Guidelines: Professional Arts Organizations Operating Grant Program

This program provides unrestricted operating funding to non-profit professional arts organizations in Calgary. Grants through this program are committed on a four-year basis for funding years 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030. This program is open both to current grantees and new applicants.

This program supports Professional Arts Organizations only. Please see ‘Who Can Apply?’ for more information. All applicants must be screened by program staff prior to applying.

Organizations that received operating funding in 2025 (current grantees) will have their agreement and current grant amount renewed for the 2026 funding year and will be assessed through this program for 2027 – 2030.

New applicants to the program will be assessed for a one-year operating grant for the 2026 funding year through the New Applicants — Professional Arts Organizations Operating Grant. They can then reapply for 2027 – 2030 through this program. New applicants will also be welcome to apply for the 2027 – 2030 funding cycle if they did not receive funding in 2026.

We acknowledge that the land we gather on, Mohkinsstsis, is the ancestral territory of the Siksikaitsitapi — the Blackfoot people — comprising the Siksika, Kainai and Piikani Nations, as well as Treaty 7 signatories, the Tsuut’ina Nation, and the Îyârhe Nakoda Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney First Nations. Today this land is home to the Otipemisiwak Métis Government Districts 5 and 6 as well as many First Nations and Inuit from across Turtle Island.

Calgary Arts Development is committed to the process of eliminating institutional racism, ableism and barriers in our programs, policies and practices by centring the creativity and leadership of those communities most impacted by structural inequities. Read our full Commitment to Equity statement on our website.

Professional Arts Organizations are non-profit arts organizations whose primary purpose is to create access to professional artistic work with artistic mandates that may include:

• Creation, production or presentation of professional artistic work (must pay or intend to pay professional artist fees according to sector or industry standards)
• Service, support or education for professional artists or professional arts organizations
• A focus on advancing professional artistic practice

In some cases, the Professional Arts Organizations Operating Grant Program may be the most appropriate program for organizations whose mandates do not match the above definition. Program staff will work with applicants to place them in the most appropriate program. At Calgary Arts Development’s discretion, non-profit arts organizations whose mandate is the creation, production or presentation of youth, amateur or non-professional artistic work may also be considered in this program if the scale of their overall operations meets the below criteria:

• Organization has a significant number of paid full-time administrative or artistic staff
• Average annual revenues exceed $500,000

Eligible applicants must be:

• Registered non-profit organizations under the Alberta’s Societies Act or the Alberta Company Act, Part 9
• In good standing with all appropriate legislation
• Arts-focused as outlined in their mandate
  • Mandate must be primarily focused on advancing the arts in community through any of: creation, development, production, presentation, education, mentorship
• In operation for two or more years
  • Organizations that have not been registered non-profit organizations for two years may apply, if they can demonstrate consistent annual programming and comparable community relationships and governance models for at least two years prior to registration
• Calgary-based
  • Organizations not located in Calgary must demonstrate that the majority of their activities benefit and/or serve Calgarians
  • Must be located in Alberta
  • 50% of the organization’s board members must be living in Alberta
  • Organizations with a provincially focused mandate must demonstrate that Calgarians are equally served by their programming as other areas of Alberta

Ineligible applicants:

• Organizations that are not in good standing with non-profit legislation and other relevant regulations
• Organizations with outstanding final reports for other grants from Calgary Arts Development
• Organizations receiving a grant through the Community Arts Organizations Operating Grant Program
• Post-secondary institutions
• Organizations that are Civic Partners to the City of Calgary and organizations receiving annual unrestricted operational support for their arts programming directly from the City of Calgary
• Organizations registered under the Religious Societies Land Act
• Individual artists or artist collectives
• For-profit businesses

Operating funding is considered unrestricted, meaning it can be used towards almost any area of your organization’s operations. Funding is disbursed on a calendar year basis but does not need to be used within that calendar year. Funding is generally intended to be directed towards your current or upcoming fiscal year.

Calgary Arts Development stewards municipal funds on behalf of the public, and operating funds are not intended to be used towards the following ineligible activities. Use of funds towards expenses related to these activities may result in grant reductions, or removal from the program. This list is not exclusive and further conditions will be outlined in the grant agreement for successful applicants.

