Application Guidelines – Programming: Professional Arts Festivals and Performing Arts Series Presenters
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
Deadline not available
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
Who can apply
To be eligible for funding from the Professional Arts Festivals and Performing Arts Series Presenters 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 a clear arts presentation focus in their vision or mandate that is reflected in their by-laws and/or other governance documents;
- have as their mission the presentation of works of professional artists;
- keep separate, clear and exact accounts for these presentation activities;
- have been in continuous professional operation for a minimum of one year prior to the application deadline;
- present works that originate from more than one province or territory;
- provide the presentation venue, as well as technical and promotional support for the presentation;
- charge an admission fee to the public for part or all of the presentation season or the festival; and
- pay a guaranteed fee to professional artists for presentations offered within a festival or series and provide professional presentation conditions. (The contractual commitments concerning remuneration to artists by Fringe and street-performer festivals also meet CAPF eligibility requirements).
Performing Arts Series Presenters must also:
- have presented in a professional manner a minimum of three distinct shows, or a series of performances within a season, created, produced and performed by other professional artists.
Professional Arts Festivals must also:
- have presented in a professional manner a festival lasting a minimum of three consecutive days, of various works created, produced and/or performed by professional artists; and
- program a festival that extends over a period of three days (minimum) to four weeks (generally) and includes the presentation of a minimum of three distinct professional works/performances.
Media arts festivals must also:
- demonstrate a commitment to presenting works by independent professional artists, including films, video or audio productions, and new media. We will give priority to media arts festivals where artists are remunerated to undertake outreach activities with the general public during the festival.
Eligible projects
The following projects are eligible under the Professional Arts Festivals and Performing Arts Series Presenters sub-component:
- presentation of a minimum of three distinct professional shows, as part of a performing arts series, in one or several artistic disciplines and from more than one province or territory;
- presentation within a festival format of at least three distinct professional performances or events from one or several artistic disciplines and from more than one province or territory;
- community engagement activities, including audience development/outreach activities (see Glossary for more details);
- professional development/networking activities for arts presenters such as attending workshops and conferences;
- partnerships and collaborations including other arts presenters, not-for-profit arts community organizations and/or educational institutions; and
- volunteer participation including training and training materials.
The following projects are ineligible for funding under the Professional Arts Festivals and Performing Arts Series Presenters 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 selection of artists, artists’ fees, and per diems, accommodation and travel related to artists;
- administrative and presenting salaries or fees;
- promotion/marketing costs, including costs associated with social media;
- hall and venue rentals or equal value of operating costs;
- technical and front of house costs;
- costs related to community engagement activities, including audience development/outreach activities;
- costs incurred for organizing volunteer participation;
- training and professional development activities for arts presenters, such as workshop facilitation, registration and material costs, coordination, mentorship expenses, travel, accommodation and per diems related to business activities; and
- administration costs.
International artists’ travel costs are an eligible expense but cannot be reimbursed by the program; please contact us for more information.
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 CAPF and other levels of government (federal, provincial, territorial and municipal) cannot exceed 90% of the total project-related costs.
For Professional Arts Festivals, we can fund up to 25% of eligible expenses or a maximum of $100,000 per fiscal year in the case of grants and 25% of eligible expenses or $500,000 per year in the case of contributions. In exceptional circumstances, support of up to $1,000,000 may be available for festivals with total eligible expenses over $5,000,000.
For Performing Arts Series Presenters, we can support up to 25% of eligible expenses, or a maximum of $100,000 in the case of grants and $200,000 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 from 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;
- Proposed Activities and Projected Results;
- 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 (and artistic director, if applicable);
- 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; and for 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; and for 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 complete the form: New Applicants Only: Completed Activities and Actual Results (last completed year).
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