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.
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 info@poets.ca. 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.
Applications for funding for events taking place between September 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027 will open July 1, 2026.
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.
- For events taking place in April, May, June, July, and August, and September, applications open January 15 annually and are open until approximately February 15
- For events taking place in October, November, December, January, February, and March, applications open July 1 annually and are open until approximately August 1
- A maximum of $300 travel reimbursement is available per funded event, payable directly to the poet. Mileage reimbursement will be calculated from the poet’s address to the address of the venue, and reimbursed at $0.60/km. Travel reimbursement may support travel such as flying, bus or train travel, ferries, driving, and public transit, as well as rideshares (eg. Uber, Lyft) or carshares (eg. Communauto, Zipcar) for accessibility purposes.
- No meal or accommodation reimbursement is available
- Honorarium rates are as follows:
- Solo feature: $250
- Group event with reading longer than 15 minutes: $250
- Group event with reading up to 15 minutes: $125
In 2026, the League will celebrate its 60th anniversary - a milestone made possible thanks to a truly unparalleled backbone of members, volunteers, donors, friends, and supporters.
To celebrate six decades of community, the League will distribute more than $20,000 to our members gathering at 60 in-person events all across Canada throughout 2026.
Find out more and apply: https://poets.ca/60events
Event funding for National Poetry Month 2026, presented in partnership with Native Women in the Arts, is reserved to support events featuring Indigenous poets and performers.
Events may be multi-disciplinary, but should have a focus on poetry and storytelling by Indigenous creators. Funding is available for honoraria, limited travel and accommodation, and limited venue cost reimbursement. Find out more through the application form linked on this page.
- Applications for funding for National Poetry Month events open January 15 each year, and are open until approximately February 15
- National Poetry Month events may take place anywhere in Canada, online or in person
- Funding for National Poetry Month events is available for members and non-members
- Non-members and associate members may apply to receive one $125 honorarium for an event celebrating National Poetry Month
- No travel funding is available to non-members and associate members
Due to a far greater demand for funding than our programs can support, poets are often limited to receiving approval for only one honorarium.
Funding is disbursed with the goal of equitable distribution, and is not first-come, first-served. No application is guaranteed to be approved.
No organizer/host may receive more than $500 in funding for events in April (National Poetry Month).
National Poetry Month reading applications are open January 15 - February 15 annually.
Applications for Full member honoraria for events in April - September are open January 15 - February 15 annually.
Applications for Full member honoraria for events in September - March are open July 1 - August 1 annually.
- Applications must be submitted during an open application window.
- Poets may submit the application for funding for an event they are a part of
- Virtual events must be organized by a Canadian host, whether an individual or organization
- In-person events must be taking place in Canada
- Please note that we cannot fund the following:
- Events that are not open to the public (eg. closed University/College events, closed membership events)
- Applications submitted by publishers
- Events that do not feature a live poetry reading; if you are planning a workshop, check out our workshop & consultation fund
- Non-live events (eg. prerecorded readings or events); please contact admin@poets.ca if non-live events are the only format available to you and you are seeking funding
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.
- Applicants must be full members of the League
- Books must be forthcoming in the following year
- Applications open in November annually for events taking place in April and beyond in the following year
- Applications remain open until approximately early December
- Applicants will know the status of their request by approximately January 10
Reading series and festivals
Applications open annually in November.
Eligible reading series and literary festivals may apply for funding of up to $2,000 in honoraria support 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.
- Applicants must be an established reading series or festival, with at least one previous successful year of operating.
- Series or festivals may not receive funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, or the Toronto Arts Council. If your series receives funding from a municipal, provincial, or national funder, please reach out to nicole@poets.ca to discuss your eligibility.
- Individuals who organize multiple series or festivals are only eligible to reserve funding for one series or festival.
- Applicants with a history of misusing reserved funding may be denied
- Readers must be Full members of the League to receive the funding, but do not have to be confirmed at the time of reservation.
- Approved funding may not be disbursed to the applicant, and will be paid directly to participating poets.
