass, First Nations, Jazz, Folk, Singer-songwriter and Indie.
The Folk & Fiddle Festival is held annually over three days at The Mary Winspear Centre and additional surrounding venues. We are the only music festival on the Saanich Peninsula and the only Folk Festival in the greater Victoria area. We work with indigenous communities including the three reserves on the Saanich peninsula to build cultural understanding and diversity through music presentation and education. We believe that diverse and high quality music presentations are key to building strong communities, and strong communities are the fabric of our nation. The festival brings people from the CRD to Sidney and that brings money to the Sidney area as many people eat in Sidney and shop before the concerts Over 700 people attended the festival and we have been planning this year to have some extra public free concerts.
(click to learn more)
Deep Cove Folk was awarded SPACG funding in 2024 to help with the development and distribution of a book of “songs of place” set on the Saanich Peninsula. Saanich Songs will be a digital volume full of songs written about and by our community. It will showcase and support not only our local songwriters but also some of our artists and photographers offering support and visibility to many of our local creative folk and contribute meaningfully to our cultural lives. Saanich Songs will be based, in part, on our recent song writing competition (with the support of SPACG funding) but involves many more songs and has a much broader focus.
In 2023, Deep Cove Folk received a SPACG Grant to support their inaugural “Songwriting Project”. They asked people from all across our community (e.g., high schools, First Nations and an “open” category) to submit songs they’ve written about life on the Saanich Peninsula (e.g., mentioning names of places, people or events or, perhaps, based on historical events). Selected songwriters were offered the opportunity to perform their creations at Deep Cove Folk. The qualifying songs and essays were also be published on the DCF website, and one-on-one mentorships were offered to young contributors, with the goal of helping to kickstart their artistic endeavours.
Deep Cove Folk launches project seeking songs about the Saanich Peninsula
Article by Brenan Mayer, PNR Jan. 11, 2024
The winning songwriter will take home $1,000
Deep Cove Folk has launched a contest asking artists to write songs about the Saanich Peninsula.
The contest’s judges will be looking for songs that are clearly situated in local communities. The tunes could mention names of local people, events or people.
Read Full Article (click to expand)
Deep Cove Folk launches project seeking songs about the Saanich Peninsula
“There aren’t a lot of really good songs about the Saanich Peninsula,” Deep Cove Folk co-director Tim Rogers said. “We’re hoping we can plug that hole.”
The project will have categories for Indigenous people, high school students and an open category.
“We certainly want to represent as many different points of view as we can,” Rogers said. “The product we are hoping to see will be a compendium of songs about the Saanich Peninsula. Sort of like a musical history.”
The artist who writes the song that the judges believe is the best overall will win $1,000, and two runner-up prizes of $500 will also be given out.
“One of the major goals is to get more people appreciating, thinking about and understanding the importance of music to the community,” Rogers said. “We’re trying to increase the general interest in local music.’
Rogers says some of the tunes may be performed by local choirs. Winners will also be offered opportunities to perform their songs, and the artist chosen in the high school category will get to take part in a mentoring session with an accomplished songwriter.
The judges haven’t been chosen yet, but Rogers says they will be musical experts.
“We’re thinking of trying to get people that are fairly well-known,” Rogers added. “I’m currently negotiating with a number of people to be the judges.”
Submissions must include a short essay about the song which includes the inspiration for writing it and how it fits into life on the Saanich Peninsula. Musicians can even submit songs they’ve already written.
Rogers says the ArtSea Community Arts Council has provided around $4,800 for the project.
“That’s going to help is with the prize money and allow us to put up posters,” Rogers added. “They’ve been very generous.”
An Inclusive Women’s Community Choir
Island Song is a non-audition pop choir where self-identified women, non-binary, and two-spirit individuals in the Saanich Peninsula, BC can sing for fun. Our repertoire encompasses pop, folk, and other contemporary genres. Our songs are arranged by the community for the community and span the soprano and alto vocal ranges. We learn our songs through call and response, recorded tracks and sheet music, and all levels of experience are invited to sing with us.
