Grants
Ocean Week Canada Community Event Grant
We want to help you connect people with the ocean and the waterways leading to it! As part of this, COLC is supporting events and activities that will take place in communities across Canada during Ocean Week Canada 2024 (June 1-9).
Do you have an idea for an exciting event or activity, but need a bit of funding support to help make it happen? Or maybe you already have some of the funding you need for your event, but now you want to engage even more people. If either of these sound like you, we encourage you to apply.
Applications will be accepted from January 8th to February 2nd, 2024 (closing at 5pm EST), and applicants will find out if they’ve been successful by early March.
Frequently Asked Questions
In 2023, COLC awarded 28 grants totalling $60,000 to community groups across the country to support a wide range of Ocean Week Canada events.
This year, COLC is proud to announce the launch of the next wave of Ocean Week Canada Community Events Grants (up to $2,500 each) for events taking place June 1-9, 2024 (or the lead up to).
Event examples:
- Ocean-themed festivals
- Presentations, talks, film Screenings
- Recreational ocean activities/lessons
- Musical performances/performing arts
- Educational & Interpretative explorations
- Storytelling, book readings/launches
- Live art interactive demonstrations
- Water testing, beach cleanups with post-event trash analysis/artistic creations/etc.
- Other engaging ideas!
To be considered for the Ocean Week Canada Event Grant, applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Applicant must be 16 years of age or older.
- Applicant must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada and currently living somewhere in Canada.
- Applicant must be leading an event/activity taking place in communities in Canada, for audiences in Canada.
- Applicant must submit a completed application.
- Click the link below to access the application form!
- The call for funding applications will open January 8, 2024 and will close February 2, 2024. The event being proposed must happen sometime between June 1 and 8, 2024 (or in the weeks leading up to Ocean Week Canada).
- The online application form will less than an hour minutes to complete. Be sure to complete all fields.
- For questions about the grants program or assistance with this form, please email us admin@colcoalition.ca.
More questions? Contact Meghan Callon meghan@colcoalition.ca, the Communications & Design Lead at COLC.
The deadline for applications has now passed.
Thank You for your interest in the OWC 2024 Community Event Grant. Stay tuned for more grant opportunities for Ocean Week Canada 2025!
Blue Creators Grant
The Blue Creators Grant, one of three grant types currently offered by COLC, provides a unique opportunity where art meets science, helping to transform the way we think about and engage with the ocean. We invite creators to harness the power of artistic approaches to help bridge the knowledge – action gap.
Through the Blue Creators Grant, we empower creators to use their art form as a community-driven, participatory tool to spark crucial ocean conversations, deepening public understanding of ocean science, building emotional connections, and igniting possibilities and pathways for community-led ocean-climate action.
Frequently Asked Questions
This grant empowers creators of all sorts to employ their skills in a wide range of projects, including but not limited to:
- Visual arts projects (e.g., interactive installations)
- Performance arts (e.g., musical performances, circus performances, dance)
- Digital multimedia content creation (e.g., documentary film, animations)
- Projects that create 1. interactive, participatory, dynamic installations that 2. evoke conversation, understanding, connection, building ocean-climate action connections/behaviours
- In which the creation (be it an installation, performance, or other) is used or mobilized in such a way to create an interactive, participatory experience with a target audience or broader public, with the aim of helping to strengthen ocean-climate understanding, building emotional connections, and inspiring pathways for community engagement/action.
To be considered for the Blue Creators Grant, applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Applicant must be 16 years of age or older.
- Applicant must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada and currently living somewhere in Canada.
- Applicant must demonstrate interest in, experience of, and/or a commitment to science communication through their creative work.
- Applicant must submit a completed application, including a 1-2 minute video.
Click the link below to access the application form!
- The call for funding applications will open November 1, 2023 and will close December 15, 2023. The creative project being proposed must happen anytime between February 1 and August 31, 2024.
- There is a total of $21,000 in funds for this grant call. We are looking to fund either 4 projects at $5,250 each or 3 projects at $7K each. There is a space on your grant application to select which amount you are applying for (i.e., $5,250 or $7,000).
- The online application form will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Be sure to complete all fields, including the uploading of one sample piece of your work (PDF, video file, jpeg, website link, etc).
More questions? Contact Meghan Callon meghan@colcoalition.ca, the Communications & Design Lead at COLC.
The deadline for applications has now passed.
Thank you for your interest in the Blue Creators Grant.
Blue Schools Canada Experiential Learning Grant
The Blue Schools Canada (BSC) Experiential Learning Grant, one of three grant types currently offered by COLC, provides funding to schools to offset costs of experiential activities related to ocean-water-climate learning in Canada.
The BSC Experiential Learning Grant was developed to encourage outdoor field studies, such as boots-to-the-ground excursions to local coastlines, waterways, and conservation areas; indoor visits to aquariums and marine science centres; hands-on learning such as scientist, waterkeeper/water guardian or artist-led classroom/school talks and workshops; and community science activities (e.g., water monitoring; shoreline clean-ups with debris analysis, etc).
Frequently Asked Questions
- Membership Requirement
Applicants must be current and active Blue Schools Canada* members at the time of application submission and throughout the grant period. *Not a member? Don’t miss this opportunity. Apply today!
- Letter from School Administrator
All applications must include a letter on official school letterhead, signed by an authorized school representative (e.g., principal or administrator). This letter must include a brief description (100 words max) confirming the school’s intent to participate in a group booking or event, the proposed date(s), and details of the event or booking.
The planned experiential learning activity may occur anytime between February and June 2024 of the current school year.
Please note: the grant cheque will be made payable to the school; therefore, applicants must obtain prior approval from the school administrator to apply for funding. Confirmation of School Group Booking, Event Reservation or Transportation Booking
Applicants must provide a copy of documentation confirming the school’s group booking or event reservation (e.g., aquarium/marine science centre, speaker/artist/service provider) or a formal quotation from a reputable transportation provider (e.g., school bus coachline) detailing the estimated costs and services if the grant is intended for transportation purposes.
Click the link below to access the application form!
The call for funding applications will open November 1, 2023, and close January 15, 2024.
Grants Available:
This grant call operates on a first-come, first-served basis. Grants will be awarded in the order in which complete and eligible applications are received until the available grant funds ($20,000) are fully allocated, or the closing date (January 15, 2024) is reached. Once the available funds are exhausted, no further grants will be awarded for the current cycle.
Two levels of funding are available to teachers working in education jurisdictions across Canada:
- Single class/teacher, $350.00
- Two or more classes/teachers, $500.00
Applicants must state which level of funding they are seeking on their application. Multiple teachers from the same school may apply. However, the maximum grant awarded per school is $500.
The BSC Experiential Learning Grant will be offered again in the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years.
More questions? Contact Jae Williams jae@colcoalition.ca, the Learning and Community Engagement Lead at COLC.