Trellis Micro-grants: Round 3 Update
The TMG Round 3 thank-you graphic. Design: Fred Azeredo.
Montreal, December 17 — It’s official! Submissions for the third round of Trellis Micro-grants has closed. This round has surpassed all our expectations, and we can’t wait to move into the jury process and discover the projects that will ultimately receive funding in the end! One thing’s for sure: there will be very tough choices ahead!
We began laying the groundwork for the announcement in September, with much-appreciated promotional assistance from sister organizations like the Quebec Drama Federation and Quebec Writers’ Federation. The first item on our list was the call for jurors, which went out on September 1st and wrapped up on the 30th. We received a whopping 74 applications to join the jury, from incredibly talented artists spanning every discipline and every corner of Quebec. From these, we selected 27 exceptional jurors—also a very tough choice!
Shortly after, on October 20th, we began the call for applications proper. This year marked our first experiment with a new submission process, involving an initial registration form followed by a personalized application folder. This allowed applicants to work on their application right up until the deadline if they so chose, with no submission button or email to send, a far smoother process. What’s more, applicants got the chance to anonymize their own applications according to our guidelines which will save assessment time without our team having to anonymize submissions after the fact.
Understandably, a lot of folks had questions about the new system, so we were on hand to answer any such queries. The anonymization requirements were the ones people most wondered about, including why we thought to include them. Fundamentally, anonymization is about removing bias from the jury process; making it so that name-dropping or personal connections are less important than the intrinsic worth of the project itself. That’s how we’ve funded smaller, diverse, often undervalued arts organizations like Arts Arundel and West-Can Folk Performing Company along with more familiar institutions like the Segal Centre and ARCMTL. I’m sure that’s a pattern we’ll keep up in Round 3!
When applications finally wrapped on November 21st, we tallied up and found we’d received a truly jaw-dropping 370 total applications: 86 from organizations and 284 from artists. After ascertaining the completeness and eligibility of each one, valid applications will be sent to the jury for the adjudication process to begin. Each application will be first judged by a pod jury of artists from the appropriate discipline, with the most highly rated forwarded to a final jury (consisting of one artist from each pod) to make the final funding decisions. This entire process will take place in early 2026, with results expected in mid-March. Rest assured, you’ll hear from us regardless of the outcome!
Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your wonderful ideas with us. We continue to be amazed by the incredible work coming out of the community every year!