Contact: info@islandsongchoir.ca.
A SPACG Grant was awarded to Island Echo, a performance choir dedicated to performing at local fundraisers, charity and community events. Island Echo is a performance choir consisting of 35 of our Island Song choir members. Island Echo benefits the residents of Saanich Peninsula by bringing the joy of music to local community events (such as the Salish Sea Lantern Festival), brightening lives at local long care term facilities during the holiday season, and supporting important fundraising and awareness initiatives. Our goal is to spread joy through the beauty of song, whilst supporting meaningful local events.
(click to learn more)
The Palm Court Light Orchestra was awarded SPACG funding to support The Palm Court Light Orchestra 2024/25 and the 2023/24 Season. The purpose of the orchestra is to perform what is known as light orchestral music, palm court music or salon music. It presents an annual concert series of three concerts at the Charlie White Theatre, Sidney. It presents music that is rarely performed . It also performs Canadian musicians presents Canadian artist both local and national. The Orchestra has a special relationship with our Sidney audience , especially our senior audience which is why we present afternoon concerts, music that they enjoy, and affordable prices in a secure, caring environment. We perform music that relates to the age of our audience. Often described as nostalgia it has both educational and historical significance.
The Palm Court Light Orchestra present’s the first concert of its 2024/25 Season at the Charlie White Theatre. Founded in 1987 by conductor Charles Job, the professional 28 piece orchestra is led by violinist Pablo Diemecke and features soloist mezzo soprano Kiiri Michelsen. The programme includes waltzes, marches, delightful songs and selections from Ivor Novello’s The Dancing Years and Irving Berlins “Annie Get Your Gun.”
(click to learn more)
The ArtsREACH program was awarded SPACG funding to provide ‘artist in residence’ workshops in the 3 identified Community Link Schools (vulnerable schools as identified by the Ministry of Education- Brentwood, Sidney and Kelset Elementary schools as well as Lau Welnew Tribal School. The final goal will be to display the art by these students at the Panorama Rec Centre (the Rec centre will have children’s art that they have produced on site and we will combine the art display). As well we hope to have ‘smaller displays’ to rotate around the Peninsula area~ (possibly) malls, Assisted living centres, library, hospital. The families will come and be so pleased (and proud) of the young artists, Rec Centre and other venues will enjoy and celebrate and ‘talk amongst themselves as they look at the displayed art….just as a group would in other galleries. Art for the love of art. Children do not often have opportunities to show their art in a public setting.
artsREACH Art Exhibit
Funding provided through the SPACG Grant in 2023 helped artsREACH to deliver some fantastic arts programming to 45+ children.
Children’s artwork, created through this program, is being showcased at Panorama Recreation from January 31st until March 16th 2024.
An informal open house will be held on
Sunday Feb 11th 2024 from 2-4pm.
(click to learn more)
The Sidney Concert Band was awarded SPACG funding to help with the purchase of a a PA system to amplify our vocalists and our Master of ceremonies at various events in the community (schools, concerts, etc.). This system will be used at our weekly rehearsals for our director’s communication ability and for our vocalists. We will also use this system while doing concerts at
local schools and our yearly concert in the Sidney Bandshell. We have previously rented a PA system for these events.
Program Partners
This Saanich Peninsula Arts and Culture Grant program is administered by ArtSea Community Arts Council, adjudicated by a team of ArtSea volunteers, and the grant and bursary funding stream is provided by the Town of Sidney, and the District of North Saanich.
Together we are pleased to support initiatives that will enrich our communities and add to the arts and cultural landscape of our region.
ArtSea is fortunate to operate within the unceded territory of the Coast Salish People – within the traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation – Pauquachin, Tsartlip, Tsawout and Tseycum peoples.
