Board of Directors
The Canada Council is governed by a Board consisting of a Chair, Vice-Chair and nine other members from across Canada. Members are appointed by the Governor in Council for fixed terms. The Board meets at least three times a year and is responsible for the organization's policies, programs, budgets and grant decisions.

Director's Office
The Director is the chief executive officer of the Council; carries out policies and directives of the Council and reports to the Board of the Canada Council; attends meetings of Council and board committees; represents Council in its relations with departments and agencies of Government and organizations having to do with matters of interest to Council. This office includes the Council Secretariat, Canadian Commission for UNESCO and Stakeholder Relations.

Canadian Commission for UNESCO's (CCU) role is to act as a forum for governments and civil society, and to mobilize the participation of Canadian organizations and committed individuals in UNESCO's mandated areas: education, natural and social sciences, culture and communication and information.

The Council Secretariat oversees the management of the Board, the organization's governance framework, strategic planning, Access to Information and Privacy, and management of records and information, through the Reference and Documentation Centre, in accordance with federal legislation and policies.

Stakeholder Relations provides leadership, advice and guidance to enhance the Council's ability to develop and maintain strategic networks and relationships with a broad range of national and international stakeholders.

Communications Division
The Communications Division is responsible for communicating its activities to its stakeholders, government, the arts community, media and general public. The division includes the Art Bank; Arts Promotion; Business Management and Web Services; Design, Writing and Publications; Endowments and Prizes, Media, Public Relations and Special Events.

The Art Bank makes contemporary Canadian art accessible to a wide audience through its art rental program. It rents art to public and private sector clients in Canada and abroad. With more than 18,000 works in its working collection, the Art Bank has the largest collection of contemporary Canadian art in the world.

Arts Promotion collaborates on projects and activities that promote the value of the arts and of public funding and enhances public awareness and engagement with the arts.

Business Management and Web Services is responsible for web sites, translation, contact data management and distribution, and annual communications planning.

Design, Writing and Publications has responsibilty for the design, writing and production of Council's publications; and the design and production of display material and stationery. It is the custodian of the Council's brand and corporate identity and oversees the editorial standards of Council.

The Endowments and Prizes Section administers over 70 annual prizes, fellowships and awards to Canadian artists and scholars for their contributions to the arts, humanities and sciences in Canada. Many of these prizes are privately endowed and are given in perpetuity in memory of the donors.

Media and Public Relations is responsible for strategic communications, proactive media relations, and coordination of special events. It also shares responsibility for speechwriting, and responding to public inquiries.

Finance and Administration Division
The division includes Finance, Financial Planning, Administrative Services and Information Management Services.

Administrative Services manage office leases, services and maintenance contracts, the scheduling activities of boardrooms, provide facilities management, mail/courier services, purchasing and assets control.

Finance provides the financial services to meet the accounting and financial information requirements of the Council. It provides the sections with status reports on grants and the sections' budgets.

Financial Planning provides financial input and advice to section heads in their decision making process, develops and ensures adherence to Council financial policies and procedures and coordinates the preparation and control of the annual grants budget.

Information Management Services (IMS) is responsible for the development, implementation, technical support and maintenance of electronic systems, and telecommunications.

Human Resources Division
Develops and provides human resources programs, policies and initiatives which are directly aligned with the mandate, priorities and operational goals. Enables internal communications and the recruitment, retention and development of staff.

Strategic Initiatives Division
The Strategic Initiatives Division supports development in the arts in Canada through horizontal strategies such as program evaluation and performance measurement. This division includes the Aboriginal Arts Office, Arts Services Office, Equity Office, Partnership and Networks Office, and Research Office.

The Aboriginal Arts Office has the primary responsibility for developing policies, programs, strategic initiatives, and strong networks with Canada's Aboriginal arts and cultural community.

The Arts Services Office is responsible for grant and prize registry; responding to requests for information; producing all grant program information; financial analysis related to program development and developing a program of outreach plan and conducting information sessions.

The Equity Office has the primary responsibility for developing policies, programs, strategic initiatives, and strong networks with Canada's culturally diverse artists and arts organizations.

The Partnership and Networks Office identifies, initiates and nurtures partnerships and networks with the arts community on issues, projects and programs that advance and encourage an environment of shared resources and learning.

The Research Office is responsible for research initiatives and statistical enquiries (corporate and external), performance measures for corporate planning, research reports, grant statistics and provincial funding profiles.

Arts Disciplines Division
The Arts Disciplines Division manages the development and operation of the Canada Council's grant programs, which provide support to professional Canadian artists and arts organizations. The Arts Disciplines Division includes Audience and Market Development, Dance, Inter-Arts, Media Arts, Music, Public Lending Right Commission, Theatre, Visual Arts, and Writing and Publishing Sections. All sections are responsible for coordinating the grant application process and awarding of grants to individual artists, collectives and professional Canadian groups, companies or organizations.

The Public Lending Right Commission (PLR) administers a program of payments to Canadian authors for the presence of their eligible books in Canadian public libraries.