Open Calls

Brampton Arts Organization’s current and upcoming artist calls, submissions, and funding opportunities for Brampton’s vibrant creative community. Stay up to date with our calls for projects, programs, exhibitions, markets and creative initiatives designed to develop and support creatives and arts & culture organizations across the city.

Current Calls for Artists

Call Opens: September 2, 2025
Application Deadline: November 30, 2025 or until fund is depleted
Fees: FREE – zero cost to apply

Funding Amount: up to $400.00
Application Review Process: Monthly intake and review

The Brampton Arts Organization’s (BAO) professional development fund supports activities that will grow and advance applicants’ careers and professional practices. These kinds of development activities could include participating in a presentation or exhibition, undertaking specialized training, performing research, attending conferences and more.

Eligible Activities

You may apply for one or more of the following activities:

Market and network development
Participation in a presentation or exhibition opportunity
Mentorship
Internship
Specialized training or coaching
Workshops
Research activities related to professional development
Participation in conferences, residencies, seminars, or other significant events
Accessibility training or integration of access practices
Portfolio or demo reel development
Membership fees in professional associations such as ACTRA, WIFT, etc.

Ineligible Activities

Equipment purchases
Commercial or residential rent
Personal living expenses (e.g., groceries, childcare, personal debts)
Activities that have already taken place before funding approval

Who Can Apply?

This program is open to emerging, mid-career, and established Brampton-based professional artists and arts administrators. This is a non-discipline specific program and creatives from all disciplines are encouraged to apply.

The Ontario Arts Council defines a professional artist or arts professional as someone who has developed skills through training or practice, is recognized by artists working in the same artistic tradition, has a history of public presentation or publication, seeks payment for their work and actively practices their art.

We recognize that due to systemic barriers within the broader arts community (e.g. limited mainstream presentation opportunities for artists from historically disadvantaged groups such as Black, Indigenous, Person of Colour, Deaf Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Persons Living with Mental Illness, 2SLGBTQIAP, and newcomer and refugee artists) that some flexibility may be required in interpreting eligibility criteria to take into account equivalent professional experience and contexts.

Priority will be given to applicants from historically disadvantaged groups, including those who identify as Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Trans, Nonbinary, Queer, Disabled and intersections of those identities.

Eligibility Criteria:

Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.
Applicants must have a residential address within the City of Brampton and must have been located in Brampton for a minimum of 12 months prior to the date of application.

Additional Information and Accessibility Support

If you have any questions about this call or require any assistance, accommodations or additional support in completing this application, please reach out at least one week prior to the application deadline to Katy Belshaw, Head of Programming, Brampton Arts Organization at katy@bramptonartsorg.ca.

Application Submission

Interested applicants are asked to complete the application form before Sunday, November 30th, 2025, or until funds are depleted.

Please note that only applications submitted through the formal submission process will be accepted, unless otherwise previously arranged due to accessibility needs.

Apply Here

Notification

Applicants will be notified of their application status within two calendar months of submission. Communication about the status of your application will be through email.

Please note that only applications submitted through the formal application process will be accepted, unless otherwise previously arranged due to accessibility needs.

Call Opens: October 21, 2025
Application Deadline: Sunday, November 9th at 11:59 PM
Fees: FREE – zero cost to apply

Residency Honorarium: $3,000.00
Residency Dates: March 2, 2026 to April 25, 2026
Residency Location: Mount Pleasant Village Library Branch, 100 Commuter Dr, Brampton, ON L7A 0G2

Presented by the Brampton Arts Organization (BAO), Brampton Library (BL), and the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD), the Brampton Writer in Residence program provides funding of $3,000 and free, dedicated workspace to professional adult fiction writers to undertake an eight week residency at the Brampton Library, Mount Pleasant Village Branch from March 2, 2026 to April 25, 2026.

The residency requires that the successful applicant provide approximately 10 hours per week to creating and delivering three engaging programs and/or workshops and regular one-on-one appointments for the general public to review their written work. The remaining time is available for the successful writer to work on their own project.

Information Session

The information session will be held on Thursday, October 30th from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. via Zoom. The session will be recorded and posted here for viewing.

Who Can Apply?

This program is open to all Brampton-based professional artists. Employees of BAO and BL are not eligible to apply.

We recognize that due to systemic barriers within the broader arts community (e.g. limited mainstream presentation opportunities for artists from marginalized communities) that some flexibility may be required in interpreting eligibility criteria to take into account equivalent professional experience and contexts. Potential applicants from these communities (those who identify as Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Trans, Nonbinary, Queer, Disabled and intersections of those identities) are encouraged to discuss their eligibility with the program manager in advance of submitting an application.

Qualification Criteria:

Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
Preference will be given to writers based in the City of Brampton.
Consideration will be given to writers from the GTA.
Must be able to conduct the residency in-person at the Mount Pleasant Village Library Branch in Brampton.
Minimum of one adult or young adult title in fiction or non-fiction published in the last five years. Poetry and children’s literature will not be accepted.
Active in the writing profession.
Active social media presence. Will be expected to share residency workshops, events and office hours.
Experience teaching creative writing.
Demonstrated understanding of the needs of aspiring writers.
Some experience successfully developing and delivering programs, workshops, and readings.
Working on or planning to work on a new project intended for publication.
Experience working with marginalized communities.

Applications must include:

Curriculum vitae or résumé, including teaching experience and a list of publications and completed projects.
A workshop title and short description for one workshop on the business of writing.
A workshop title and short description for one workshop on the craft of writing.

