Application Guidelines – Programming: Presenter Support Organizations
The Canada Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF) provides financial assistance to Canadian not-for-profit organizations that professionally present arts festivals or performing arts series (arts presenters), and organizations that offer support to arts presenters.
Grant Deadline
Deadline not available
Funding Amount
$200,000
Type of Grant
Grant
Sectors
Arts & Culture
Demographics
Incorporation
For Profit
Perks
Region Restriction
This grant is restricted to whole of Canada
Keywords
Age Restriction
This grant is age restricted from 18 to 100
Eligibility and Requirements
Objectives and expected results for the Canada Arts Presentation Fund
The Canada Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF) provides financial assistance to Canadian not-for-profit organizations that professionally present arts festivals or performing arts series (arts presenters), and organizations that offer support to arts presenters.
Through the CAPF, Canadians have access to a variety of professional artistic experiences in their communities. Each year, we support approximately 600 professional arts festivals and performing arts series, as well as other activities related to art presentation, in more than 250 cities or communities across Canada.
Ultimately, the long-term results of the program will allow Canadians to value and engage with professional artistic experiences.
The CAPF has two main components – Programming and Development. The CAPF Programming component has two sub-components: Professional Arts Festivals and Performing Arts Series Presenters; and Presenter Support Organizations.
Objectives and expected results for the Programming: Presenter Support Organizations sub-component
The Presenter Support Organizations sub-component provides financial assistance to organizations that offer activities and services to arts presenters (professional arts festivals and performing arts series presenters) in order to strengthen the arts presentation sector. Through strategic and focused support to presenter support organizations, arts presenters are better prepared to meet the CAPF objectives and continue to evolve professionally in their field.
The expected results of the Presenter Support Organizations sub-component include:
- Presenter support organizations undertake professional development opportunities to strengthen the practices of arts presenters and the presenting community; and
- Arts presenters undertake their activities within a healthy Canadian presenting environment.
Application deadline
April 1st for projects which will occur after April 1st of the following year.
When an application falls on a weekend or statutory holiday, it is extended to the following working day.
Who can apply
To be eligible for funding from the Presenter Support Organizations sub-component, your organization must be:
- a not-for-profit organization incorporated under Part II of the Canada Corporations Act or the Canada Not-For-Profit Corporations Act (or under corresponding provincial or territorial legislation);
- a provincial, territorial or municipal institution (including agencies and public educational institutions that organize presentation activities for the public); or
- an Indigenous institution or organization (Inuit, Métis, First Nations).
All eligible organizations must:
- have been in existence for at least one year and have as their core focus the strengthening of arts presentation in Canada; and
- offer activities and services that meet the following goals:
- provide arts presenters with access to a variety of artistic choices;
- provide artists with access to arts presenters (specialized and multidisciplinary);
- reinforce the Canadian arts presentation circuits; and
- further practical arts presentation knowledge.
Eligible projects
The following projects are eligible under the Presenter Support Organizations sub-component:
- contact events;
- arts presenter conferences;
- workshops;
- block-booking/marketing activities; and
- tool development related to reinforcing Canadian performing arts circuits.
The following projects are ineligible for funding under the Presenter Support Organizations sub-component:
- book fairs, galas, competitions, receptions and hospitality;
- tours within or outside Canada , self-presentation or creation and production activities (these activities may be supported by the Canada Council for the Arts);
- infrastructure projects including the purchase of specialized equipment (these activities may be supported by the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund);
- activities specifically celebrating Canada Day, National Indigenous Peoples Day, Saint-Jean-Baptiste, or Multiculturalism Day (these activities may be supported by the Celebrate Canada program);
- festival and activities that receive financial support under the Building Communities through Arts and Heritage program;
- deficit reduction plans and feasibility studies; and
- literary reading series, and film, video and media arts series.
Eligible expenses
Only project-related expenses are eligible, which can be of cash and in-kind value; these may include:
- costs related to the coordination of contact events, showcases and presenter conferences, including hall and venue rentals, registration and material costs, artists’ fees, and per diems, accommodation and travel related to artists;
- promotion/marketing including cost associated with social media;
- training and professional development activities, e.g. workshop facilitation, mentorship expenses, consultant fees and research costs as well as travel, accommodation and per diems related to business activities; and
- administration costs.
In-kind contributions are considered real contributions to the cost of the proposed project but are not reimbursable. Donated goods and services may be considered in-kind contributions if they:
- are essential to your project’s success;
- are eligible and would otherwise have to be purchased or paid for by you;
- can be measured at fair market value (i.e.: in relation to similar goods and services); and
- are balanced by an equal revenue in your budget (i.e.: total in-kind expenses equal total in-kind revenues).
We cannot fund expenses incurred before we receive your application. If you incur expenses for your project before receiving written confirmation of your funding approval, you will be doing so at your own risk.
Eligibility criteria
We are responsible for determining the eligibility of each applicant, its projects and related expenses.
The CAPF is highly competitive. Requests for funding typically exceed available resources. If your organization is eligible, submitting an application is not a guarantee of funding.
Limits of government assistance
To ensure the success of your project, we encourage you to have other funding sources. This may include contributions from your organization, the private sector or other levels of government.
The total financial assistance received from the Canada Arts Presentation Fund and other levels of government (federal, provincial, territorial and municipal) cannot exceed 90% of the total project-related costs.
We can fund up to 25% of eligible expenses or a maximum of $100,000 per fiscal year in the case of grants or $200,000 per year in the case of contributions.
