Cultural Investment Program

Core Program

To be eligible for the Core Program, you must:

• Have a mission to develop, create, produce, present and disseminate artistic work in any artistic discipline

• Have a mission that is clear and relevant with long-term goals and strategies
• Be well-established programs and services that are developed and delivered with consistency
• Be artistically strong with proven impact in the community
• Have full-time paid professional leadership (artistic or administrative)
• Be well-developed administrative structures
• Have stable financial resources and planning
• Have an active board of directors with a clear governance role
• Be in existence for at least five years, operate on a year-round basis and be a Federally or Provincially incorporated not-for-profit
• Have full-time paid professional artistic, curatorial or administrative staff
• Have operating revenues of no less than $250,000 per year
• Produce a full season of programming as per industry standards
• Have significant resources that serve the local arts sector; i.e. facility, equipment, and people
• Pay principal artistic contributors for their services that follow professional industry standards

If you receive the Core Program funds, you will be ineligible for any other SCCIP program stream. This excludes the Culture Days Activity Program. Capital requirements or festival activities may be considered for additional investment through this program.

For more information, view our Sustaining Core Program Guidelines.

Information for Applicants

Applications must be submitted via our online application. If you require assistance with the online portal, please contact Cultural Services staff at ajuddrifkin@stcatharines.ca or 905.688.5601 ext. 5229.

Financial Statements and Deficit Reduction Plans

Audited Financial Statements must be signed and approved by your Board of Directors. If your most recent year-end statements are not available at time of deadline, please inform City staff when they will be available and submit when ready.

If you had a deficit of more than 10 per cent of your annual operating budget at your most recent year-end, or if you have an overall net deficit of more than 10 per cent, please attach a deficit reduction plan that includes targets, timelines and responsibilities.

Midsized Program

Applications are now closed for 2022

To be eligible for the Midsized Program, you must:

• Have a mission to develop, create, produce, present and disseminate artistic work in any artistic discipline
• Have impactful annual programs or services that are delivered with consistency and are artistically strong
• Have a paid professional leadership
• Have developing or stabilizing administrative structures and financial resources
• Have emerging long-term planning
• Have engaged Board of Directors

• Be in existence for at least two years and be a Federally or Provincially incorporated not-for-profit
• Have ongoing paid professional artistic, curatorial or administrative staff
• Produce a minimum of three public activities per year
• Have operating revenues of no less than $30,000 per year
• Pay principal artistic contributors for their services that follow professional industry standards

For more information, view our Sustaining Midsized Program Guidelines.

Information for Applicants

Applications must be submitted via our online application. If you require assistance with the online application, please contact Cultural Services staff at ajuddrifkin@stcatharines.ca or 905.688.5601 ext. 5229.

Financial and Statistical Information

All applications must be accompanied by completed Financial and Statistical Information Forms as provided by the Cultural Services Office. Alternatively, those organizations applying for Ontario Arts Council funding may attach a completed copy of up to date CADAC Financial and Statistical Information Forms to this application instead.

For requests of $10,000 or less from organizations with revenues less than $100,000, un-audited financial statements may be submitted. Review engagements or audited financial statements are preferred when available. For higher requests and revenue levels, review engagements are required (or audited financial statements, when available). Financial statements must be signed and approved by your Board of Directors. 

If you had a deficit of more than 10 per cent of your annual operating budget in your last completed year, or if you have an overall net deficit of more than 10 per cent, please attach a deficit reduction plan that includes targets, timelines and responsibilities.

Festival Program

Applications are now closed for 2022

The Festival Program is for professional festivals that:

• Generate cultural tourism or significant economic impact
• Contribute to the cultural vitality and diversity of St. Catharines

To be eligible for the Festival Program, the Festival must:

• Offer unique programming which includes a significant component that takes place in St. Catharines
• Attract audiences from within and beyond Niagara
• Engage local artists and businesses in festival activities
• Be professionally managed with paid staff resources or a dedicated volunteer management team
• Provide evidence of effective marketing and business planning
• Have stabilizing administrative structures and financial resources
• Have grant support from other government sources
• Have an engaged Board of Directors

You must also meet these eligibility requirements for the Festival Program:

