Experience Ontario 2024

• Completed, signed, dated, validated application form
• Incorporation documents or equivalent organizational bylaws/policies, if applicable
• Previous year’s audited or review engagement financial statements
• Alternative board-endorsed or treasurer-certified financial statements, if audited statements are unavailable

Who is eligible?

• Federally or provincially incorporated organizations
• Legal entities established by legislation
• First Nations in Ontario
• Indigenous communities and Indigenous service providers in Ontario
• Regional or provincial organizations representing Indigenous peoples

Who is not eligible

• Sole proprietorships
• Limited partnerships
• Limited liability partnerships
• General partnerships
• Federal and provincial governments and their agencies

Eligible expenses

• Artist, performer, and presenter fees, including related travel and accommodation
• Programming, production, marketing, and temporary event staff costs
• Paid media, printing distribution, website and app upgrades
• Accessibility, translation, security, sanitation, and health and safety costs
• Economic impact studies and other directly attributable, approved costs

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Expenses outside the April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025 period
• Permanent assets, capital costs, and operating overhead
• Prizes, awards, gifts, gratuities, and personal benefit items
• Alcohol, cannabis-related products, and refundable taxes or deposits
• Costs covered by in-kind support, other funding, or affiliate transactions

Eligible geographic areas

• Ontario
• Northern Ontario districts: Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Manitoulin, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Rainy River, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, and Timiskaming
• Ontario urban municipalities: Ajax, Barrie, Brampton, Brantford, Burlington, Cambridge, Chatham-Kent, Clarington, Guelph, Greater Sudbury, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Markham, Milton, Mississauga, Oakville, Oshawa, Ottawa, Richmond Hill, St. Catharines, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vaughan, Waterloo, Whitby, and Windsor

• Applications are reviewed against eligibility and mandatory requirements first.
• Eligible applications are scored against program criteria.
• Funding decisions are sent by email in spring 2024.
• Successful applicants must sign a transfer payment agreement before funds are provided.
• Recipients may be audited and must submit post-event reporting.

• Only one application per organization and per event is allowed.
• Affiliated organizations are treated as one applicant group.
• Successful applicants must sign a transfer payment agreement with the ministry.
• No appeal process is available for unsuccessful applicants.