Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec

What Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec does

Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) is a Quebec government state agency established in 1994 under the Loi sur le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, with a statutory mandate to support the creation, experimentation, production, and dissemination of professional arts and literary works across all regions of the province. The agency funds individual professional artists (including writers, architects, independent curators, and practitioners across performing, media, visual, multidisciplinary, literary, and craft disciplines) as well as non-profit arts organizations and professional associations, reaching more than 1,800 artist projects and approximately 900 organizations annually with an FY2024-2025 disbursement budget of 178.6 million CAD. Its program portfolio spans artist grants (Bourses aux artistes), mission support (Soutien à la mission) for organizations, territorial partnership agreements with regional MRCs, international mobility and residency programs, specialized streams for Indigenous, culturally diverse, and disabled artists, peer-jury prizes, and the Action Plan on Current Arts Diffusion (nearly 5 million CAD committed over 2025-2028).

CALQ's go-to-market is event- and program-driven rather than sales-driven: programs are promoted through the official website, social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky, YouTube), a monthly email newsletter, and in-person outreach at arts events. Applications are submitted and managed through Mon dossier CALQ, an electronic services portal (PES) using the Quebec government's SAG authentication system, which also handles reporting and accountability. The agency is funded entirely through annual legislative appropriations from the Government of Quebec and does not charge fees or generate commercial revenue; there is no parent company, subsidiary, or venture funding structure. With 74 employees and offices in Québec City and Montréal, CALQ's business model is effectively that of a public fund administrator whose "customers" are grant recipients and whose "revenue" is the provincial budget envelope allocated each fiscal year.

Name

Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec

Legal name

Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec

Website

https://calq.gouv.qc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CALQ is a Quebec government state agency, founded in 1994, that distributes approximately 178.6 million CAD annually in grants, bursaries, and mission support to professional artists and non-profit arts organizations across all Quebec regions and disciplines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Arts Funding / Arts Council Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Arts funding
• Government grants
• Artist bursaries
• Arts council
• Literary support

Headquarters

HQ city

Quebec City

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Funding / Government Grants: CALQ is a Quebec government public funding body. It does not generate commercial revenue. It receives an annual budget from the government of Quebec (approximately $178.6 million in 2024-2025) and distributes this as grants, bursaries, and mission support to professional artists and non-profit arts organizations across Quebec.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) is a Quebec government agency that distributes public funding through grants, bursaries, and mission support to professional artists and non-profit arts organizations across all regions of Quebec. It administers a portfolio of programs covering creation, experimentation, production, dissemination, international touring, residencies, and recognition prizes for the professional arts and literary community.

