Craft and Visual Arts Production Grant Guidelines

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The Craft & Visual Arts Production Grant supports craft persons and visual artists in the production of creative products intended for the commercial marketplace.

The Guidelines were approved on April 1, 2026 for the 2026-27 Fiscal Year. Any amendments made after the fact will be posted here:

No changes to date.

Eligible Applicants

Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria defined in the General Guidelines.

Eligible Projects and Expenses

Applications must be in support of the production or refinement of commercially viable, creative products.
A craft product must be the original idea of the craftsperson or a skillful rendering of a traditional or classic design.
Examples of eligible art or craft products include:
- Artisan handcrafted furniture
- Basketry and wheat weaving
- Beadwork
- Calligraphy
- Candle making
- Clay and ceramics
- Dried florals
- Fibre art
- Fibre art fashion
- Glass art
- Jewellery
- Marbling art
- Metal/Lapidary art
- Mixed media
- Painting art
- Papermaking art
- Photography
  - Note: Photography provided as a service (wedding photography, family portraits, corporate photography, etc.) is not eligible.
- Printmaking
- Sculpture
- Surface printing (designs transferred to fabric using stencils, woodblocks, or silkscreens designed by the craftsperson and textile printing pigments of dyes, sewn by the craftsperson)
- Textile art and handcrafted fashions
- Woodwork art
  - If your art or craft form is not included in this list, please reach out to a Program Advisor for clarification.
Key team members’ labour to assist the applicant in producing the product(s) at demonstrated industry standard rates.
- Preference is given to hiring Saskatchewan residents. If team members beyond Saskatchewan are required for the project, rationale is required within the application.
Marketing expenses directly related to the project being applied for, no more than 10% of the total project budget.
- Please note that Creative Saskatchewan has a dedicated Marketing Grant for more robust marketing campaigns.
Production expenses must be directly related to the project and incurred during the project timeline (expenses incurred prior to the Application Receipt Date are ineligible).
Purchase or value of materials specific to the production of the products.
Studio rental fees, tool rental fees, and machinery rental fees for the production of the product (project-specific).
The applicant’s labour to produce product at demonstrated industry standard rates.
Please see the Travel Policy for eligible travel expenses.

Ineligible Projects and Expenses

Articles that require simple assembly of commercially available parts as opposed to skillful manipulation of materials.
Candles where the applicant is not creating their own molds.
Personal hygiene items (examples include bath bombs, perfume, and soap).
Commissioned works.
Crafted pieces to be used as rentals.
Manufactured (produced on a large scale using automated machinery) products.
Products produced solely by a third-party service provider.
Technology infrastructure purchases (these expenses may be eligible under Creative Saskatchewan’s Business Improvement Grant).
Shipping expenses related to distribution.
Wholesale or bulk ready-made garments, including all mass manufactured garments.
Please see the General Guidelines for a list of ineligible expenses.

Financial Participation

Applicants may be able to include the value of previously purchased consumable supplies as a portion of their contribution to the project financial structure (as a portion of the remaining 50%+ of the project budget). The applicant must provide:
- A breakdown of the cost of the materials;
- Original purchase receipt; and
- May only include the value of materials to be used for this specific project.
Funding will be in the form of a grant.
Fast tracked applicants (defined in the next section) may apply for a maximum of $20,000 or 50% of the total eligible expenses (whichever is the lesser).
Non-fast tracked applicants may apply for a maximum of $15,000 or 50% of the total eligible expenses (whichever is the lesser).
Please note, applicants may be eligible to apply for additional support through Creative Saskatchewan’s multi-sector grants:
- Marketing support is available through the Marketing Grant;
- Travel expenses to specific market opportunities can be funded through our Showcase or Sell Travel Grant; and
- Support for professional development can be obtained through our Business Improvement Grant .

Assessment

An initial review of applications is conducted by Creative Saskatchewan program staff to ensure the project and applicant meet eligibility to the program.

Fast-Tracked Applications

To be considered for fast tracking, applicants must be able to demonstrate current wholesale or consignment agreements with a minimum of 4 third-party retail outlets and/or galleries.
- The third-party retail outlets and/or galleries must have a primary purpose of promoting and selling craft and visual arts products; or specialize in the promotion and selling of the specific product.
These applications will not be subject to the external assessment process and will be considered to have met the required criteria.
Fast tracked applications may be submitted at any time, however, they must meet Creative Saskatchewan’s criteria for this grant, and all production support must be directed toward creating product for the retail outlets or galleries referenced in the supplied agreements.
Fast tracked applications will be funded in the order that they are received and as the availability of funds allows.

Externally Assessed Applications

Applications that do not qualify for fast tracked approval will be assessed by an external assessment process against the criteria for relevance, experience, and capacity, and impact as defined here.
Please note, applicants may be eligible to apply for additional support through Creative Saskatchewan’s multi-sector grants:
- Marketing support is available through the Marketing Grant;
- Travel expenses to specific market opportunities can be funded through our Showcase or Sell Travel Grant; and
- Support for professional development can be obtained through our Business Improvement Grant .

Submission Requirements and Deadlines

Please refer to the specific program page for application deadlines and instructions.
Applications to the Craft & Visual Arts Production Grant will be assessed and supported based on the availability of funds.
Incomplete applications are ineligible and will not be considered.
Creative Saskatchewan provides templates for each grant application.
- Applications that have not used and uploaded the mandatory budget template and travel itinerary template (the travel itinerary template is only required for projects that include travel expenses) will be considered incomplete and the application status will be set to Information Required.
  - Note: This status requires the application to be re-submitted by the applicant by the program deadline. Please keep in mind that applications must be re-submitted prior to the project start date.
By submitting an application for this grant, applicants confirm they have read the General Guidelines.
If awarded a grant, they will be obligated by all criteria in the General Guidelines, as well as criteria specific to this grant as described herein.

Required Acknowledgements

Recipients of a Craft & Visual Arts Production Grant must include Creative Saskatchewan’s logo on all materials related to the marketing and communications collaterals supported with use of this grant.
Successful recipients will acknowledge receipt of the grant on their professional social media platforms.
The Creative Saskatchewan logo and guidelines for acknowledgement can be found here.

Confidentiality of Information

Please refer to the General Guidelines for details of Creative Saskatchewan’s Confidentiality Policy.
If you are not awarded a grant, all information in and about your application is held in confidence.
If you are awarded a grant, your name, a description of the project and the amount of funding will be made publicly available.