Cultural Funding - Capacity Building Program

• Funding up to a maximum of $15,000 per project.
• Financial support may not exceed 90% of the total eligible project costs; applicants must secure at least 10% from other sources.

• The applicant must be a local not-for-profit organization or a professional collective with an arts, heritage, festival, or fair mandate.
• The organization or collective must serve its local community and have its office/mailing address and the majority of its programming or events within the City of Ottawa, Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation, or Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation.
• Organizations must have the ability to receive payment in the organization's name.
• If applying as an incorporated non-profit, the board of directors must have at least three members, with at least 50% residing in the Ottawa Region.
• If applying as a collective, there must be at least three members living in the eligible regions, and, if the collective is larger than three members, at least 50% must reside in the Ottawa Region.

Who is eligible?

• Local not-for-profit organizations with an arts mandate
• Local not-for-profit organizations with a heritage mandate
• Local not-for-profit organizations with a festival mandate
• Local not-for-profit organizations with a fair mandate
• Professional collectives representing or serving the arts, heritage, festival, or fair sectors

Who is not eligible

• For-profit organizations.
• Government agencies.
• Organizations whose activities fall under other government departments (such as school boards, hospitals, universities, social services, military programs, or business improvement associations).
• Political parties.
• Organizations with accumulated surpluses greater than 100% of total revenue (excluding capital assets).

Eligible expenses

• Consulting fees for the development and implementation of strategies and policies (e.g., Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Accessibility, Anti-racism).
• Professional fees related to strategic planning or the review of existing strategic plans.
• Costs associated with adapting to new technologies, including digitalization and enhancing online presence.
• Fees for website development and design, including documentation and archiving of creative work, online ticketing systems, and membership/subscription portals.
• Expenses for creating marketing plans aimed at building new audiences.
• Costs for organizing knowledge sharing, learning, and networking opportunities that support engagement, collaboration, and partnership building within the community.

Eligible geographic areas

• City of Ottawa
• Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation
• Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation

• Clear alignment of the project with program objectives.
• Strength of leadership and suitability of human resources involved in the project.
• Impact of the project on the applicant’s operations and potential for increasing effectiveness and sustainability.
• Viability of the project, including the applicant’s ability to implement the project, monitor outcomes, and demonstrate effective fiscal management and realistic budgeting.
• Commitment to engage with local equity-seeking communities and the impact on the broader local cultural community.

• Applications must be submitted through the online portal by the specified deadline; late or incomplete submissions will not be considered.
• Cultural Funding Officers are available for draft reviews and can provide feedback on eligibility and application requirements if consulted up to two weeks before the deadline.
• All outstanding final reports from previous funding must be approved before reapplying; failure to do so results in ineligibility for funding in the current year.
• Successful funding recipients are required to submit a final report through the portal; for funds received prior to 2021, reporting must be done by email.