Residency Requirements and Responsibilities

Available to complete an eight week residency from March 2, 2026 to April 25, 2026.
Can work 10 hours per week (flexible hybrid work schedule) for a total of 80 hours.
Develop and deliver three (3) programs along with support materials as detailed below:
- A ‘Meet the Brampton Writer in Residence’ gathering at the beginning of the eight-week residency.
- A program focused on the business side of writing (e.g. how to get published). Option to be held online.
- A program focused on the craft of writing (e.g. how to create characters). Option to be held online.
Review written work in advance of one-on-one meetings with the general public.
Deliver one-on-one meetings with general public participants to review and provide feedback on their submitted written submissions (in-person with the option to deliver some meetings by phone).
Other activities supporting program goals as agreed upon.

NOTE: As part of the residency, there will be one scheduled orientation meeting between the successful applicant, BAO and Brampton Library staff prior to the eight-week program period, and an exit interview at the end of the residency. These meetings will be a part of the total 80 hours of the residency.

Location of Residency

The Residency will take place at the Brampton Library, Mount Pleasant Village Branch, 100 Commuter Dr, Brampton, ON L7A 0G2.

The workspace is located on the main floor and is approximately 17×21 feet in dimension. The resident will have access to a desk and will be able to store materials and supplies in the room. While there is no public access to the room, on occasion, library staff may need access to the room for meetings. The room has one floor to ceiling window facing out into the library.

Accessibility: There is an accessible entrance to the library branch and accessible washrooms. There is no hands free access to the workspace.

Application and Selection Criteria

A writer will be chosen based on artistic merit, impact, and viability as expressed in the application form and submitted support materials. Applications from Brampton writers will be prioritized although writers from Peel Region and the GTA are invited to apply. Writers must conduct the residency in-person at the Mount Pleasant Village Branch Library in Brampton.

Priority will be given to applicants from marginalized groups, including those who identify as Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Trans, Nonbinary, Queer, Disabled and intersections of those identities.

Proposals and presentations cannot be disrespectful or anti- other culture, political or religious views, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, language, national or social origin, property, birth or other status such as disability, age, marital and family status, health status, place of residence, economic and social situation. Proposals or presentations should be void of any political or religious views.

Rules and Requirements:

Successful applicants will receive and sign an Artist Agreement. The Agreement will detail the terms and conditions of the funding. The Agreement must be signed and sent to BAO and BL staff prior to the start of the residency.
Funding for this residency may only be used for the purposes outlined in the application. The residency must be completed within the dates specified above.
Successful applicants will be required to undergo a Vulnerable Sector Check for any programming directly engaging participants from vulnerable sectors and, in some cases, for other programming.
Submission of a Social Insurance Number will be required. The successful applicant will receive a T4A for the funding amount.
The successful applicant is required to acknowledge the support of BAO, Brampton Library (BL), and the FOLD in all written materials related to the residency. The BAO, BL, and FOLD logos will be provided. In lieu of the logo, the recipient may use the phrase “produced with the support of the Brampton Arts Organization, Brampton Library, and the Festival of Literary Diversity.”
In addition to the general conditions mentioned above, BAO and BL reserve the right to place other conditions on the release of the funding (such as confirmation of programming, other sources of funding, etc.). Any specific conditions will be contained in the Artist Agreement.

Selection Criteria & Rubric

When evaluating applications for the Brampton Writer in Residence program, the selection committee will use the following weighted criteria to select the highest-ranked applicants to interview.

Curriculum Vitae (33.33%):
- Meets the qualifications of the Residency.
- CV includes teaching experience, a list of publications and completed projects, and links to website and social media presence.
- Minimum of one (1) published work.
Program Proposals (25%):
- Two (2) potential workshop proposals submitted as part of the application package including:
  - A program focused on the business side of writing (e.g. how to get published). Option to be held online.
  - A program focused on the craft of writing (e.g. how to create characters). Option to be held online.
- Quality and creativity of the programs proposed.
Professional Experience (16.67%):
- Experience in creative writing.
- Demonstrated understanding of the needs of aspiring writers.
- Active in the writing profession.
Community Engagement (16.67%):
- Demonstrated commitment to supporting the writing community and an understanding of working with marginalized communities.
New Project (8.33%):
- Working on or planning to work on a new project intended for publication.

Applicant Interviews

BAO and Brampton Library may shortlist up to three of the highest-ranked applicants based on the total cumulative score achieved and conduct interviews with them prior to selecting the 2026 Brampton Writer in Residence.

Selection Panel

The selection panel will consist of:

BAO Staff
Brampton Library Staff
FOLD Staff
Established Writer/s

Payment

The successful applicant for this program will be paid a one-time payment of $3,000.00 Canadian.*

*The payment is expected to cover any necessary costs or materials, and no further compensation will be made to the writer for costs associated with the program.

Additional Information and Accessibility Support

If you have any questions about this call or require assistance, accommodations or additional support to complete this application, please contact Katy Belshaw, Head of Programming at katy@bramptonartsorganization.ca at least one week before the deadline.

Application Submission

Interested applicants are asked to complete the application form before Sunday, November 9th at 11:59 p.m.

Please note that only applications submitted through the formal submission process will be accepted, unless otherwise previously arranged due to accessibility needs. You will receive a confirmation email when your application is submitted. Check your spam/junk mail folder if it doesn’t arrive in your inbox.

Apply Here

Notification

Applicants will be notified of their application status within two calendar months of the application deadline. Communication about the status of your application will be through email.

Please note that only applications submitted through the formal application process will be accepted, unless otherwise previously arranged due to accessibility needs.

Upcoming Calls for Artists

Call Opens: October 28, 2025
Fees: FREE – zero cost to apply