Ineligible Activities:

• Activities that do not comply with or respect cultural protocols.
• Activities that use or present Indigenous cultural material, traditional knowledge or stories without express permission from the community and/or clear connection to the originating community.
• Activities or individuals that willfully or in bad faith promote intolerance, hatred or hate speech to incite violence or harm.
• Activities that are illegal or contravene provincial or federal law, or municipal bylaws.
• Fundraising activities on behalf of another non-profit organization, charity or political party.
• Activities related to campaigning for a specific political candidate or party in an election.

Funding Requests

Organizations will be given the opportunity to make a specific funding request in this program. Applicants will be asked to outline how their funding request was determined and will be assessed on appropriateness and reasonableness of the request, as well as how the request aligns with current levels of impact and activities.

To ensure that peer assessment committees are considering similar organizations, applicants will be assessed within program streams based on artistic discipline and mandate, and organizational size (e.g. annual budget, number of staff, scope of work etc.)

Each program stream will be reviewed by independent assessment committees made up of artist peers and community members. The membership of the peer assessment committees will be chosen through public nominations and staff expertise, and committees will be convened for overlapping terms of two to three years.

Standing committees are responsible for reviewing applications and making funding recommendations to Calgary Arts Development staff, and deepening their knowledge and awareness of the organizations they are assessing by attending public events and reviewing reports. The purpose of the standing committee is to ensure that funding commitments made on a multi-year basis are informed and monitored through recommendations from community members with familiarity with the organizations outside of what is written in applications, and who have the benefit of seeing how their work shifts over time. The Assessor Terms of Reference outlines the roles and responsibilities of the standing committees in more detail.

Anyone can ask to participate on a Calgary Arts Development assessment committee by completing the assessor nomination form or by emailing grants@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.

Assessment committees are chosen to represent the broad diversity of Calgary and its artistic communities, including artistic discipline, gender, sexuality, age, religion, beliefs, nation, race, ethnicity, physical and neurological identities, and more.

Calgary Arts Development reserves the right to adjust assessment processes and the program timeline due to application volume. Applicants will be notified if significant changes occur.

Assessment committees for each program stream will review and score individual applications according to the program criteria and considerations outlined in the ‘Program Criteria & Considerations’ section. Committees may also take into consideration publicly available information such as web content or social media not included in the application package, as well as their own experiences of the organization’s artistic work and programming.

The committee for each program stream will meet with Calgary Arts Development program staff to discuss each application and make recommendations. Final grant amounts will be determined by program staff based on the committee’s discussion and recommendations.

Each organization receiving funding through the Operating Grant program is an important contributor to Calgary Arts Development’s vision and mission. The program considerations and assessment criteria will align with the directions and desired outcomes of our strategic framework. Calgary Arts Development takes an ecosystem approach that emphasizes and values each individual organization’s unique contribution to the arts sector.

This page will be updated with full program criteria and considerations, and information about scoring and funding decisions in 2026. Please note that criteria for the Professional Arts Organizations Operating Grant Program will include additional unique requirements and questions, but you may refer to the program guidelines for the New Applicant – Professional Arts Organizations Operating Grant for context as there will be similarities between the two programs.

Organizations that received operating funding in 2025 (current grantees) will have their agreement and current grant amount renewed for the 2026 funding year and will be assessed through this program for 2027 – 2030 if the organization wishes to continue to be considered in the program.

New applicants to the program will be assessed for a one-year operating grant for the 2026 funding year through the New Professional Applicant Operating Grant. They can then reapply for 2027 – 2030 through this program. Information about the New Professional Applicant Operating Grant can be found here. New applicants will also be welcome to apply for the 2027 – 2030 funding cycle if they did not receive funding in 2026.

Operating grantees will be required to complete a report on the previous funding year annually. Reports are due mid-February. Reporting requirements are listed in investment agreements, and Calgary Arts Development will provide detailed information about the reporting process to grantees by email in December or January of each year.

2025 Reporting

Organizations receiving funding in 2026 (current grantees) will be required to report on the 2025 funding year. 2025 reporting is due February 18, 2026, and requires:

Challenges & Opportunities 

The below areas have been identified by organizations through past application and reporting cycles. The purpose of these questions is to track shifts to opportunities and challenges at the sectoral level.

