AFA — Summer School Project Funding

• The applicant must be a registered not-for-profit organization, in good standing in Alberta under the appropriate legislation, and have been in operation for at least one full year before the deadline.
• At least 50% of the organization’s board members or ruling council must reside in Alberta, and the organization must operate at arm’s length from municipalities, commercial enterprises and schools.
• The organization must demonstrate sound governance, efficient administration, fiscal responsibility and financial stability for at least one year, in the judgment of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA).
• The organization must have the authority to provide residence-based programming for minors and have prior experience organizing, designing and operating residence-based art programming.
• The proposed project must be a residence-based, arts‑intensive summer school (camp) held between July 1 and August 31, for youth aged 11–19, providing supervised overnight stays, meals and hands‑on arts training with professional Alberta artists and instructors.

Who is eligible?

• Registered not-for-profit arts organizations in Alberta
• Registered not-for-profit organizations in Alberta that operate residence-based arts summer schools for youth
• Not-for-profit organizations in Alberta with experience organizing, designing and operating residence-based art programming
• Partnerships of two or more eligible not-for-profit organizations delivering a summer arts school program (through one primary applicant organization)

Who is not eligible

• Municipalities and any organizations that are not operating at arm’s length from a municipality.
• Commercial enterprises and any groups that are not operating at arm’s length from a commercial business.
• Schools and any groups that are not operating at arm’s length from a school.
• Organizations whose primary activities are competition-based (e.g., entities mainly focused on contests or competitive events rather than arts training).

Eligible expenses

• General administration and coordination costs directly related to the summer school project.
• Programming expenses, including planning and delivery of artistic training activities.
• Instructor and professional artist fees for teaching and mentoring participants.
• Promotional and marketing costs to publicize the summer school.
• Accommodation and classroom arrangements, including venue rental and related facility use for the camp.
• Equipment rental and costs for related extracurricular activities tied to the summer school.
• Salaries or fees for supervisory staff responsible for participant safety and oversight.
• Course and content development for the summer school curriculum.
• Food and lodging for participants during the residence-based program.
• Materials and supplies required to deliver workshops and artistic activities.
• Other project expenses that the Alberta Foundation for the Arts deems reasonable and necessary for carrying out the summer school.

Eligible geographic areas

• Registered not-for-profit organizations in Alberta, Canada, that are in good standing under applicable Alberta legislation.
• Organizations whose board or ruling council members are at least 50% resident in Alberta.

• Quality and merit of the summer school curriculum.
• Strength and relevance of the marketing plan.
• Impact of the program on participating youth.
• Applicant’s track record and history in providing arts training programs.
• Artistic and technical level of instructors, including their experience teaching arts to youth, and the overall appropriateness of the project budget and the organization’s capacity to deliver the project.

• The application deadline for this funding opportunity is stated as October 1, 2026 in one version of the guidelines and July 15, 2025 in another, so applicants should verify the correct current deadline on the AFA website or in GATE Front Office.
• Applicants may submit only one application to this grant stream per arts discipline for a given intake.
• Successful recipients are typically notified between four to six months after the application deadline, following AFA Board approval.
• The Alberta Foundation for the Arts retains all materials submitted with grant applications and does not return them to applicants.