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SOCAN Foundation GRANTS

SOCAN Foundation provides grants for Canadian music creators and publishers working to promote appreciation for Canadian music in today’s society. Our grants support the spread of our music both within Canada and abroad, ensuring our voices are heard all over the world and in our own back yards.

Grants for Creators, Music Publishers and Individuals

Grants for Creators, Music Publishers and Individuals


SOCAN Foundation Career Development Grant

Ongoing Deadline

The Fund is a one-time special program to help SOCAN members develop skills by accessing conferences, workshops, masterclasses, or other self-directed learning opportunities such as mentorship, research, and personal reflection.

The grant is available to all SOCAN members who have received at least two (2) SOCAN royalty payments (of any amount) in the last 12 months of applying to the program.

The SOCAN Foundation has allocated a total of $250,000, which will be available for distribution from the SOCAN Foundation Career Development Grant, of up to 850 grants of $300 each.

Applicants are encouraged to submit applications early as once funds are exhausted, the application portal will be closed.

Click here to apply.

Travel Assistance Program

Ongoing Deadline

Grants are provided to SOCAN composers, writers, and music publishers across all genres of music to assist with travel-related costs for career-building or career-defining activities in Canada or abroad.

Priority for approval will be given to applications demonstrating the importance of the activity to the applicant’s career. Activities that receive compensation are not eligible.

Activities that are self-directed are not eligible.

Activities that are eligible could include, but are not limited to:

  • award presentations;
  • important performances;
  • residencies;
  • showcases;
  • workshops.

Maximum grant levels are limited to:

  • $400 for travel between 201 and 1000 km one way;
  • $600 for travel between 1001 and 2000 km one way;
  • $800 for travel between 2001 and 5000 km one way;
  • $1000 for travel over 5000 km one way.

Applicants may receive only one (1) Travel Assistance Grant per calendar year.

Applicants that are funded by the Travel Assistance Program are ineligible to receive funding from the Professional Development Assistance Program.

To be eligible, all applicants must provide a letter of confirmation or invitation to attend the event or project activity.

To be eligible, music publishers must represent works by at least four (4) SOCAN members.

Application must be submitted before the activity starts.

Results will be announced within ten (10) weeks of the application.

Professional Development Assistance Program

Ongoing Deadline

Grants are provided to SOCAN composers, writers and music publishers across all genres of music, for upgrading their skills and knowledge or acquiring new skills and knowledge to advance their careers.

These grants may be used to pay registration and/or incidental fees associated with activities such as:

  • conferences;
  • courses;
  • seminars;
  • workshops.

To be eligible, applicants must have received two (2) SOCAN royalty payments in each of the previous three (3) calendar years.

To be eligible, music publishers must represent works by at least four (4) SOCAN members and must have received two (2) SOCAN royalty payments in each of the previous three (3) years.

Maximum grant level is limited to $1500.

Applicants may receive only one (1) Professional Development Assistance Grant every two (2) calendar year.

Applicants that are funded by the Professional Development Assistance Program are ineligible to receive funding from the Travel Assistance Program.

Application must be submitted before the activity starts.

Results will generally be announced within ten (10) weeks of submission.

Work Commissioning Assistance Grant

Next deadline: February 16, 2021 (11:59 PM EST)

Grants are provided to assist individuals, corporations, performers, ensembles, and presenters to commission SOCAN members to create new works in all genres of music.

The intent of this program is to reach beyond local, regional, provincial, and federal arts council funding bodies and encourage other members of our community (individuals, organizations or companies) to commission new musical works.

In order to be eligible, applicants must match the Work Commissioning Assistance grant with privately raised funds. The total commissioning budget may include Federal, Provincial or Municipal funding but the Work Commissioning Assistance Grant portion will only match privately raised funds. Applications that do not include a clear description of the source of the privately raised funds will be disqualified.

This grant will match funds from $1,000 to a maximum of $3,000 that the applicant will have raised during the period of the fundraising initiative. Applications may have more than one SOCAN member create the commissioned work with commissioning funds divided equally between the collaborators. Only SOCAN writer members can receive matching grant funds.

SOCAN members being commissioned cannot apply directly to this program.

A SOCAN member can only receive one (1) Work Commissioning Assistance Grant every two (2) calendar years.

To be eligible the applicant must not have a familial relationship with, nor be an employer of, the SOCAN member(s) being commissioned.
Applicants must demonstrate that the commissioned work will have a public performance and provide details as to how the SOCAN Foundation support will be acknowledged.

