During the 2021-2022 fiscal year, the Manitoba Arts Council reviewed 1671 grant applications, up from 1139 in 2020-2021. Well over half of the applications (66 per cent) were successful. The total requested amount was $29.9 million, and $22.3 million was awarded.
This overview presents:
- A break down of grants made by applicant type, granting program, and region;
- A summary of granting for individual applicants in different priority groups;
- An overview of the peer assessors who reviewed applications during the 2021-2022 year.
The COVID-19 Pandemic continued to affect granting at MAC this year as MAC delivered two rounds of the government of Manitoba’s extraordinary investment in the sector via the Arts and Cultural Sustainability Funds. MAC developed two programs to meet government’s objectives with the funds: the Arts and Culture Sustainability fund for organizations, and the Adapt program for individuals and groups. This investment doubled the amount of money MAC granted in this year.
Table 1: Applications by applicant type
MAC receives applications from individuals, groups, and organizations, along with a small number of nominations submitted by people who are not eligible to apply for grants. Among individuals, the vast majority (more than 88 per cent) of the applications were submitted by professional artists. Among organizations, most applications are submitted by professional arts organizations and clients enrolled in the Support-Operate program. Compared to last year, more applications (288, up from 165 in 2020-2021) were submitted by community-driven organizations whose mandate is not primarily focused on creating and presenting arts. This is the result of the influx of organizations that were eligible for the Arts and Cultural Sustainability Fund.
| APPLICATIONS | AWARDS | AWARD RATE | REQUESTED AMOUNT | AWARDED AMOUNT | |
| Individual applicants | |||||
| Professional artists | 818 (▲189) |
419 (▲160) |
51% (▲10%) |
$6,573,527 (▲$1,966K) |
$2,893,595 (▲$1,486K) |
| Indigenous Knowledge Keepers | 21 (▲14) |
14 (▲10) |
67% (▲10%) |
$ 211,492 (▲$152K) |
$134,702 (▲$101K) |
| Arts/Cultural professionals | 42 (▲31) |
18 (▲15) |
43% (▲16%) |
$371,877 (▲$104K) |
$118,131 (▲$95K) |
| Students of the arts | 47 (▲10) |
24 (0) |
51% (▼14%) |
$131,000 (▲$41K) |
$68,750 (▲$8K) |
| Organizations and groups | |||||
| Arts groups | 58 (▲16) |
28 (▲9) |
48% (▲3%) |
$600,509 (▲$172K) |
$275,710 (▲$107K) |
| Arts organizations | 239 (▲63) |
206 (▲70) |
86% (▲9%) |
$6,288,359 (▲$3,758K) |
$5,135,057 (▲$3,069K) |
| Operating clients | 134 (▲42) |
131 (▲55) |
98% (▲15%) |
$10,373,839 (▲$3,959K) |
$9,610,072 (▲$3,313K) |
| Community organizations | 288 (▲165) |
251 (▲161) |
87% (▲14%) |
$4,692,940 (▲$3,545K) |
$3,590,177 (▲$2,699K) |
| Arts-service organizations | 12 (▲4) |
9 (▲4) |
75% (▲12%) |
$353,003 (▲$292K) |
$287,601 (▲$247K) |
| For-profit publishers | 10 (▲6) |
8 (▲8) |
80% (▲80%) |
$264,959 (▲$231K) |
$206,912 (▲$207K) |
| Total | |||||
| All individual applicants | 928 (▲244) |
475 (▲185) |
51% (▲9%) |
$7,287,896 (▲$2,263K) |
$3,215,178 (▲$1,690K) |
| All groups and organizations | 741 (▲296) |
633 (▲307) |
85% (▲12%) |
$22,573,609 (▲$11,957K) |
$19,105,529 (▲$9,641K) |
| Nominators | 2 (▼8) |
0 (▼1) |
0% (▼10%) |
$60,000 (▼$40K) |
$0 (▼$10K) |
| All applicant types | 1671 (▲532) |
1108 (▲491) |
66% (▲12%) |
$29,921,505 (▲$14,180K) |
$22,320,707 (▲$11,321K) |
| For each category, the table shows the number of applications and awards, as well the percentage of applications that were successful (‘Award rate’). The right-most two columns show the total amount requested and awarded. In each column, the number in parentheses shows the change from 2020-2021. | |||||
Table 2: Applications by program
MAC receives applications for operating support (through the Support-Operate program and through the former Arts Branch Operating Support programs) as well as applications for project grants and nominations for prizes.
