Microgrants & Bursaries

Honorarium funding for events

With the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council, the League provides honorarium payments directly to poets for their participation in poetry events all across Canada.

Please note that the League receives far more applications than our programs can support; poets should wait to hear the status of their application prior to booking travel, confirming for an event, or purchasing books for which they are relying on funding. 

Please read all eligibility guidelines carefully before completing an application for funding.

Hosts, organizers, and venues

All applications for event funding must be connected to a host from our database, and in-person events must be connected with a venue in our database. 

Accessibility note: We are seeking to improve database information on the accessibility of physical event spaces. If you have feedback or information on venue accessibility, please email [email protected]. You can find all venues that have specified their accessibility measures here.

Poetry readings

Various applications windows; see full details by expanding the items below.

Honoraria and travel reimbursement for poets, paid directly to the poet following the event. 

With the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council, the League provides hundreds of poets each year with honorarium payments and travel reimbursement for poetry readings.  

Book launch tours

Applications open annually in November.

Full members of the League with a new book forthcoming may reserve up to $750 in honoraria, payable in $125 increments starting April the year of the book’s release, ending in March the year following the book’s release. Applications open annually in November, for books being released the following calendar year. 

Reading series and festivals

Applications open annually in November.

Reading Series and literary festivals may be eligible to reserve up to $2,000 in honoraria for 8-16 unconfirmed readers. Readers must be Full members of the League to receive the funding, but do not have to be confirmed at the time of reservation. Honoraria are paid directly to the poets following their events. 

Poetry in schools

Various applications windows; see "How to apply" for more details.

Honoraria for poets, paid directly to the poet following the event. The League does not assist in setting up school visits; poets must arrange the visits themselves, and then apply for funding. Please note that this funding is extremely limited.

P.K. Page Mentorship Program

Applications open annually in May, with an early July deadline.

The P.K. Page Mentorship Program, supported by the P.K. Page Trust Fund for Mentoring, was established to support the League’s Associate membership in honing their skill, craft, and professional understanding of poetry in Canada. This program is exclusive to members of the League of Canadian Poets.

Workshops

Applications open annually in the late spring, with a rolling deadline until funding is disbursed.

Members of the League may apply to receive a $500 payment to facilitate a poetry-related workshop of their design. Workshops must be offered free of charge to participants. The League does not organize these workshops, but can distribute registration information.

One-on-one poetry consultations

Applications open annually in the late spring, with a rolling deadline until funding is disbursed.

Members of the League may apply to receive a $250 payment to work one-on-one with another poet and provide editorial guidance to develop skill in editing, craft, form, publishing guidance, or other essential skills for poets. The League does not organize these consultations; poets must apply for the funding with a mentee poet already confirmed.  

Bursaries

Annual Poetry Bursary

Applications open annually in May, with an early September deadline.

The League of Canadian Poets Annual Poetry Bursary provides financial support for students who are studying poetry at the post-secondary level in many formatsThis special bursary will provide $2000 in support for one year of education that has a focus on poetry at the undergraduate, graduate, or doctorate level.