Applications are now open for Gritty to Pretty!

Since the Spring of 2015, DHBC has awarded artists (wanting to put their mark on Downtown Halifax) with funding through the 'Gritty to Pretty' Placemaking Grant Program. 

The program was started as a way to encourage civic pride, support local economies and artists, and enhance the overall attraction and vibrancy of Downtown Halifax’s streetscape. Now in its ninth year, the program is responsible for over 20 murals scattered all over Downtown Halifax.  

The application process is open now, until Sunday, June 16, 2024, 11:59 p.m. 

Grant applicants are invited to submit multiple applications, with each project eligible for up to $10,000 (as long as it is within Downtown Halifax’s Boundary).

*Tip: Use your creativity to produce large, and small-scale projects, that serve to enhance the pedestrian experience for Downtown Halifax workers, locals, and visitors. With available walls being limited, think about ways windows could be used as a canvas. Making projects moveable by installing them on panels and placing them in vacant storefronts could also be a way to overcome limited wall availability. Let's think outside the box!

2024 Gritty to Pretty application forms with attached information can be found  via the following links: 

1. Open Grant

2. Mural Grant

3. Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) Open Grant

4. BIPOC Mural Grant 

5. Façade Lighting Grant

The grant recipients are chosen by DHBC's placemaking action team, which is made up of DHBC staff, board, members, and other community partners. Applications are evaluated based on the specific criteria outlined in each application form.

If you have any questions please email DHBC's Placemaking Manager, Jonathan Goldson at jonathan@downtownhalifax.ca.

Pictures of the 2022 and 2023 projects can be seen in the gallery below.

To view more Gritty to Pretty projects from the past years, take our Self-Guided Art Tour.