- Applications open in November annually, for events taking place in April and beyond in the following year
- Applications remain open until approximately January 5
- Applicants will know the status of their request prior to January 15, when the general funding application window opens
Antler River Poetry (London ON)
Biannual International Writers and Artists Festival (Val-David QC)
Death Rides a Unicorn events (Toronto, Vancouver)
Mashed Poetics (BC)
Poetry Hornby Island (BC)
Riverbed Reading Series (Ottawa)
Third Thursday Reading Series (Cobourg)
Transgender Expressions Haven: Centre for Transgender Creativity
Valley Voices (Okanagan Valley BC)
VERS/E (Edmonton)
Poetry in schools
The League is currently accepting applications for school visits taking place during April, May or June 2026.
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.
- Funding is available for visits to schools in Ontario only
- Poets must be full members of the League, or associate members with professional experience in education
- The League provides $250 honoraria for half-day class visits, and $500 for full-day class visits
- In one funding year (April - March), no school may receive support for visits totaling more than $2,000
- Poets may receive up to $2,000 in honoraria for school visits in one funding year
- Funding is disbursed with a priority for supporting the greatest diversity of schools, regions, and poets
Please note that the League's funding year runs from April to March; the school year falls into two different funding years.
- Applications for funding for visits in April, May, and June open in late February annually
- Applications for funding for visits in September through to March typically open in the summer
Applicants must be able to provide contact information for a teacher or administrator with their application to confirm class visit details.
If applications are open, a link to apply will be live at poets.ca/funding.
Mentorship microgrants
P.K. Page Mentorship Program
2026 applications open May 14, with a June 30 deadline.
The P.K. Page Mentorship Program, supported by the P.K. Page Trust Fund, 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.
Every year, 5 mentors and 5 mentees are selected to complete a 12-hour mentorship. Mentees and mentors will meet (likely digitally) to discuss a poetry work-in-progress as agreed upon prior to the mentorship start date.
Some examples of appropriate mentorship content are:
- Development and editing of a poetry manuscript or collection of poems
- The study and practice of a new form of poetry
- Development of a new style
- Review of a poetry manuscript
- Development of professional skills related to poetry publishing
The mentorship structure is flexible but must be agreed upon between mentor and mentee prior to the start date.
Selected participants will be provided with a mentorship agreement form to complete and sign.
- Established poets with two or more trade publications of poetry
- Mentors must be Full or Life members of the League of Canadian Poets.
- Mentors will provide 12 hours of support to a mentee, to be completed by the February following approval, and will receive an honorarium of $500.
- The ideal mentor has some experience providing editorial feedback to other poets, and some experience working with emerging poets.
- Eligible poets must be Associate or Student members of the League of Canadian Poets.
- Poets will complete an application that includes a CV, cover letter outlining what they hope to receive from their mentorship, and sample of poems.
If applications for this program are open, a link to submit an application will be available above this informational menu.
LCP Webinar Series
Applications and pitches to the LCP Webinar Series are accepted annually starting in May.
The LCP Webinar Series is an online professional development workshop series offered free to League members and open to non-members for a fee.
The Series includes the League’s popular Fall Intensive; a collection of curated workshops offered annually in November.
Members of the League may submit pitches for the LCP Webinar Series. Successful applicants will receive an honorarium in addition to tech support, marketing, and registration services to execute their proposed workshop.
Program Details
- Workshops in the LCP Webinar Series are intended to introduce a new skill, form, editing method, or perspective to support the development of poetic craft or related skills.
- Workshop facilitators must be full members of the League.
- Workshops may occur as part of the LCP Webinar Series Fall Intensive or as a stand-alone workshop.
- Workshop facilitators will receive a $250 honorarium for a one-hour workshop, or a $500 honorarium for a two-hour workshop.
- Successful applicants must provide all workshop content in advance of the session, including, at a minimum, a slide deck presentation.
- Workshops are recorded and available to members and registrants.
- Workshops funded through this program must be presented by March 31, 2027.
- Applications to this program are open until July 7, 2026.
The application form will require:
- A short background of your skills and experience, including any experience you have as a workshop leader and/or facilitator
- 1-2 paragraphs outlining the kind of support you will provide as a workshop leader (eg. editing, poetry development, teaching new forms, publication advice, promotion and touring advice, etc.)
- In your pitch, please consider workshop title and description, length of workshop, structure of your workshop, audience, and workshop learning objectives.
If applications for this program are open, a link to submit an application will be available above this informational menu.
One-on-one poetry consultations
Winter 2024-2025 update: This program is no longer operating; mentors and mentees should look at the P.K. Page Mentorship Program for mentorship opportunities.