Funding Parameters —  Canada Arts and Culture Recovery Program for Professional Arts Presentation Organizations

Objective of the Canada Arts and Culture Recovery Program for Professional Arts Presentation Organizations

As part of the Canada Arts and Cultural Recovery Program (CACRP), the Canada Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF) was allocated $4 million in additional funds for 2022-2023, to provide relief to not-for-profit organizations in the professional arts presentation sector that own or operate a presentation venue and that are experiencing significant viability and business continuity challenges.

The CACRP for Professional Arts Presentation Organizations will provide targeted support to existing program recipients that own or operate an indoor facility as a presentation venue, whether purpose-built or adapted, as well as other not-for-profit organizations that can demonstrate they regularly provide such type of venues for the professional live performing arts. Support will be provided for costs related to operating a venue for the period of April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023.

Who can apply?

Eligible applicants include:

• Organizations who own or operate an indoor facility as a presentation venue, whether purpose-built or adapted and who are:
  • recipients of CAPF funding for 2021-2022 or 2022-2023; or
  • recipients with approved 2021-2022 funding from the CAPF Recovery Funding for Professional Arts Presentation Organizations delivered in 2021-2022; or
  • recipients with approved 2021-2022 funding from the CAPF Support for Workers in the Live Arts and Music Sectors Fund; or
  • organizations that were eligible for support through the COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund Phases 1 and 2 delivered in 2020-2021 by the CAPF.
• Other organizations that can demonstrate they regularly provide an indoor presentation venue, whether purpose-built or adapted, for the professional live performing arts through letters of recommendation from three separate professional artists, art companies and/or CAPF recipients that use the venue, and are:
  • a Canadian not-for-profit organization, incorporated under the Canada Not-For-profit Corporations Act or under corresponding provincial or territorial legislation; or
  • a provincial, territorial or municipal institution (including agencies and public educational institutions that promote or organize presentation activities for the public); or
  • an Indigenous Peoples’ institution or a Status or Non-Status Indians, Inuit or Métis organization; or
  • an unincorporated organization or an ad hoc group from an ethnocultural or Indigenous community,

Important

• Organizations that own or operate commercial spaces and venues or individuals/partnerships are not eligible.
• Applicants will be only permitted to receive CACRP funding through one of the participating programs (Canada Arts Presentation Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, Museums Assistance Program, Canada Music Fund, Telefilm Canada).
• Organizations that are supported through the Major Festivals and Events Support Initiative (MFESI) delivered by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, are not eligible.

Application deadline

The deadline to apply for the CACRP for Professional Arts Presentation Organizations is Wednesday, October 12, 2022, 23:59 PDT.

Eligibility

The Department of Canadian Heritage is responsible for determining the eligibility of the applicants.

Eligibility criteria

Applicants must demonstrate that the organization suffered a 50% or greater loss of earned revenue (i.e., box office, venue rentals, concession sales, etc.) in their most recent completed fiscal year (12-month period), compared to the same period in the most recent pre-pandemic year (i.e., the applicant’s fiscal year ending between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020).

Applicants must demonstrate a current financial need for the funds.

How is funding calculated

• Support to eligible applicants will be tier-based, according to the size of applicant’s total operating budget.
• Additional considerations will be given to organizations from equity-deserving communities and organizations located in remote communities.
• Should demand exceed the funding available, the program may give priority to organizations that did not receive funding support under the CAPF Recovery Funding for Professional Arts Presentation Organizations delivered in 2021-22.

Eligible expenses

• Support will be provided for costs related to operating a venue (i.e., mortgage principal or rent, utilities, maintenance, insurance, property tax, etc.) in the federal fiscal year 2022-2023 (April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023).
• Funding must be expended by March 31, 2023.

Ineligible expenses

Funding must not be used:

• to cover costs already covered by Government of Canada programs;
• towards costs related to presentation, such as programming, marketing and administration; or
• towards the purchase of capital items or renovations.

How to apply

• Read these funding parameters in their entirety.
• Contact the Canadian Heritage regional office nearest you if you have any questions and to obtain an application package.
• All applicants are required:
  • To fill out an application/attestation form
  • To provide two years of their organization’s financial statements for comparison:
    1. For their fiscal year which ended between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020. This is referred to as the pre-pandemic period.
    2. For their most recent completed fiscal year (12 month period). This is referred to as the pandemic period.
  • Note: Applicants who received funding in 2021-22 through the Recovery Funding for Professional Arts Presentation Organizations program cannot submit the same pandemic period financial statements as their previous application. They must submit financial statements from a subsequent year.
• Only complete applications will be accepted.
• Additional information and documents may be requested by program advisors to complete the assessment of an application.
• Applicants will be required to attest:
  • That their organization has been negatively impacted by COVID-19, which has resulted in financial hardship to the organization and its operations, and therefore, their organization is in need of government funding.
    1. Note: applicants should take into account all revenues, including income generated from endowment funds, and any organizational surplus and/or reserves when attesting to the need for funding from the Canada Arts and Culture Recovery Program for Professional Arts Presentation Organizations.
  • Should funding be approved, applicants also agree that:
    1. this funding is to help ensure a continuity of operations, enabling the organization to continue contributing to the sector in the future.
    2. the funds will not be used to cover expenditures already funded by any other government program.
    3. they can receive CACRP funding through only one of the participating programs (Canada Arts Presentation Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, Museums Assistance Program, Canada Music Fund, Telefilm Canada).

Application process

Applicants are required to submit their documentation by email to the nearest Canadian Heritage regional office.

Application processing time

The program will seek to notify applicants of a decision within 16 weeks (from receipt of a completed application to notification of decision).

Funding decisions

Decisions regarding eligibility and funding amounts are final.

How funding is provided

The Department will determine if the funding will be disbursed as a grant or as a contribution.

Funding conditions

This funding is subject to the funding conditions outlined in the regular CAPF published guidelines, and to the following additional conditions:

• The organization must remain in good standing; the funding provided will help ensure a continuity of operations, enabling the organization to continue contributing to the sector in the future.
• Funding received from the Canada Arts and Culture Recovery Program for Professional Arts Presentation Organizations, whether received as a grant or a contribution, may be audited by the Department to ensure funding conditions have been respected.

Public Health Guidance

It is expected that you will act in compliance with applicable statutes, laws, bylaws, regulations, orders, codes, standards, directives and guidelines governing the activities for which funding is being sought, including those related to public health and safety due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contact us

Department of Canadian Heritage
15 Eddy St
Gatineau QC  K1A 0M5

Email

info@pch.gc.ca

Telephone

819-997-0055
1-866-811-0055 (toll-free)

TTY

1-888-997-3123 (toll-free)

Our Client Service and Public Support Officers are available to answer your questions, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm (ET).

Regional offices of the Department of Canadian Heritage