| Program | Applications | Awards | Award rate | Requested amount | Awarded amount |
| Create | 209 (▼74) |
86 (▼7) |
41% (▲8%) |
$ 2,152,716 (▼$661K) |
$809,167 (▲$2K) |
| Indigenous 360 – Create | 39 (▼5) |
31 (▲15) |
79% (▲43%) |
$393,184 (▼$55K) |
$ 317,445 (▲$166K) |
| Indigenous 360 – Learn | 5 (▲4) |
5 (▲5) |
100% (▲100%) |
$21,940 (▲$17K) |
$21,322 (▲$21K) |
| Indigenous 360 – Share | 15 (▲6) |
10 (▲4) |
67% (0%) |
$127,072 (▲$32K) |
$80,595 (▲$15K) |
| Learn – Artists in Schools | 84 (▲27) |
66 (▲19) |
79% (▼4%) |
$439,706 (▲$155K) |
$324,372 (▲$125K) |
| Learn – Residencies | 61 (▲47) |
17 (▲9) |
28% (▼29%) |
$222,142 (▲$134K) |
$64,266 (▲$23K) |
| Learn – Travel/PD | 113 (▲89) |
70 (▲48) |
62% (▼30%) |
$106,082 (▲$84K) |
$61,441 (▲$42K) |
| Learn – Scholarships | 47 (▲10) |
24 (0) |
51% (▼14%) |
$131,000 (▲$41K) |
$68,750 (▲$8K) |
| Recognize – Competitions | 14 (▲10) |
10 (▲6) |
71% (▼29%) |
$88,010 (▲$65K) |
$56,766 (▲$35K) |
| Recognize – Prizes | 12 (▼20) |
1 (▼3) |
8% (▼4%) |
$360,000 (▲$40K) |
$30,000 (▼$10K) |
| Share – Artists in Community | 142 (▲104) |
74 (▲50) |
52% (▼11%) |
$961,646 (▲$566K) |
$465,892 (▲$213K) |
| Share – Present | 67 (▼16) |
40 (▲4) |
60% (▲16%) |
$753,182 (▼$183K) |
$414,003 (▲$24K) |
| Support – Arts Leaders | 20 (▼12) |
7 (0) |
35% (▲13%) |
$573,721 (▼$336K) |
$166,519 ($17K) |
| Support – Operate | 45 (0) |
45 (0) |
100% (0%) |
$5,713,540 ($0) |
$5,713,540 ($0) |
| Support – Strengthen | 42 (▼14) |
29 (▲1) |
69% (▼24%) |
$175,100 (▲$96K) |
$131,751 (▼$12K) |
| Support – Adapt | 321 (▲321) |
160 (▲160) |
50% (▲50%) |
$ 2,989,062 (▲$2,989K) |
$ 1,354,799 (▲$1,355K) |
| Arts and Culture Sustainability Fund | 340 (▲340) |
333 (▲333) |
98% (▲98%) |
$12,124,903 (▲$12,125K) |
$ 9,825,581 (▲$9,825K) |
| Former Arts Branch programs | 100 (▼98) |
100 (▼69) |
100% (▲15%) |
$ 2,588,497 (▼$328K) |
$ 2,414,498 (▼$239K) |
| All programs | 1671 (▲532) |
1108 (▲491) |
66% (▲12%) |
$29,921,505 (▲$14,180K) |
$22,320,707 (▲$11,321K) |
| For each program, the table shows the number of applications and awards, as well the percentage of applications that were successful (‘Award rate’). The right-most two columns show the total amount requested and awarded. In each column, the number in parentheses shows the change from 2020-2021. | |||||
In this second year of the pandemic, and with periods of loosening public health restrictions, application numbers for programs which were most affected in 2020-2021 began to rebound. This was true of Artists in Schools, Residencies and Travel/PD. Additionally, as two former Arts Branch programs listed in table 2a below, Arts Development Project Support and Indigenous Cultural Initiatives were integrated into Artists and Communities and Indigenous 360 programs listed above in table 2, application numbers for these programs were higher. In this year, a 2020-2021 pandemic relief program for former Arts Branch clients called Organizational Resilience was eliminated. This accounts for the sharp decline in Project Support grants listed in table 2a below.