The application must include an agreement between the applicant and the SOCAN member(s) being commissioned indicating, at least, the following:

  • the SOCAN writer member(s) retains copyright of the commissioned work;
  • the projected commissioning fee;
  • the projected date (month, year) of completion of the work;
  • the projected date (month, year) of first public performance;
  • the funding being matched by the SOCAN Foundation is not derived from public funding;
  • the applicant will inform the SOCAN Foundation of delivery of the completed work that includes the commissioned work’s SOCAN Identification number;
  • the acknowledgment that the Work Commissioning Assistance Grant will be paid directly by the SOCAN Foundation to the SOCAN member(s) being commissioned.

The applicant may only submit one application per deadline.

Grants for Organizations

Canadian Music Assistance

Next deadline: February 16, 2021 (11:59 PM EST)

The Canadian Music Assistance Program will continue to receive applications that provide details that address the reality of delivering their application’s activity under the COVID-19 crisis.

This program nurtures an environment supportive of Canadian music creators, Canadian music publishers and audiences. This program can include:

  • Music Presentation events which can be a showcase, single concert, concert series or a festival. To be eligible these events must include at least 50% of Canadian music.
  • Education activities which can range from presenting workshops for songwriters, composers, writers and publishers to the introduction of Canadian music in schools.
  • Publication activities, which may include research and writing towards the publication of books or journals (printed or electronic), production of performance scores (printed or electronic).

Generally, this program only funds a small portion of the applicant’s budget.

Minimum grant level is $1,000. Historically, the average Canadian Music Assistance grant is $1,500.

Applicants with a long track record of successful applications to the SOCAN Foundation’s Canadian Music Assistance program may be invited to enter into a Sponsorship Agreement with the SOCAN Foundation. Historically, the average Sponsorship amount is $6,000.

Applicants may submit no more than one (1) application to this program per calendar year.

Work Commissioning Assistance Grant

Next deadline: February 16, 2021 (11:59 PM EST)

Grants are provided to assist individuals, corporations, performers, ensembles, and presenters to commission SOCAN members to create new works in all genres of music.

The intent of this program is to reach beyond local, regional, provincial, and federal arts council funding bodies and encourage other members of our community (individuals, organizations or companies) to commission new musical works.

In order to be eligible, applicants must match the Work Commissioning Assistance grant with privately raised funds. The total commissioning budget may include Federal, Provincial or Municipal funding but the Work Commissioning Assistance Grant portion will only match privately raised funds. Applications that do not include a clear description of the source of the privately raised funds will be disqualified.

This grant will match funds from $1,000 to a maximum of $3,000 that the applicant will have raised during the period of the fundraising initiative. Applications may have more than one SOCAN member create the commissioned work with commissioning funds divided equally between the collaborators. Only SOCAN writer members can receive matching grant funds.

SOCAN members being commissioned cannot apply directly to this program.

A SOCAN member can only receive one (1) Work Commissioning Assistance Grant every two (2) calendar years.

To be eligible the applicant must not have a familial relationship with, nor be an employer of, the SOCAN member(s) being commissioned.
Applicants must demonstrate that the commissioned work will have a public performance and provide details as to how the SOCAN Foundation support will be acknowledged.

The application must include an agreement between the applicant and the SOCAN member(s) being commissioned indicating, at least, the following:

  • the SOCAN writer member(s) retains copyright of the commissioned work;
  • the projected commissioning fee;
  • the projected date (month, year) of completion of the work;
  • the projected date (month, year) of first public performance;
  • the funding being matched by the SOCAN Foundation is not derived from public funding;
  • the applicant will inform the SOCAN Foundation of delivery of the completed work that includes the commissioned work’s SOCAN Identification number;
  • the acknowledgment that the Work Commissioning Assistance Grant will be paid directly by the SOCAN Foundation to the SOCAN member(s) being commissioned.

The applicant may only submit one application per deadline.

Annual Operations Assistance

Grants are provided annually to not-for-profit member service organizations representing Canadian music creators and music publishers to support operating activities.

Applicants must have an established history within the Canadian music community, or have previously received substantial project funding from the SOCAN Foundation. Please note that, other than for exceptional projects, recipients of Annual Operations Assistance grants are ineligible to apply for other funding from the SOCAN Foundation.

List of current Annual Operations Assistance recipients:

July 6, 2021 in Uncategorized