FAQs

Organization Criteria

• Be a BC-based arts, culture, or heritage non-profit organization or collective 
• Have two people from the organization commit to working together in the program for one year
• Commit to supporting participants in implementing more equitable practices into the organization 

Participant Criteria

• Be interested and invested in ongoing learning about access and equity
• Be in a position to influence change within their organization
• Be willing to provide feedback and contribute to the shaping of this program 
• Agree to the program code of conduct

Visit the Apply page to find out more.

There is no cost to participate in the Pathways program. There is the option to contribute to or access funds through a mutual aid/community care model. We invite you to learn more about our Community Care program and how you might contribute to or access it.

Please visit the Community Care page to find out more.

Both participants from your organization must commit to a minimum of 5 hours per month for one year. This is the minimum time commitment we have found to be necessary for the program to have an impact on your organization. 

Note: This minimum is set for organizations with very low capacity; the expectation is that organizations with greater capacity will commit additional time. 

Pathways has been supporting a diverse array of arts, culture, and heritage organizations that reflect different disciplines, regions, communities, sizes, access to learning opportunities, and stages of their equity journeys.

Though participation is open to any BC-based arts, culture, and heritage organizations, we hold 50% of spaces for equity-deserving communities.

Interested organizations complete an application form and have a discovery call with a Pathways team member. This is to help the program team ensure that we have many different voices and lived experiences in the program.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling intake. To see intake timelines and to apply, click here.

Pathways is complex and, at times, may have more or fewer organizations per cycle based on need and capacity. There are usually 70 spaces split between a September program start and a January program start. Intake will be prioritized to ensure a diversity of participants, including small-to-medium-sized organizations across the province that have limited resources or historically lacked access to opportunities.

Equity and access work is ongoing and does not end. This program is designed for organizations that are at all stages of learning, from just beginning this work to organizations that are leading in the field and are focused on furthering their work. Pathways invites participants to join a community of learners, which will allow for relationship building and peer learning.

Through the Pathways program and other work, a clear theme emerged: organizational and sectoral change isn’t something easily accomplished by one person. Change requires collaboration to be sustainable. By participating with a partner, each person will have access to someone within the organization to share ideas and provide support. Participants must be committed to being able to work together and come into the program with an established good working relationship. 

Organizations are able to send any two individuals (staff, volunteers, or contractors) who are committed to learning, reflection, and taking action, and are in a position to influence change in their organization. This journey will be unique to your organization.. We encourage organizations to select individuals who will be best positioned to support action within the organization during and after the program and who are supported in sharing their learning and ideas with the broader organization. Please reach out to us if you need help selecting participants. [email protected]

In order to ensure that program Guides have sufficient time and capacity to support the individuals in the program, we cannot allow more than two people per participating organization to participate in cohort-based programs and Guide sessions. However, many of the resources shared in this program are open and freely accessible to everyone.

We encourage the participating individuals to share their learnings with their broader communities and organizations and invite others to the open learning opportunities. We also encourage organizations with additional capacity to plan larger internal group reflection and implementation sessions throughout the year

Yes! There is no maximum number of hours you can put into this program. Participants will have the opportunity to co-create a learning plan with their Guide, which will include the number of hours they may wish to commit. The Pathways team works to compile learning opportunities such as resources, recordings, workshops, online courses, and readings that focus on a wide range of topics important for equity and access. Individuals participating in the Pathways Program will have access to curated resources and live-training opportunities to expand and continue their learning journeys.

Organizations will work with a program Guide to co-create a year-long learning plan. We recognize that many organizations have times of year when their capacity is completely maxed out. The goal of this program is to balance continual learning with the realities of operating small to medium-sized arts, culture, and heritage organizations.

Yes. Although there will be an overall plan and goals for the organization, the two participants may have different learning styles, schedules, or amounts of time to commit to the program. Everyone entering the program will have their own experience; the two participants may be at different places in terms of equity and access.

Yes! We created a few case studies as examples. WORD or PDF

At this time, we won’t be issuing certificates to individuals or organizations who complete the program. We believe the kind of learning and transformation Pathways supports is continuous, and a certificate might suggest that the work is finished, when really, this is just one part of a lifelong journey of learning and change-making.

Instead, each participant will be encouraged to download their reflections and recommended resources from their time in the program. This package will offer a tangible way to capture your insights, growth, and support participants in articulating their experience and progress.

Pathways does not include consulting services. Pathways is centred on building a community of practice around themes of equity and access, providing space and opportunity for learning and reflecting. While Guides provide one-on-one support, they do not act as equity and access consultants or replace the need to hire a professional to do deep policy work or strategic planning.

Your Guide will support you through the year: to identify learning goals and opportunities; to reflect on what you are learning and approaching through your work in Pathways; and to support you as you make decisions on how to best implement what you are learning into your work and organization. You will have the opportunity to join a peer cohort group that meets monthly, providing discussion topics, open dialogue, and peer support.

No, this program is open to not-for-profit arts, culture, and heritage organizations in British Columbia. Please see program criteria HERE.

If you are unsure of your eligibility, please contact us at [email protected] and we can help answer your questions.

Pathways-participating organizations are not publicly disclosed. A list of participating organizations is included in reports to program funders, but does not include the names of individual participants, or specific themes or outcomes for the organizations.

During or after concluding the program, an organization or participant might share a public testimonial or statement (eg, on social media), or share program feedback privately (eg, in an email). If Pathways is interested in sharing or pulling quotes for reports or marketing, Pathways management will ask for consent in advance.