More than 1,300 artists and arts groups throughout British Columbia received more than $37 million in grants through the B.C. Arts Council (BCAC) in 2024, including several in the East Kootenay and Creston.

BCAC supports arts and culture throughout the province by funding artists and organizations. These public investments amplify the council’s ongoing commitment to reconciliation and to building a more inclusive and diverse arts and culture sector.

In 2024-25, BCAC supported 1,303 artists and groups, helping them develop their work, reach more people and strengthen spaces for arts and culture. This included:

* nearly $15 million to established arts and culture organizations to help with operating costs;

* more than $9 million through strategic initiatives to improve arts infrastructure, support meaningful projects and uplift arts and culture groups that have faced funding barriers;

* more than $4 million to assist individual artists and cultural workers in advancing their careers through training and professional development;

* nearly $4 million in project funding for collectives and organizations to support various artistic and community activities; and

* nearly $5 million to support arts and culture programs delivered by key partners.

Local organizations receiving funding:

Operating Assistance – Performing Arts Organizations

Symphony of the Kootenays Association – $20,000

Operating Assistance – Public Museums and Indigenous Cultural Centres

Fernie Museum – $23,000

Creston Museum – $20,000

Strategic Initiatives Funding

Cranbrook and District Arts Council – $2,500

Creston Museum – $5,000

Fernie and District Arts Council – $1,860

Arts Infrastructure

Cranbrook and District Arts Council – $74,296

Kimberley Arts Council – Centre 64 – $31,370

Community Arts Organizations – Operating Assistance

Columbia Valley Arts Council -$23,450

Cranbrook and District Arts Council -$15,000

Creston Valley Arts Council -$13,579

Fernie and District Arts Council -$27,140

Kimberley Arts Council – Centre 64 -$23,450

“A strong arts and culture sector supports vibrant, resilient and connected communities,” said Spencer Chandra Herbert, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. “It also fuels a thriving economy, creating jobs, attracting investment and driving innovation throughout B.C. That’s why we continue to provide support for the people and organizations who make this sector so dynamic.”

Artists and organizations are encouraged to apply for upcoming BCAC grants opening in summer and fall 2025. These include funding for professional development, arts circulation and touring, creative writing, arts infrastructure and project assistance.

B.C. has increased the BCAC budget from $24 million in 2016-17 to more than $40 million in 2025-26.

B.C. has the highest share of artists in the workforce in Canada. According to the 2021 census, almost 40,000 artists live and work here, and approximately one in five artists in Canada calls B.C. home.

B.C. invested $264 per person in arts and culture in 2023-24, among the highest in Canada. In 2023, B.C.’s culture GDP is $10.5 billion, the third highest in the country.

View the full list of grant recipients.

e-KNOW file photos

e-KNOW

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