Artist Development
The Artist Development program (AD) offers 75% of eligible expenses up to a maximum of $5,000 towards a year of artist development activities including sound recording, touring, showcasing, video content production, and marketing.
This program is intended to provide support towards the professionalization and integration of early career artists into the music industry. Artists with an established track record and ongoing market momentum should review the Juried Sound Recording: Album or Juried Sound Recording: Single/EP programs.
In order to fill out an Artist Development application in the FACTOR online system, you will first need a rated Artist Profile and Applicant Profile.
With your Artist Development application, you must submit:
An MP3 of a recent demo along with lyrics, known as the assessment track.
A current artist biography.
An artist development plan, which sets out all the intended artist development activities to be undertaken if the project is approved for funding. The artist development plan questions are incorporated into the application on the portal.
Components in this program
This program consists of the Artist Development component.
Program Components
Deadlines
The March 6 intake deadline for fiscal 2025-2026 has passed.
Please note:
Artists may only apply to one juried program (either Artist Development, Juried Sound Recording: Single/EP, or Juried Sound Recording: Album) being offered for a fiscal year (April 1 – March 31).
Read FACTOR’s Glossary of Standard Terms and Business Policies
Funding & Payments
FACTOR will reimburse 75% of the eligible costs up to $5,000. To receive the full grant, applicants must complete the activities set out in an artist development plan, and be able to prove that they incurred at least $6,667 worth of eligible expenses (including Donated Services) during the Artist Development year.
FACTOR will allow a claim for Artist’s Donated Services of up to $500 for this program. Beyond that, FACTOR will only recognize costs actually paid to third parties. Artists who do not intend to spend money on third-party costs are not eligible for this program.
Assessment Process
Assessment materials, including the mandatory artist development plan, are reviewed and scored by a jury comprised of music industry professionals. The top-scoring applications are then reviewed by FACTOR staff, who assess the eligibility of the projects and make a recommendation to the Board of Directors for their approval. Assessment time is up to 12 weeks from the deadline and may be affected by number of submissions and juror availability.
Ready to apply?
- Read the Program Guidelines:
Download PDF - Learn About
Profiles & Ratings - Learn About
How to Apply - Sign in to access your
application