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Source verified August 11, 2026
AFA — Summer School Project Funding
Residence-based arts summer school support
Latest source updateLast Update: May 14, 2026Latest change: The Summer School Project Funding page now shows a new structure, with deadline and application guidance changes visible.View change
Latest source update
Last Update: May 14, 2026
Latest change: The Summer School Project Funding page now shows a new structure, with deadline and application guidance changes visible.
AFA Summer School Funding Updated
The Summer School Project Funding content now appears under a new title and reorganized page structure, with clearer application guidance and attachments information visible. Deadline-related content also changed, including the removal of an extended-deadline notice and updated opportunity listings. Eligibility and funding terms appear largely the same overall, but the page now presents the program details differently and includes some revised support and portal links. The main changes are concentrated in timeline, application process, and scope presentation rather than in core funding amounts or applicant rules.
Funding available
Up to 40% of project cost
Deadline
October 1, 2026
Location
Alberta, Canada
Overview
Summer School Project Funding supports registered not-for-profit organizations in Alberta to deliver residence-based art summer schools, with requests of up to 40% of eligible expenses. Eligible projects include arts-intensive camp programs, technical skills workshops with professional artists and instructors, supervision, meals, overnight accommodation, and youth participation in the creative process.
/100
Opportunity Score
Moderate potential, but conditions must align.
At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Develop a new program or service
- Increase social or community impact
- Enhance an existing program
Eligible Funding
- Up to 40% of project cost
Funds Providers
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- All industries
Location
- Alberta
Legal structures
- Non-profit
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- All organization sizes
Audience
- Youth (<40)
Non-profit candidates
Sector of operation
- Culture and Arts
- Children and Youth Organizations
Target groups
- Children & youth
- Artists / creatives
- Academia / students
Revenue structures
- 100% donations / grants
Scope
- Provincial
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
2
Validate your eligibility
Activities funded
- Residence-based art-intensive camp programs of no less than five (5) consecutive days in length where students are provided with supervision, meals and overnight accommodation
- Take place between July 1 and August 31
- Deliver arts programming to students ages 11-19 years
- Provide students access to Alberta’s professional artists and instructors
- Provide a daily regime of workshops and other hands-on activities for students to learn arts skill techniques and actively engage in creative process learning, provide adequate participant supervision and safety requirements, deliver age-appropriate curriculum and course content, encourage participants to discover and express their creative potential, provide workshops and other activity in an appropriate inclusive environment, and encourage province-wide participation
Documents Needed
- GATE Front Office Registration form for first-time applicants
- Resumes of curriculum designers, instructors, and other principal organizers, or job descriptions if positions have yet to be filled
- A detailed description of the arts summer school program to be offered
- Copies of promotional material and public communications materials related to the summer school; a description of the organization’s history of providing arts training programs; the organization’s most recent approved annual financial statement of revenue and expenditure; and a confirmation of filing of the most recent return from Alberta Corporate Registry
- A copy of the organization’s Sexual and Workplace Harassment Policy for summer school staff and participants; a marketing plan detailing province wide promotion of the program; and, for partnership projects, a copy of the contract or letter of agreement that indicates the responsibilities of each partner, and the knowledge, resources and experience that each will contribute
Official resources
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Registered not-for-profit organizations
- Two or more organizations that satisfy the eligibility criteria may apply to collaborate to operate a summer arts school program
Who is not eligible
- Municipalities
- Commercial enterprises
- Schools
- Groups not at arm’s length from municipalities, commercial enterprises, or schools
- Organizations primarily engaged in competition-based activity
Eligible expenses
- Administration and programming
- Instructor and artist fees and supervisory staff
- Promotional costs
- Accommodation and classroom arrangements, equipment rental costs and related extracurricular activities
- Course and content development, food and lodging, materials and supplies, and other expenses considered by the AFA to be reasonable and necessary
Ineligible Costs and Activities
- Costs already funded by AFA or started before application
- Facility costs, permanent staff salaries, and overhead covered by the institution
- Alcohol, GST, amortization, and fundraising costs
- Buildings, property purchases, construction, or renovations
- Applied arts, variety acts, competitive performances, and social event activities
Eligible geographic areas
- Alberta
Selection criteria
- Merit of curriculum
- Merit of marketing plan
- Impact of the program on participants
- Applicant’s history of providing training programs, artistic and technical level of instructors, and instructors level of experience teaching arts to youth
- Appropriateness of summer school budget and the ability of the applicant to carry out the proposed project
How to apply
- We only accept applications through the Grant Administration Tracking and Evaluation (GATE) Front Office online application system
- First-time applicants will require a GATE Front Office username and password, and requests must be received at least five business days prior to the application deadline
- Please complete the GATE Front Office Registration form and email it as an attachment to registrationAFA@gov.ab.ca
- First, complete the GATE Front Office Applicant Profile section with all required information
- Attachments must be developed prior to application and uploaded to your online GATE Front Office submission
- We must receive your online application through GATE Front Office no later than 11:59 p.m. Alberta Time on the deadline date, unless the deadline falls on a statutory holiday or a weekend when it will be extended until the next working day
Processing and Agreement
- Staff convene an expert panel to consider all eligible grant applications submitted to each grant deadline
- The expert panel assesses the merit of each application both on its own terms and in relation to all other applications received for a given deadline
- Grant recommendations are made to the AFA board of directors
- Successful recipients will be notified upon board approval, generally between four to six months from the application deadline
- You are required to complete and submit a satisfactory final report in GATE Front Office upon completion of the project by November 1 following the summer school
Additional information
- Applicants may submit only one application to this grant stream per arts discipline.
Contacts
Frequently Asked Questions about the AFA — Summer School Project Funding Program
What is the AFA — Summer School Project Funding?
Summer School Project Funding supports registered not-for-profit organizations in Alberta to deliver residence-based art summer schools, with requests of up to 40% of eligible expenses. Eligible projects include arts-intensive camp programs, technical skills workshops with professional artists and instructors, supervision, meals, overnight accommodation, and youth participation in the creative process.
How much funding can be received?
AFA — Summer School Project Funding Funds up to 40% of admissible expenses.
Who is eligible for the AFA — Summer School Project Funding program?
To be eligible for the AFA — Summer School Project Funding program, you must:
Registered not-for-profit organizations
Registered and in good standing in Alberta for at least one year prior to the deadline
Previous experience organizing, designing and operating residence-based art programming
What expenses are eligible under AFA — Summer School Project Funding?
Residence-based art-intensive camp programs of no less than five (5) consecutive days in length where students are provided with supervision, meals and overnight accommodation
Take place between July 1 and August 31
Deliver arts programming to students ages 11-19 years
Provide students access to Alberta’s professional artists and instructors
Provide a daily regime of workshops and other hands-on activities for students to learn arts skill techniques and actively engage in creative process learning, provide adequate participant supervision and safety requirements, deliver age-appropriate curriculum and course content, encourage participants to discover and express their creative potential, provide workshops and other activity in an appropriate inclusive environment, and encourage province-wide participation
Who can I contact for more information about the AFA — Summer School Project Funding?
You can contact Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) by email at justina.verboom@gov.ab.ca or by phone at 780-422-3250.
Where is the AFA — Summer School Project Funding available?
The AFA — Summer School Project Funding program is available the province of Alberta.
Is the AFA — Summer School Project Funding a grant, loan, or tax credit?
AFA — Summer School Project Funding is a Grant and Funding