Product overview

The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) operates as a government arts funding agency providing financial support to professional artists and non-profit arts organizations across Quebec. The primary product is the grant administration ecosystem centered on Mon dossier CALQ, an electronic services portal for application submission and management. The portfolio includes artist grants (Bourses aux artistes), mission support for organizations (Soutien à la mission), territorial partnerships with regional MRCs, international mobility programs, studios and residencies abroad, First Nations arts programs, and prize recognition (Prix et distinctions). These programs collectively support creation, experimentation, production, and dissemination of professional arts and literature across all Quebec regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mon dossier CALQ Online portal enabling professional artists and arts organizations in Quebec to submit grant applications, track application status, update contact information, manage supporting materials, and submit accountability reports digitally, with authentication via Quebec's SAG system.
• Bourses aux artistes (Artist Grants Program) Comprehensive grant program providing financial support to professional artists across all regions of Quebec at various stages of their professional careers, covering creation, experimentation, production, and dissemination activities.
• Soutien à la mission (Mission Support) Financial support program for non-profit arts organizations providing ongoing operational funding for their artistic mission and programming activities.
• Soutien aux sorties scolaires en milieu culturel (School Outreach Support) Program enabling arts presenting organizations to reach young audiences through school-focused professional performances and exhibitions during the 2026-2027 school year.
• Studios et résidences (Studios and Residencies) International residency programs placing Quebec artists in foreign cultural institutions for creative stays, including programs with Mexico, Chile, France, and New Brunswick.
• Arts autochtones (First Nations Arts) Specialized funding programs supporting Indigenous artists, including the Re-Connaître program, tailored to the realities of First Nations artistic practices.
• Prix et distinctions (Prizes and Distinctions) Recognition programs including the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec and CALQ Prizes worth $15,000 awarded by peer juries to recognize excellence in professional arts.
• International Programs Funding for international touring, artist residencies abroad, and market development to support Quebec artists' global presence.
• Partenariats territoriaux (Territorial Partnerships) Regional partnership agreements providing funding aligned with specific Quebec regions including Montreal, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, and Capitale-Nationale.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $178.6 million allocated annually to the Quebec arts community (2024-2025)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Théâtre l'EscaouettecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Théâtre l'Escaouette (Moncton, New Brunswick) to offer a writing residency for emerging playwrights from Quebec. The residency takes place in January-February at the theatre, which was founded in 1978 and is a major actor in Acadian and francophone theatre in Canada. An Acadian playwright will reciprocally be hosted in Quebec by Sortie de secours and Premier Acte.
• Sortie de secourscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Sortie de secours to host an Acadian emerging playwright in Quebec as part of the reciprocal exchange with Théâtre l'Escaouette's residency program for Quebec playwrights.
• Premier ActecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Premier Acte to host an Acadian emerging playwright in Quebec as part of the reciprocal exchange with Théâtre l'Escaouette's residency program for Quebec playwrights.
• KIKK Festival (Namur, Belgium)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the KIKK Festival in Namur, Belgium for a cross-disciplinary residency in arts, sciences, and technologies, in collaboration with Centre Bang (Saguenay) and Recto-Verso / Mois Multi (Québec).
• Centre Bang (Saguenay)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Centre Bang in Saguenay for the cross-disciplinary residency in arts, sciences, and technologies, alongside the KIKK Festival (Namur) and Recto-Verso / Mois Multi (Québec).
• Recto-Verso / Mois Multi (Québec)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Recto-Verso / Mois Multi in Québec for the cross-disciplinary residency in arts, sciences, and technologies, alongside the KIKK Festival (Namur) and Centre Bang (Saguenay).
• Cube Garges (France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Cube Garges in Île-de-France, France for a two-month residency (February-March 2027) exploring connections between art, society, and technology through collaborative and community-based approaches. The residency supports artists in open, collaborative practices anchored in the territory.
• MRC de la Capitale-NationalecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTerritorial partnership agreement (Entente de partenariat territorial) with the MRC de la Capitale-Nationale for arts and letters, renewed in 2026.
• Ville de MontréalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the City of Montréal supporting 23 projects with eco-responsible or pooling initiatives in 2026.
• Various Quebec MRCs and regionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCALQ has territorial partnership agreements (ententes de partenariat territorial) with multiple MRCs across Quebec regions including Abitibi-Témiscamingue and others, providing regional arts and letters funding tailored to local needs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Toronto Arts Council: Municipal arts funder for Toronto artists and organizations. Operates the same grant-making model but in a different province and city; useful comparator for municipal-level arts funding rather than direct Quebec competition.

Direct peers

• Canada Council for the Arts: The federal Canadian arts funding body with a near-identical mandate of supporting creation, production, and dissemination of professional arts across Canada. Operates with comparable grant programs, peer-jury evaluation, and government appropriation funding model.
• Ontario Arts Council: Ontario's provincial arts funding agency, offering grants to artists and arts organizations with a similar program architecture (artist grants, organizational mission support, regional programs). Closest provincial peer in scale and structure.
• Conseil des arts de Montréal: Municipal arts funding body serving Montreal-based artists and organizations with grant programs, residencies, and territorial partnerships. Highly comparable in mission, operating geography overlap, and program design.
• British Columbia Arts Council: British Columbia's provincial arts funding agency offering comparable grants to artists and organizations. Similar role within BC's arts ecosystem and comparable program breadth across disciplines.
• Alberta Foundation for the Arts: Alberta's provincial arts funding body providing grants to individual artists and arts organizations. Comparable mandate and provincial-government funding structure despite serving a different province.
• Nova Scotia Arts Council: Nova Scotia's provincial arts funding body offering grants and awards to professional artists and organizations. Same model of government-funded provincial arts council supporting creation and dissemination.
• Manitoba Arts Council: Manitoba's provincial arts funding agency with grants for artists and organizations. Smaller scale than CALQ but structurally and operationally comparable as a provincial grantmaker.

Broad incumbents

• Arts Council England: England's national development agency for arts and culture, distributing public funds to artists and organizations. Comparable as a government-funded arts funder with national rather than provincial scope.
• National Endowment for the Arts: The US federal arts funding agency. Larger in mandate and geography but operates an analogous model of government appropriations disbursed as grants to artists and arts organizations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/LeCALQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/LeCALQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lecalq
• Instagraminstagram.com/LeCALQ

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec