The Flying Squad: An Assistance Program for Book Publishers
GUIDELINES
Program Objectives
The program will enable book publishers to take advantage of consultancy services to advise or assist them with an aspect of internal organizational challenges, opportunities or new developmental directions. The consultants will recommend measures or a plan of action, and will leave the full responsibility for implementing the recommended changes with the book publisher. The Flying Squad coordinators and the Canada Council will not be accountable for the advice given by consultants.
The specific objectives of this program are to:
- assist book publishers to achieve targeted organizational development
- assist publishers to enhance professional skills and develop systems within the publishing community.
The program has two components:
I. Organizational Research and Planning – Publishers may apply for funds to contribute to costs associated with research and planning related to their organizational development. Eligible costs include travel, accommodation, per diem expenses and consultants’ fees.
II. Mentorship – Publishers may apply for funds to allow their personnel to be mentored at another publishing company by a book publishing professional. A clear and substantial plan defining the timelines and terms of the mentorship arrangement must be established by both parties.
Program Priorities
All eligible book publishers are encouraged to apply for support of activities that meet an organizational development need. This includes applicants that are geographically isolated, are undergoing restructuring or reorganization, are in transition, are experiencing a growth spurt, or represent culturally diverse or Aboriginal communities.
Applicants that wish to hire a foreign specialist or participate in a foreign mentorship must demonstrate that appropriate expertise is not available in Canada.
This program of the Canada Council for the Arts is accessible to Aboriginal artists or arts organizations and artists or arts organizations from diverse cultural and regional communities of Canada.
Eligibility
Eligible Activities
Application may be made for research, planning, professional development, or mentoring assistance in the area of book publishing, including:
- editorial planning and development
- strategic planning
- general management and business development
- marketing strategies
- book production management
- financial management
- board management
- ownership transition planning.
While the research and planning phases of the above-mentioned activities are eligible for support when done in collaboration with a specialist or a mentor, their implementation is considered to be part of the ongoing operations of organizations and is not eligible for assistance (for example, planning a new marketing strategy is eligible, but implementing it is not).
Eligible Candidates
Component I – Organizational Research and Planning
To be eligible to apply to Component I, publishers must have received a grant from one of these Canada Council programs during the past three years: Book Publishing Support Program: Block Grants or Emerging Publisher Grants.
Component II – Mentorship
Applicant organizations must meet all of the eligibility criteria for Component I, and the individuals being mentored must meet all of the following criteria. They must:
- be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, as defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada
- be a book publishing professional
- demonstrate the ability to adhere to the full terms of the mentorship agreement (by submitting a mentorship development plan signed by both parties and the senior manager of the applicant organization).
Restrictions
Applicants that wish to work with more than one specialist under Component I must accommodate this within one application and must still respect the maximum allowable amount for one application.
Applicants that have already received a Canada Council grant must submit their final report on that grant before applying for a subsequent grant.
Application Deadlines
15 April and 15 October
Applications and all required support material must be postmarked no later than the deadline date. If the date falls on a weekend or statutory holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.
The Canada Council will not accept applications postmarked after the deadline date, incomplete applications, or applications submitted by fax or email.
Applicants will be notified of the results by mail approximately two to three months after the deadline date. Note that for privacy reasons, the Canada Council does not release results of competitions by telephone or email.
Grant Amount
The maximum grant amounts that will be awarded are $10,000 per project, including a maximum of $2,000 for travel/accommodation/per diem expenses.
Exceptional projects may be eligible to receive a higher grant amount.
Under Component II, the program will generally cover a maximum of $600 per week toward the salary of the person being mentored, as well as an honorarium of $200 a week (to a maximum of $1,000) for the mentor. Other eligible expenses include travel, accommodation and per diem allowances. Applicants requesting a salary contribution must demonstrate their need for this support (for example, they are taking unpaid leave to undertake the mentorship).
In exceptional cases, organizations may receive conditional approval for a multi-year or a multi-phase project.
Retroactive funding is not available. Organizations may apply only for support of activities that take place after the application deadline for this program.
How to Apply
Applicants must contact a Flying Squad coordinator to discuss their proposed project before submitting an application. Application forms are availabe at the following link or by contacting a Flying Squad coordinator as indicated at the end of this page.
The Flying Squad Assistance Program for Book Publishers (PDF format). This form cannot be filled out on line but can be printed.
Submissions must include the following, depending on the component you are applying to:
- a project proposal identifying the organizational development challenges and opportunities specific to your organization
- your organization’s mission statement and a description of its major achievements
- a detailed work plan that identifies your organization’s personnel and any specialists to be engaged for each phase of the project
- budget information, including details on any requests you are making for this project to other funding programs
- background material on the specialist/mentor and a resumé of the person who will be mentored (for Component II)
- a letter from the chosen specialist or mentor confirming his or her agreement to participate in the project if the grant is approved.
Originals should not be submitted. The Flying Squad coordinators are not responsible for the loss or damage, whatever the cause, of material submitted in support of an application. Submitted material will not be returned to you.
If you wish your application to remain confidential, you must specifically request confidentiality on the application form. When requested, the Canada Council will keep application files, project outcomes and final reports confidential. In addition, conversations with the Flying Squad coordinators, consultants’ reports, and details about unsuccessful applications are always kept confidential.
But since the Canada Council is a publicly accountable agency, the following elements are never kept confidential: name of applicant, component applied for, amount of request, amount of grant, and grant notification letters indicating a successful application.
Assessment of Applications
Assessment Process
Eligible applications will be evaluated in a national comparative context, by a peer assessment committee. The committee will consist of professionals with expertise in various areas of book publishing and arts management. The committee members will also be chosen to ensure balanced representation of gender, regional and cultural diversity, and Aboriginal peoples.
Assessment Criteria
The committee will base its review of applications on the following criteria:
I. Organizational Research and Planning
- clarity of the applicant’s analysis of its organizational development needs
- suitability of the consultant chosen to assist the applicant
- quality of the work plan
- feasibility of achieving the projected goals and outcomes.
II. Mentorship
- clarity of the goals of the mentorship
- suitability of the chosen mentor
- quality of the work plan for the mentorship period
- expected effect of the applicant’s mentorship on their publishing activities.
Payment and Grant Conditions
Grants will be paid in one instalment.
Successful applicants must submit a final report on the use of their grant. The report must be submitted on the form provided by the Canada Council, within three months of the date indicated on the application form as the end date of the project.
Acknowledgement of Canada Council Support
In appropriate written materials, grant recipients must acknowledge the assistance of this program and the Canada Council for the Arts.
Further Information
For more information, contact one of the Flying Squad coordinators listed below. You should do this well in advance of the application deadlines.
Flying Squad Coordinators:
Roy MacSkimming (Anglophone publishers)
Francine d’Entremont (Francophone publishers)
Telephone: 1-866-359-7782 (toll-free) or 613-566-4443. Messages can be left for the coordinators, as instructed by the voice message system. Calls are usually returned within 48 hours. (The Flying Squad coordinators are external to the Canada Council and cannot be directly reached at the Canada Council’s numbers.)
TTY (TDD) machine for hearing-impaired callers: 613-565-5194
Email: roy.macskimming@canadacouncil.ca
Fax: 613-566-4410
Writing and Publishing Section
Canada Council for the Arts
350 Albert Street, P.O. Box 1047
Ottawa ON K1P 5V8
August 2008