Pay It Forward Arts Fund 2023

Call for Submissions 

Guelph Arts Council is presenting for the second time an opportunity for all artists, musicians, writers and creators in the Guelph-Wellington Community to submit applications for the Pay It Forward Fund. The fund totals $5,000 per year for the next three years and will support one or more projects per year. This award will help local artists, in any discipline, fund art projects that pay it forward and benefit the community. 

The award is the gift of artist Barbara Salsberg Mathews and her husband, Bruce Mathews. It is designed to encourage artists to rise to the challenge and pay it forward by using their talents to benefit others and the Guelph community.

Who is Eligible

All those (individuals/groups/collectives) working in the creative sector are invited to submit proposals for creative projects that “pay it forward” and benefit the community. A preference may be given to those who demonstrate a long-standing connection to the Guelph community.

What is Eligible

Guelph-Wellington area artists are invited to submit proposals for creative projects that focus on improving lives and thereby enriching our community. The award could take many forms by using the arts to heal, give a hand-up, help build self-esteem, beautify our environment, or enrich and improve others’ lives. These projects must be original in nature (this fund does not support events, projects or programs that have already been established) and cannot have begun prior to the award being granted. This project should also be able to be completed within the funding requested.

Amount of Award

This grant will fund one or more projects of up to $5000.

How to Apply

Artists are welcome to apply through our online application form found at the bottom of this page. If you would like a hardcopy application form, please contact [email protected]

Deadline for Application– EXTENDED!

Applications must be received no later than June 30th, 2023 at 11:59pm

Selections will be made by a jury. Applicants will be notified before July 29th, 2023

Submission Requirements: 

  • General contact information 
  • Project proposal (maximum 1000 words – see below for more details) 
  • 5 -10 samples of your work. This can take the shape of images, video, audio files or word documents and other mediums in a digital format.
  • Bio and/or CV
  • Project budget (see below for more details)
  • 2 references who can speak to your artistic practice and/or your ability to execute a project of this type. 

Proposal Details

Please submit a written proposal (maximum 1000 words) outlining your project, a general timeline for completion and how your project will impact the Guelph community. Please include the specifics of who will be involved and how they will engage with the project, how your project will give back to the community, and detailed steps on how you intend to execute the project.

Budget Details 

An outlined budget of expenses that the project will cost to conduct. Expenses can include and are not limited to: materials, resources, equipment, installation fees, artist fees, space rental, transportation and more. Please contact [email protected] with any budget-related questions.


Questions can be submitted by email in advance to [email protected]. Please title your email “Q&A – PIFAF 2023”.

An online Q&A session for potential applicants is scheduled for Tuesday, May 30 at 5:00pm. To attend, please follow the zoom link here.

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