Table 2a: Applications by program (former Arts Branch programs only)
100 applications were submitted to programs previously administered by the Arts Branch. This includes applications for project grants as well as for operating support. A full breakdown is included in the table below.
| Applications | Awards | Award rate | Requested amount | Awarded amount | |
| Project grants | |||||
| Arts Development Project Support | 0 (▼35) |
0 (▼14) |
0% (▼40%) |
$0 (▼$45K) |
$0 (▼$19K) |
| Indigenous Cultural Initiatives | 0 (▼13) |
0 (▼9) |
0% (▼69%) |
$0 (▼$62K) |
$0 (▼$44K) |
| Project Support | 5 (▼49) |
5 (▼45) |
100% (▲7%) |
$135,600 (▼$219K) |
$134,800 (▼$170K) |
| Operating grants | |||||
| Comités Culturels Operating Support | 8 (0) |
8 (0) |
100% (0%) |
$82,284 (▲$10K) |
$63,489 ($0K) |
| Community Arts Councils Op. Support | 17 (▼1) |
17 (▼1) |
100% (0%) |
$404,116 (▼$14K) |
$363,703 (▼$6K) |
| Consolidated Arts Programming | 31 (0) |
31 (0) |
100% (0%) |
$268,342 (▲$4K) |
$222,942 (▲$1K) |
| Cultural Operating Support | 8 (0) |
8 (0) |
100% (0%) |
$402,300 (▲$10K) |
$367,800 ($0K) |
| Major Arts Festivals Operating Support | 10 (0) |
10 (0) |
100% (0%) |
$513,391 (▼$12K) |
$484,900 ($0K) |
| Provincial Arts Org. Operating Support | 9 (0) |
9 (0) |
100% (0%) |
$317,464 (▼$1K) |
$317,464 ($0K) |
| Urban Arts Centres Operating Support | 12 (0) |
12 (0) |
100% (0%) |
$465,000 ($0K) |
$459,400 ($0K) |
| Total | |||||
| All project grants | 5 (▼97) |
5 (▼68) |
100% (▲28%) |
$135,600 (▼$325K) |
$134,800 (▼$234K) |
| All operating support grants | 95 (▼1) |
95 (▼1) |
100% (0%) |
$2,452,897 (▼$2K) |
$2,279,698 (▼$5K) |
| All former Arts Branch programs | 100 (▼98) |
100 (▼69) |
100% (▲15%) |
$2,588,497 (▼$328K) |
$2,414,498 (▼$239K) |
| For each program, the table shows the number of applications and awards, as well the percentage of applications that were successful (‘Award rate’). The right-most two columns show the total amount requested and awarded. In each column, the number in parentheses shows the change from 2020-2021. | |||||
Table 3: Applications by region (all applicants)
Over 2021-2022, MAC saw a 45 percent increase in applications submitted from areas outside the city of Winnipeg (421 applications up from 231 in 2020-2021). About 26 per cent of the applications and 28 per cent of the awards went to applicants located outside of Winnipeg. The amounts awarded to applicants outside of Winnipeg constituted 15 per cent of the total MAC granting budget for 2021-2022. This was 11 per cent in 2020-2021. The applications noted below as from “outside Manitoba” are from Manitoba residents temporarily living outside of the province.
| Region | Applications | Awards | Award rate | Requested amount | Awarded amount |
| Rural Manitoba | 239 (▲85) |
166 (▲81) |
69% (▲14%) |
$1,824,434 (▲$748K) |
$1,172,332 (▲$591K) |
| Urban centres outside Winnipeg | 182 (▲106) |
138 (▲93) |
76% (▲17%) |
$ 2,658,085 (▲$1,673K) |
$1,961,451 (▲$1,314K) |
| Winnipeg | 1238 (▲334) |
797 (▲313) |
64% (▲11%) |
$25,391,343 (▲$11,734K) |
$19,155,880 (▲$9,393K) |
| Outside Manitoba | 12 (▲7) |
7 (▲4) |
58% (▼2%) |
$47,644 (▲$24K) |
$31,044 (▲$23K) |
| All regions | 1,671 (▲532) |
1,108 (▲491) |
66% (▲12%) |
$29,921,505 (▲$14,180K) |
$22,320,707 (▲11 321 k$) |
| For each region, the table shows the number of applications and awards, as well the percentage of applications that were successful (‘Award rate’). The right-most two columns show the total amount requested and awarded. In each column, the number in parentheses shows the change from 2020-2021. Regions are defined following the classification used by Canada Post, with postal codes starting R0 classified as rural, postal codes starting R2 and R3 reserved for Winnipeg, and postal codes starting R1, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8 and R9 in use for urban centres outside the city of Winnipeg. | |||||
Table 4: Applications by priority group (individual applicants only)
Data collected through Manipogo, our online granting system allows MAC to track several key performance indicators, including measures of how MAC’s granting breaks down for different MAC priority groups. Tables 4 and 5 present an overview of granting for individuals in different priority and age groups. To put this information into context, MAC received a total of 928 applications from individual applicants in 2021-22, and 51 per cent of these were successful.