• Be in existence for a minimum of two years and be a Federally or Provincially incorporated not-for-profit organization or a non-incorporated organization that confirms it operates on a not-for-profit basis
• Meet the definition of a festival, for more information view our Festival Program Guidelines
• Provide programming or services that are continuous, open or otherwise accessible to the public
• Have paid staff, a contracted festival coordinator or a dedicated volunteer management team
• Have completed two successful festivals prior to application
• Pay principal artistic contributors for their services that follow professional industry standards
• Have a revenue base of no less than $30,000
• Gather funding from other government sources such as Niagara Investment in Culture, Celebrate Ontario or the Department of Canadian Heritage Festival Program

Eligibility exceptions

You may be able to apply if you are a club, community centre, social service, religious or sports organization that has a significant festival that substantially engages broader audiences and meets all other program eligibility criteria. However, the festival cannot be a fundraiser.

For more information, view our Festival Program Guidelines.

The online application will be linked here once it is available in summer 2022.

Information for Applicants

Applications must be submitted via our online application. If you require assistance with the online application, please contact Cultural Services staff at ajuddrifkin@stcatharines.ca or 905.688.5601 ext. 5229.

Financial and Statistical Information

All applications must be accompanied by completed Financial and Statistical Information Forms as provided by the Cultural Services Office. Alternatively, those organizations applying for Ontario Arts Council funding may attach a completed copy of up to date CADAC Financial and Statistical Information Forms to this application instead.

For requests of $10,000 or less from organizations with revenues less than $100,000, un-audited financial statements may be submitted. Review engagements or audited financial statements are preferred when available. For higher requests and revenue levels, review engagements are required (or audited financial statements, when available). Financial statements must be signed and approved by your Board of Directors. 

If you had a deficit of more than 10 per cent of your annual operating budget in your last completed year, or if you have an overall net deficit of more than 10 per cent, please attach a deficit reduction plan that includes targets, timelines and responsibilities.

Arts Development Program

Applications are now closed for 2022

The Arts Development Program supports a range of cultural activities, art forms and art practices. Priority is given to Niagara-based arts creation and diverse cultural traditions. To be eligible for the Arts Development Program, you must be either a(n):

• Emerging arts organization;
• Artist ad-hoc group;
• Arts organization that works on a project-to-project basis; or
• New arts festival

If you have equipment and small capital costs, we may cover them if you show that this investment will directly serve the priorities of the St. Catharines Cultural Investment Policy.

You must also meet these eligibility requirements for the Arts Development Program:

• Pay principal artistic contributors for their services that follow industry standards
• Be in existence for a minimum of one year with evidence of public activity

Repeat applicants

If you're a repeat applicant, you must demonstrate:

• Organizational evolution
• Program innovation
• Creative partnerships
• Growth in community engagement

Eligibility exceptions

You may also be eligible if you are a:

• Individual artists leading a community art project that engages the broader community and meets all other program requirements
• Arts organization and artist ad-hoc group that operates on a not-for-profit basis but are registered
• First-time applicant that has been in existence for less than a year and can show your two-year trajectory for Sustaining programs

For more information, view our Arts Development Program Guidelines.

Information for Applicants

Applications must be submitted via our online application. If you require assistance with the online application, please contact Cultural Services staff at ajuddrifkin@stcatharines.ca or 905.688.5601 ext. 5229.

Culture Builds Community Program

Applications are now closed for 2022

To be eligible for the Culture Builds Community Program, you must:

• Engage residents through community art experiences, neighbourhood cultural activities or experiences that encourage participation, creativity and innovation
• Be open to artists, cultural organizations and other not-for-profit organizations that can engage residents at a local community level
• Be able to offer a work of art or a public event
• Engage under-served local communities to be given priority

• Be in existence for a minimum of one year with evidence of public activity
• Engage people from a local community in St. Catharines
• Pay principal artistic contributors for their services that follow industry standards

Eligibility exceptions

You may be eligible if you are a:

• Non-cultural organization that is registered not-for-profit and meet all other program requirements
• Individual artists leading a community art project that engages the broader community and meets all other program requirements
• Arts organization and artist ad-hoc group that operates on a not-for-profit basis but are registered
• First-time applicant that has been in existence for less than a year and can show your two-year trajectory for Sustaining programs

• Individual artists may be eligible for the Culture Builds Community Program

Please note projects that are political or religious in nature, or that further related doctrine, are not eligible to apply.

