The mission of the funder involves supporting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis organizations in undertaking contemporary, customary, or traditional artistic and cultural activities. This includes facilitating innovative strategies for Indigenous creative and cultural expression and supporting the related administrative activities. The program aims to embrace collaborations with non-Indigenous artists and organizations, fostering a broader understanding and appreciation of the arts and cultures of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples.
The Creating, Knowing and Sharing grant program is designed to support First Nations, Inuit, and Métis organizations engaging in a broad range of artistic and cultural activities. This includes supporting ongoing operational costs and expenses related to various artistic and/or cultural activities. Eligible activities span across the realms of creation, knowledge dissemination, and sharing, encompassing research, creation, production, mentorships, artistic training, community engagement, language preservation, intergenerational transmission of knowledge, exhibition, dissemination strategy implementation, and marketing, among others. The grant program is categorized into four main tiers, each with specific eligibility criteria based on the organization's mandate, scope of activities, years of operation, and annual operating budget. This structure aims to accommodate a diverse range of organizations with differing capacities and scopes of work, from those with a national and international focus to community-based cultural groups and Indigenous Arts Service Organizations.