Culture Funding - Arts funding program

• Project grants in recent competitions rarely exceeded $10,000.
• The City will not fund more than 90% of the total cost of the project; the project budget must include sources of revenue other than the City’s contribution.

• The applicant must be an incorporated not-for-profit arts organization, a professional artist collective, or a non-arts not-for-profit organization partnering with professional artists or arts organizations.
• The organization or collective must have a mandate to support the creation, production, presentation, dissemination, and/or development of the arts within the city of Ottawa, Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation, or Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation.
• The organization or collective must have its official office or mailing address within the eligible geographic areas mentioned above.
• The board of directors (for organizations) or collective members must be composed of at least three individuals, with at least 50% residing in the Ottawa region.
• Eligible activities must significantly support local Ottawa artists, be managed or sponsored by Ottawa’s artistic community, occur within the eligible geographic areas, be accessible to the public, and engage the local cultural community.

Who is eligible?

• Professional artistic organizations established as non-profit associations
• Collectives of professional artists not established as a company
• Non-artistic non-profit organizations in partnership with a professional artistic organization or a professional artist
• Professional organizations for the distribution of literature, publishers of books and magazines
• Choirs, musical groups, orchestras, ensembles, theater troupes, dance troupes, professional opera and musical theater companies
• Public galleries, self-managed artist centers, film or video organizations or festivals, collectives of artists or curators
• Professional artistic service organizations and artistic installations

Who is not eligible

• Government agencies and for-profit organizations.
• 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 whose main purpose is fundraising for third parties.
• Organizations whose activities are solely for their membership or require participation in religious activities.

Eligible expenses

• Professional fees and contracts for artists, instructors, or educators engaged in arts activities.
• Technical support and services directly related to the project (such as production costs).
• Promotional and marketing costs for artistic programming, events, or festivals.
• Expenses for the presentation, dissemination, exhibition, or production of artistic works.
• Support services for the development and delivery of arts training and education.

Eligible geographic areas

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

• Artistic merit, including fulfillment of mandate, direction and goals, qualified artistic leadership, and innovation within the artistic discipline.
• Community impact, such as the level of support to local artists, response to audiences, strength of partnerships, and engagement with local equity-seeking communities.
• Viability of the project, including planning and evaluation, governance and leadership structure, fiscal responsibility and realistic budgeting, fundraising initiative, and demonstrated financial need.
• Appropriate and effective marketing and promotion strategies.

• Applications must be submitted through the online portal by 4 pm on the deadline date; late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
• Grant writing assistance and accessibility accommodations are available by advance request.
• Submission of support materials (up to 6 samples) is required, with strict file format and upload guidelines.
• Applicants must submit a final report on awarded funding to remain eligible for future grants.