For more information, view our Culture Builds Community Guidelines.

Information for Applicants

Applications must be submitted via our online application. If you require assistance with the online application, please contact Cultural Services staff at ajuddrifkin@stcatharines.ca or 905.688.5601 ext. 5229.

Culture Days Activity Program

Applications are now closed for 2022

The Culture Days Activity Program is for artists, businesses or organizations who wish to run a Culture Days activity in St. Catharines. To be eligible for the Culture Days Activity Program, you must:

• Respond to the mandate of Culture Days
• Create public participation in cultural experiences
• Aim to inspire future involvement in the cultural life of the community

You do not need to meet all the general eligibility requirements of SCCIP. However, activities must:

• Take place in St. Catharines during Culture Days (Sept. 23 to Oct. 16, 2022)
• Be free and open to the public
• Engage the public in hands-on, interactive cultural experiences and encourage continued involvement in local culture
• Employ and pay local artists and cultural workers
• Be distinct from normal activities offered by applicant

Eligibility exceptions

For-profit businesses are eligible for this program when all other eligibility requirements are met. Business applicants are eligible for artist fee costs only.

For more information, view our 2022 Culture Days Activity Program Guidelines.

Information for Applicants

Applications must be completed using the online application form. If you require assistance with the online portal, please contact Cultural Services Staff at ajuddrifkin@stcatharines.ca or 905.688.5601 ext. 5229

Before you begin:

Contact Staff. All applicants must contact Cultural Services staff prior to applying to request a SCCIP Culture Days Activity Program Financial Form. This form is required as part of the online application process.

Apply for an In-Person Culture Days Event:

1. Apply via our Culture Days Activity Program In-Person Activity online application.
2. Answer all application questions online.
3. Upload the financial form (required) and any other documents (optional) to the online form.
4. Submit the completed application online.
   
   

Apply for a Digital Culture Days Event:

1. Apply via our Culture Days Activity Program Digital Activity online application.
2. Answer all application questions online.
3. Upload the financial form (required) and any other documents (optional) to the online form.
4. Submit the completed application online.

About Culture Days

Culture Days is a national event held annually at the end of September to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities.

Sustaining funding recipients

The Sustaining Core Program recipients include:

• Carousel Players - $47,000
• Chorus Niagara - $17,000
• Niagara Artists Centre - $49,000
• Niagara Symphony Orchestra - $63,000
• Suitcase in Point - $33,000

The Sustaining Midsized Program recipients include:

• Essential Collective Theatre - $33,000
• The Gallery Players of Niagara - $12,000
• The Willow Arts Community - $10,000

The Sustaining Festival Program recipients include:

• Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts - $17,500
• The Foster Festival - $26,500
• In the Soil Arts Festival (Suitcase In Point) - $15,000
• The TD Niagara Jazz Festival - $16,000

Development funding recipients

The Arts Development Program recipients include:

• Roselyn Kelada-Sedra - $4,000
• Matter of Black - $10,000
• Music Niagara - $6,000
• Stolen Theatre Collective - $3,500
• The Studio - $2,394
• Willow Arts Community - $8,581

The Culture Builds Community Program recipients include:

• Laurie Sadowski - $2,810
• Dr. Neivin Shalabi - $3,000
• Silver Spire United Church - $4,000
• Start Me Up Niagara - $6,000

The Culture Days Activity Program recipients include:

• Rhiannon Barry - $395
• Carousel Players - $1,000
• Dena Colling Gelentso - $647
• Danny Custodio - $605
• Renu D'Cunha - $668
• Essential Collective Theatre - $950
• David Figueroa - $730
• Rajshree Jena - $700
• Janice Low - $513
• Mexicans In Niagara - $943
• Jelica Mijanovic - $712
• Danny Molek - $556
• Luis Gerardo Molina Gonzalez - $850
• Dr. Nievin Shalabi - $700
• Silver Spire United Church - $401
• John Sweeney - $345