Provided that the need is clearly demonstrated and validated by the program, on rare occasions we may fund up to 50% of eligible expenses for projects offered in communities facing unusual barriers that cannot be overcome without substantial assistance, or for artistic disciplines that are underserved.
Please note, however, that funding demands on the CAPF are extensive; therefore, the average level of support ranges from 7% to 17% of eligible expenses, depending on your region.
Applying for more than 12 months
You may request funding for the same activities for a number of fiscal years. You must show that you have the capacity to complete the planned activities on an annual basis. This is demonstrated with realistic results and budget projections, sound governance and continued financial viability.
Your organization must at a minimum:
- have received funding under the CAPF for at least two consecutive years, or for the last two editions in the case of an arts festival held every two years; and
- not have an accumulated deficit exceeding 15% of the expenses from its last completed fiscal year.
If your organization receives funding for more than one fiscal year, you must provide a final activities report for each year of funding.
How to apply
Read these Application Guidelines in their entirety before completing your application.
If you are submitting an application to the CAPF for the first time, you are encouraged to contact the nearest office of the Department of Canadian Heritage to verify whether your organization and your project are eligible.
You must meet all eligibility requirements and submit a complete application package to be considered for funding. A complete application package includes the General Application Form and the following supporting documents:
- Budget Template: Revenues and Expenses;
- Sample professional artist contract or letter of agreement used by your organization;
- Promotional materials (brochures, programs or reports of past events);
- Organizational chart including a list of permanent employees;
- List of board members, their professional occupations and the list of volunteer committees;
- Current planning documents, if available;
- Board resolution authorizing this application and designating the person with signing authority (duly signed by the board chair or president of your organization);
- Curriculum vitae of the executive director;
- Copy of the letters of patent and their amendments or the corporate charter;
- Most recent financial statements:
- Audited financial statements for organizations having previously received a contribution from the CAPF in the amount of $250,000 or more; or new applicants with an operating budget greater than $500,000
- Non-audited financial statements for organizations having previously received a contribution from the CAPF in the amount of less than $250,000; or new applicants with an operating budget of $500,000 or less
If you are a first-time applicant, you must also provide:
- A one-page history of your organization and the completed form: New Applicants Only: Completed Activities and Actual Results (last completed year).
Application process
- Complete, sign and date the General Application Form; and
- Attach all the required supporting documents
Please submit your application in only one format.
Mail or in-person submissions
You can mail, courier or hand-deliver your complete application package to the nearest office of the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Your application must be postmarked or hand-delivered no later than the published deadline to be considered.
Email submissions
We encourage you to submit your application package electronically, at the email address to your nearest office of the Department of Canadian Heritage.
The embedded “sent” date must be no later than 11:59 p.m. local time on the date of the application deadline for your application to be considered eligible.
Please contact the nearest office of the Department of Canadian Heritage if you wish to submit your application package by fax.
How applications are evaluated
We fund projects that have clear objectives and measurable results. Your application will be reviewed for eligibility before being evaluated using the national standard criteria described below and the past performance of your organization. It will be compared with other applications from your region and prioritized in relation to the funds available.
Site visits or meetings with your organization may be undertaken by the program staff.
Failure to submit a final report for a previously funded project will be considered in the evaluation of your new application and could result in the rejection of your new application.
Evaluation criteria
We will evaluate all eligible applications using the following criteria:
Relevance of programming (30%)
- clear alignment between the organization’s mandate, the proposed activities and services and the CAPF objective; and
- relevance of activities and services offered to improve arts presenters’ access to a variety of artistic choices, to increase artists’ access to Canadian arts presenters, to reinforce the Canadian presenting circuits, and to deepen practical knowledge;
Impact on activities and services on presenters (40%)
- capacity to gather knowledge and efficiently deliver relevant activities and services based on arts presenters/stakeholders needs;
- impact of activities and services on arts presenters; and
- contribution to the local, regional and, if applicable, national and international ecology of presenter support organizations as demonstrated through previous activities and services.
Management and financial health (30%)
- appropriate resources (financial, human) and expertise (volunteer, board, staff) to undertake the proposed activities; and
- realistic and balanced budget with diversified public and private sector funding sources and a sound financial performance record.
Your application may be evaluated by a regional review committee, which will compare and prioritize it with other applications from your region in relation to the funds available.
Application processing time
For application processing time, please refer to the Service standards for Canadian Heritage funding programs or contact the program.
We will acknowledge receipt of your application within two weeks of submitting your application.
If we solicit additional information about your application your organization will have five business days to submit the information.
Funding decisions
We reserve the right to target our funding to specific activities. Please note that decisions regarding eligibility and funding amounts are final.
How funding is provided
We will determine if funding will be disbursed as a grant or as a contribution.
A grant is a payment issued to a recipient for a project. The conditions you agreed to at the time of application will apply. At the end of your project, you may be required to submit a report and/or participate in the evaluation of results.
A contribution is a conditional payment issued to your organization for a specific purpose, as outlined in a funding agreement. The agreement is signed by us and your organization and specifies the terms and conditions to receive payment. At the end of your project, you must submit a final report.
Funding conditions
You may be required to submit interim reports during your project. If you receive $250,000 or more per fiscal year as a contribution, you are required to submit audited financial statements or audited financial reports.
Additional conditions may apply and will be included in your funding agreement.
Official languages requirements
We are committed to taking positive measures to enhance the vitality of official language minority communities and to promote the use of English and French in Canadian society. If you receive funding, you agree to comply with the official languages requirements set out in your application or in your funding agreement.
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