The St. Catharines Cultural Investment Program (SCCIP) is designed to support the creative sector and strengthen the overall cultural ecosystem in the City of St. Catharines. The program invests in the new music, arts and cultural activities to revitalize our downtown and enhance our public life in the community.
To stay up to date with SCCIP news, subscribe to our Cultural Funding Newsletter.
Before you apply
SCCIP has six different program streams each with their own distinct priorities, eligibility and evaluation criteria. To make sure you find the right program for your project, we require all applicants to contact our staff to discuss your plans and application before applying.
We also recommend checking out our SCCIP Cultural Investment Policy to learn all about our program, eligibility, and evaluation process.
Application deadline
Each year we release application materials between January and April. Please check back for 2022 deadlines.
How to apply
You can submit online submission when applications open in early 2022.
If you have any questions about the application process contact our staff.
Are you eligible?
Core and midsized arts organizations, and festival producers can apply for Sustaining Funding grants. Small and emerging arts organizations, and culture-related projects, can apply for Development Funding grants.
All applicants must:
- Be active in St. Catharines
- Provide programming or services that are open to the public and publicized city-wide
- Have a diversified revenue base (Culture Days funding excluded)
Sustaining funding eligibility
Learn about our Sustaining funding which has three grant programs as a part of SCCIP – Core, Midsized and Festival.
Core Program |
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To be eligible for the Core Program, you must:
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. You must also meet these eligibility requirements for the Core Program:
For more information, view our Sustaining Core Program Guidelines. |
Midsized Program |
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To be eligible for the Midsized Program, you must:
You must also meet these eligibility requirements for the Midsized Program:
For more information, view our Midsized Program Guidelines. |
Festival Program |
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The Festival Program is for professional festivals that:
To be eligible for the Festival Program, the Festival must:
You must also meet these eligibility requirements for the Festival Program:
Eligibility exceptionsYou 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. |
Development funding eligibility
Learn about eligibility for our development funding program offering three different programs – Arts Development Program, Culture Builds Community Program and Culture Days Activity Program.
Arts Development Program |
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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:
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:
Repeat applicantsIf you're a repeat applicant, you must demonstrate:
Eligibility exceptionsYou may also be eligible if you are a:
For more information, view our Arts Development Program Guidelines. |
Culture Builds Community Program |
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To be eligible for the Culture Builds Community Program, you must:
You must also meet these eligibility requirements for the Culture Builds Community Program:
Eligibility exceptionsYou may be eligible if you are a:
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. |
Culture Days Activity Programs |
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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:
You do not need to meet all the general eligibility requirements of SCCIP. However, activities must:
Eligibility exceptionsFor-profit businesses are eligible for this program when all other eligibility requirements are met. Business applicants are eligible for artist fee costs only. About Culture DaysCulture 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. For more information. View our Culture Days Activity Guidelines. |
General ineligibility
Some activities are beyond the scope of the SCCIP. Those who cannot receive grants from any SCCIP stream include:
- Civic departments, boards, commissions or advisory committees, City programs or projects (i.e. libraries, community centres)
- Social service, religious, or sports organizations
- Educational institutions (schools, colleges etc.)
- Club or community centre programs
- Conferences, conventions or banquets
- Scholarships, prizes and awards
- As donations (including the waiving of fees and charges)
- Groups raising funds for non-cultural causes
- Uniforms or personal equipment
- Deficit reduction
Application review
Members of the St. Catharines' Arts and Culture Advisory Committee review all applications and make recommendations for investment to City Council.
The Review Committee uses these evaluation forms when reviewing applications:
- Sustaining Core Funding Evaluation Guide
- Sustaining Midsized Funding Evaluation Guide
- Sustaining Festival Funding Evaluation Guide
- Development Arts Development Funding Evaluation Guide
- Development Culture Builds Community Funding Evaluation Guide
- Development Culture Days Activity Funding Evaluation Guide
Funding projects approved in 2020
View the projects that received SCCIP funding in 2020.
Sustaining funding recipients |
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The Sustaining Core Program recipients include:
The Sustaining Midsized Program recipients include:
The Sustaining Festival Program recipients include:
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Development funding recipients |
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The Arts and Culture Community Revitalization Program recipients include:
The Culture Days Activity Program recipients include:
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