EXTERNAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Please consult SFU's Funding Opportunities Database for up-to-date information on the most common grants, awards and prizes available to SFU researchers. Read on for a curated list specific to FCAT areas of research.

For tailored advice and proposal development assistance, please reach out to FCAT Research Facilitator, Kimberly O'Donnell, at kk_gilber@sfu.ca. 

A schedule of 2026-27 Tri-Council funding workshops led by Kimberly O'Donnell is available here

You can find FCAT's full calendar of workshops and deadlines here. To subscribe to this calendar, reach out to fcat_adr@sfu.ca

Tri-Council Funding

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

• Aid to Scholarly Journals
  Supports scholarly publishing in open access articles and digital distribution in social sciences and humanities. 
  Value: Up to $52,000 (established journals) or $42,400 (emerging journals)
  External deadline: September 10, 2025
• Insight Grant
  Supports long-term research initiatives to address complex issues about individuals and society and to further collective understanding.
  Value: Steam A: $10,000 - $125,000         Stream B: $125,001 - $500,000
  Duration: Up to 5 years
  External Deadline: October 1, 2025
• Partnership Development Grants
  Supports new and existing partnerships and partnership approaches that can result in best practices or models with adaptability and scalability, including related to knowledge mobilization and meaningful involvement of students and emerging scholars. 
  Value: $75,000 - $200,000
  Duration: From 1-3 years
  External Deadline: November 17, 2025
• SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Grant
  This grant aims to support researchers in mobilizing, examining and synthesizing social sciences and humanities research on how digital technologies, AI, and changing cultural landscapes are transforming the arts sector. The program aims to identify roles that academic, public, private and not-for-profit sectors can play in promoting a more inclusive and equitable arts ecosystem while addressing challenges like artist precarity, copyright protection, and digital accessibility.
  Value: $30,000
  Duration: 1 year
  External deadline: December 2, 2025

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

• Project Grant: Fall 2025
  Supports research with the greatest potential for important advances across all areas of health research, including Global Health, Indigenous Health Research, Randomized Controlled Trails, Commercialization, Interdisciplinary Research, and Specific Research Areas. 
  Value and Duration: Dependent upon project
  Registration Deadline: August 13, 2025
  External Deadline: September 10, 2025

New Frontiers in Research Fund

• 2025 Exploration Competition
  Supports high-risk, high-reward interdisciplinary research that pushes disciplinary boundaries in "outside the box" ways and aims for significant impact across scientific, artistic, cultural, social, technological, environmental or health domains.
  Value: Up to $125,000 per year
  Duration: Up to 2 years
  Notice of Intent deadline: August 19, 2025
  Full application deadline: October 21, 2025
  

Arts Councils

• A new Micro-grants Program will support professional development, career advancement, and artistic practice activities, replacing several existing programs including Professional Development for Artists and Arts Across Canada: Travel.
• A new Composite Activities Program will provide multi-year funding for complex projects spanning up to three years, supporting activities from research to presentation. This program will consolidate several existing funding streams including Explore and Create: Concept to Realization.
  

Subscribe to the Canada Council for the Arts mailing list to receive timely updates on grants, prizes, events, and resources. Click here for more information and to subscribe to further updates.