• Our audience / attendance / participation numbers are:
  • Significantly exceeding expectations
  • Exceeding expectations
  • Meeting expectations
  • Not meeting expectations
  • Significantly lower than expected
• Our private sector revenue is:
  • Significantly exceeding expectations
  • Exceeding expectations
  • Meeting expectations
  • Not meeting expectations
  • Significantly lower than expected
• We have or are considering scaling back public programming due to rising costs related to the creation and presentation of artistic work:
  • Strongly agree
  • Somewhat agree
  • Neither agree or disagree
  • Somewhat disagree
  • Strongly disagree
• We have or are considering scaling back administrative expenses or staffing due to rising costs related to operations:
  • Strongly agree
  • Somewhat agree
  • Neither agree or disagree
  • Somewhat disagree
  • Strongly disagree
• We are attracting and retaining the staff and artists required to meet our mandate:
  • Strongly agree
  • Somewhat agree
  • Neither agree or disagree
  • Somewhat disagree
  • Strongly disagree
• We are attracting and retaining board members and volunteers required to meet our mandate:
  • Strongly agree
  • Somewhat agree
  • Neither agree or disagree
  • Somewhat disagree
  • Strongly disagree
• We are experimenting with different ways of running our organization to address financial challenges:
  • Strongly agree
  • Somewhat agree
  • Neither agree or disagree
  • Somewhat disagree
  • Strongly disagree

Activity Overview 

Upload a minimum one (1)­ page PDF that describes significant successes and challenges in 2025, including any material changes to your organization’s mandate, programming, operating model, staffing etc. that occurred in 2025, or are expected to occur in 2025. If you have submitted a similar document as part of a report to another funding organization, it may be used for the purpose of this report.

Financial, Statistical and Programming Information 

• Financial Form 
  • Fiscal year beginning in 2024 (actuals) – mandatoryFiscal year beginning in 2025 (actuals and/or projections) – mandatory
  • Fiscal year beginning in 2026 (projections) – mandatory
    • This column is used to understand how organizations plan their activities

CADAC clients will submit their CADAC reporting.

• Statistical Form 
  • Fiscal year beginning in 2024 (actuals) – mandatoryFiscal year beginning in 2025 (actuals and/or projections) – mandatory
  • Fiscal year beginning in 2026 (projections) – mandatory
    • This column is used to understand how organizations plan their activities

CADAC clients will submit their CADAC reporting.

• Financial Statements 
  • Statement of Operations and Balance Sheet for your last completed fiscal year.
    • Financial statements must include a Statement of Operations and Balance Sheet
      • Unaudited statements must be signed by at least 2 board members not involved in their creation
    • Organizations with an average annual revenue of $300,000 or greater requires at minimum a Notice to Reader assessment

• Programming Form 
  • Fiscal year beginning in 2024 (actuals) – mandatory
    • An optional column has been added to report on actual attendance numbers if available
• Fiscal year beginning in 2025 (actuals and/or projections) – mandatory
• Fiscal year beginning in 2026 (projections) – mandatory
  • If the details for 2026 programming are not fully confirmed, please enter placeholders. This column is used to understand how organizations plan their activities

The total number of expected public events and arts education events should match the statistical form

2026 Reporting

Organizations that receive funding in 2026 will be required to report on the 2026 funding year.

2026 reporting is due February 17, 2027, and requires:

Financial, Statistical and Programming Information 

• Financial Form
  • CADAC clients will submit their CADAC reporting.
• Statistical Form
  • CADAC clients will submit their CADAC reporting.
• Programming Form

Financial Statements 

• Statement of Operations and Balance Sheet for your last completed fiscal year.
  • Financial statements must include a Statement of Operations and Balance Sheet
    • Unaudited statements must be signed by at least 2 board members not involved in their creation

2027 – 2030 Reporting

• February 16, 2028: Report deadline for 2027 funding year
• February 14, 2029: Report deadline for 2028 funding year
• February 13, 2030: Report deadline for 2029 funding year
• February 12, 2031: Report deadline for 2030 funding year

Full reporting requirements will be published along with program criteria & considerations in 2026 and outlined in the investment agreement.

Successful applicants will be required to participate in a mandatory Demographic Census every three to four years.

Grantees may also be invited to participate in optional surveys, research and peer-to-peer learning.

Policies

Applicant Support & Accessibility Policy
Deadline Extension Policy
Disclosure of Grant Information Policy
Fair Notice Policy

Forms

Note: Links to these forms will be provided at a later date

Financial Form
Statistical Form
Programming Form

Other

Terms of Reference
Group Agreements
Frequently Asked Questions
Assessor Nomination Form