How to apply for a SAW Video grant?

SAW Video offers a variety of grants to video artists in all stages of their careers. All grants are a combination of equipment access, material costs and workshop subsidies. Current grant deadlines can be found under the Grants section of this website.

Anyone is welcome to apply for a SAW Video grant. You do not need to be a member to apply. SAW Video actively promotes access for all artists, regardless of age, class, gender, sexual orientation, race or ability.

All genres are accepted, ie. drama, experimental, documentary, etc. All grants are for video projects, except in the case of the New Media Fund, and can also include projects originating on film and transferred to video. Work must be non-commercial, produced independently, and the director must retain copyright and creative control of the project. Unfortunately, SAW Video no longer funds feature films, all proposed projects must be under 60 minutes.

Types of Grants Available:

Emerging Artists Grants:

• JumpstART Mentorship
• Cultural Equity
• Aboriginal Voices
• Video Virgin

Production programmes for emerging artists are designed to give media artists at the beginning stages of their video careers an opportunity to explore the medium of video art.

Mid-career / Established Artists Grants:

• SAW Video Production Fund
• Cultural Equity
• Aboriginal Voices

Mid-career and established artists can apply for grants to assist with the production of a short, medium or feature-length video in any genre.

A mid-career artist is someone that has created a small body of work and has been a practicing artist for several years.

A senior artist is someone that has an extensive body of work and has achieved an advance level in their career as an artist.

Jury Selection:
For each fund, two jurors are selected by the Administrative Coordinator and the Director of SAW Video to comprise the jury. Jurors are selected based on their experience within the media arts sector, the scope of the applications received, as well as consideration for any potential conflict of interest between the applicants and jurors.

Support material:
Support material must be picked up within two weeks following notification and although we will do our best to ensure the safety of your support material SAW Video is not responsible for any loss or damage to work that has been submitted.

Obligations:
We ask that you acknowledge SAW Video on the finished tape. Logos are available for download on our website.

Successful applicants are asked to submit one copy of the work to SAW Video's archives.

FAQ's

1. Exactly how and to whom do I apply?
   
   Apply with a proposal as dictated in the call for submissions.
   
   Applications should be dropped off in the main SAW Video office, or mailed directly to us.
   
   
2. Can I submit my grant in French?
   
   Certainly, applications may be submitted in French, SAW Video will ensure that the selected jurors are bilingual.
   
   
3. If the video is intended to be a documentary, need I worry about submitting a script? This also has an impact upon providing a detailed budget - is a general estimate of travel costs sufficient?
   
   For a documentary you should submit a treatment, which is basically a detailed outline of what the documentary will look like upon completion. You will obviously not know what interview subjects are going to say but you can add in your treatment what you expect to hear, or intend to get out of your subjects in order to fulfill the concept of the documentary.
   
   Budgets should be fairly detailed if you can. The jurors like to know that you've done your research. Travel costs might change, but put in a pretty good estimate of the travel cost as best you can.
   
   
4. Is there a requirement concerning the length of a production?
   
   Feature-length projects should be submitted to the Feature Video Fund, and are ineligible for funding under the Emerging Artists Grants. In general, however, the jury will judge your proposal on its feasibility, as well as your previous film/video experience to gauge your ability to complete a longer format work.
   
   
5. Would there be a problem if I wanted to edit the video using my own home?
   
   For emerging artists grants, editing of successful projects must take place at SAW Video, and this should be factored into the budget accordingly.
   
   The majority of the grant is comprised of access to equipment. It is not a cash incentive. We expect the artist to use our facilities as much as possible.
   
   
6. What if my budget exceeds the amount allocated in the grant? Is this still eligible?
   
   Yes, your budget can exceed the pre-determined amount of the grant - but you must list where you are seeking other funding from and the status of that funding. The jurors will make a decision based on the quality of your application as to whether they think it's realistic that you will receive other funding, or whether you can complete the project if that funding should not be awarded.
   
   
7. What sort of support material are you looking for?
   
   Support material can vary depending on the level of grant that you are applying for.
   
   A JumpstART applicant may not have any previous video or film work to showcase, but might have slides, photos, poetry, etc.
   
   Please ensure that your support material is well labeled. Instructions and notes are often helpful on what the support material is and how it relates to the current project that you are proposing. Don't forget to cue your tapes to the appropriate spot.
   
   
8. If I have DVDs in the SAW archive already, do I still need to provide support material?
   
   Yes - you should still provide support material. We have independent jurors select the recipient of the grant, and do not direct them to the archives. This ensures that the jurors are watching the correct support material that you intended them to see.
   
   
9. Are there any tips or advice you can give me regarding the presentation of the proposal?
   
   Make sure that you include EVERYTHING that is asked for in the call out. Applications get rejected quite often because they were not complete. As for presentation, the actual paper part of the application gets photocopied.... so nothing elaborate needs to be done in terms of packaging. The juror never sees that anyhow.
   
   
10. How many applications are normally submitted?
    
    On average we receive anywhere between 10 to 20 applications for each round of deadlines.
    
    
11. How many applications are awarded?
    
    The JumpstART grant is awarded to six artists per year. (three per deadline)
    
    The Cultural Equity Fund, the Aboriginal Voices Grant and the SAW Video Production Fund are awarded to three artists per year.
    
    The Feature Video Fund is awarded to one artist per year.
    
    
12. What sort of interests influence the selection process? Are there any preferences of genre?
    
    No, there is no preference for genre, the jury looks for a great idea and an idea that they think is feasible given the applicants experience, budget and timeline.
    
    
13. When will I be notified of the results?
    
    Applicants are informed of their results by mail generally six to eight weeks after the application deadline.
    
    
14. How long do I have to complete my project?
    
    For all SAW Grants (excluding the Feature Video Fund), the production should be completed within one year of receiving their results.
    
    Works supported through the Feature Video Fund must be completed within two years.
    
    If an extension is needed, then arrangements must be made with the Administrative Coordinator.
    
    
15. I've been awarded a grant, now what do I do?
    
    Please contact the office and make arrangements for a meeting with the Administrative Coordinator. A membership contract must be signed and you will be provided with further details on how to access your grant.
    
    Half of the artist fee is paid upfront, the second, remaining half is paid upon successful completion of the project.
    
    
16. I didn't receive a grant, when can I apply again?
    
    You may resubmit your proposal for the following deadline. In most cases, jurors comments are provided, these will help guide you to another one of our granting programs or give you constructive feedback on how to better your application.
    
    If you are applying for a different grant then the one you originally applied, remember to tailor your proposal to that specific grant.
    
    
17. I received a SAW Video grant, when can I apply again?
    
    You are eligible to apply for a SAW Video grant in any of the other areas, however you cannot receive the same grant twice within a two year time frame.
    
    
18. Can I receive multiple grants? (i.e. JumpstART and Cultural Equity)
    
    It is possible to receive grants in multiple programs. However, we will not fund the same project with more than one fund, you must submit a different proposal for each program.