Fine craft industry development program

The Fine Craft Industry Development program is designed to promote the growth of the New Brunswick fine craft industry by assisting professional artists and industry professionals with costs associated with professional development opportunities, attending in-person and virtual industry events, brand development and market preparedness. 

Applicants can apply to one of two tracks in the program: 

A: Professional development 

B: Market development

The objectives of the program are to:

• support ongoing career growth for both emerging and experienced artisans to advance the overall sector
• equip fine craft industry entrepreneurs with the skills, resources and tools needed for success in a global market
• expand access to new markets, both within Canada and internationally

Deadlines for this program are outlined in the program call on the Arts Culture NB Portal.

Applicant eligibility

• be a fine craft industry entrepreneur and have maintained a principal residence in New Brunswick for income tax purposes for at least 12 consecutive months before the date of application to the program
• demonstrate that they are actively developing their career path and that their project will contribute to achieving this end
• demonstrate that they can carry out the proposed activities and achieve the desired results

Eligible projects

Professional Development Projects might include:

• virtual or in-person workshops and/or professional development activities, which will further professionalize the applicant
• opportunities to be mentored by an industry-recognized artisan in a related discipline. 
• preferably, this opportunity should be extended to include other fine craft industry entrepreneurs in the same discipline to maximize the benefits

Market development projects might include:

• strategic opportunities to wholesale in new strategic domestic and international markets
• initiatives that will assist in identifying and preparing to access strategic new markets and to help the applicant further develop their brand and image (product catalogs, banners, publication ads, website and other digital initiatives)

Applications submitted to this program are evaluated according to the program objectives and criteria, including general and contextual information about the organization, the nature and quality of the work outlined in the application and potential impacts.

Please refer to the guidelines on the Arts Culture NB Portal, which contain important information about this program's criteria.

For Professional Artist & Compensated at Industry Standard: the department reflects its commitment to the status of the artist (publication) across programs, including by encouraging fair remuneration for the professional engagement of artists.

Please refer to the definition of a professional artist (publication) to determine if an individual's career activities meet the criteria.

For compensation, refer to the most suitable recommended minimum fee(s) featured in a fee scale maintained by an association on the Certification Register; if no scale is available, rationale is still encouraged

In the case of disagreement concerning the interpretation of policies and programs, the department reserves the right to final interpretation of the intent and implementation of a program. The department reserves the right to revise programs at any time without notice. The Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture is subject to the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.