| Individual applicants who are … | Applications | Awards | Award rate | Requested amount | Awarded amount |
| … Indigenous | 159 (▲43) |
98 (▲48) |
62% (▲19%) |
$1,337,154 (▲$274K) |
$726,976 (▲$412K) |
| … visible minorities | 158 (▲40) |
97 (▲33) |
61% (▲7%) |
$1,437,161 (▲$152K) |
$713,780 (▲$289K) |
| … female | 502 (▲136) |
275 (▲114) |
55% (▲11%) |
$3,818,290 (▲$1,199K) |
$1,845,603 (▲$1,053K) |
| … non-binary | 33 (▲11) |
26 (▲12) |
79% (▲15%) |
$303,426 (▲$58K) |
$228,003 (▲$88K) |
| … Deaf/living with disability or mental illness | 161 (▲56) |
87 (▲48) |
54% (▲17%) |
$1,270,824 (▲$495K) |
$620,233 (▲$431K) |
| … Francophone | 84 (▲25) |
43 (▲19) |
51% (▲11%) |
$655,042 (▲$220K) |
$305,267 (▲$173K) |
| For each category, the table shows the number of applications and awards, as well the percentage of applications that were successful (‘Award rate’). The right-most two columns show the total amount requested and awarded. In each column, the number in parentheses shows the change from 2020-2021.
Note: The number of applications for Indigenous applicants is based on programs open to Indigenous and non-Indigenous applicants; it does not include applications submitted in the Indigenous 360 stream. |
|||||
Table 5: Applications by age group (individual applicants only)
| Birth decade | Applications | Awards | Award rate | Requested amount | Awarded amount |
| Before 1960 | 208 (▲13) |
99 (▲35) |
48% (▼15%) |
$1,737,587 (▲$439K) |
$676,193 (▲$345K) |
| 1960s | 93 (▼1) |
55 (▲12) |
59% (▼13%) |
$772,850 (▲$128K) |
$370,962 (▲$170K) |
| 1970s | 161 (▲41) |
84 (▲33) |
52% (▼10%) |
$1,379,330 (▲$361K) |
$608,883 (▲$359K) |
| 1980s | 268 (▲121) |
139 (▲65) |
52% (▼1%) |
$2,044,551 (▲$911K) |
$945,592 (▲$481K) |
| 1990s | 178 (▲61) |
92 (▲41) |
52% (▼8%) |
$1,294,576 (▲$384K) |
$598,548 (▲$335K) |
| 2000s and after | 20 (▲8) |
6 (▼1) |
30% (▲34%) |
$59,000 (▲$23K) |
$15,000 (▼$3K) |
| For each age group, the table shows the number of applications and awards, as well the percentage of applications that were successful (‘Award rate’). The right-most two columns show the total amount requested and awarded. In each column, the number in parentheses shows the change from 2020-2021. | |||||
The information in tables 4 and 5 is based on profile information shared by individual clients on a voluntary basis. This information is not available to assessors who review applications. Because sharing this information with MAC is optional, we do not have a complete picture of the diversity represented by the applicants and may be under reporting the true number of applicants in each category.
Note: aggregate numbers reflecting clients’ self-identification may fluctuate from year to year, as clients update the information they share with MAC. The numbers presented in this table are based on the information available at the time when this report was created and may differ from the information that was available when applications were submitted.
Table 6: Assessors
Peer assessment is the cornerstone of MAC’s jury process, and 123 external assessors participated in the assessment of applications in 2021-2022. MAC aims for critical diversity by assembling juries who can bring a broad range of perspectives to bear on the submitted applications.
| Category | Number of assessors |
| Indigenous assessors | 45 (▲8) |
| Assessors who are visible minorities | 65 (▲15) |
| Female assessors | 69 (▲6) |
| Male assessors | 41 (▲4) |
| Non-binary assessors | 13 (▲2) |
| Assessors who are Deaf or who live with a disability or mental illness | 16 (▼3) |
| Francophone assessors | 10 (0) |
| Assessors from rural areas in the province | 7 (▲2) |
| Assessors from urban centres outside of Winnipeg | 8 (▼2) |
| Assessors from Winnipeg | 55 (▼32) |
| Assessor from outside Manitoba | 43 (▲19) |
| Assessors born before 1960 | 12 (▲4) |
| Assessors born between 1960 and 1979 | 46 (▲5) |
| Assessors born in 1980 or afterwards | 52 (▲2) |
| Note: The number in parentheses shows the change from 2020-2021. |
As a result of COVID, almost all jury sessions took place over videoconferencing, allowing MAC to cast a wider net in terms of recruiting expertise from beyond Manitoba’s borders.
Note: Except for geographic location, which is based on postal code, the information aggregated for this table is submitted to MAC voluntarily. Because sharing this information with MAC is optional, we do not have a complete picture of the diversity represented by the assessors and may be under reporting the true number of assessors in each category.
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