The Operating Grant Program provides stable, predictable funding to non-profit arts organizations in Calgary (known as Mohkinsstsis in Blackfoot). Operating Grant funds may be allocated to any area of an arts organization’s budget.

The Operating Grant New Client Intake Program is open to applicants who did not receive an operating grant from Calgary Arts Development from 2020 – 2022. Successful applicants will be streamed into the Operating Grant Program and will receive an annual operating grant of $10,000 — $30,000 confirmed for 2023 and 2024.

Total funding available for this program is $800,000.

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 Îyâxe Nakoda Bearspaw, Chiniki and Wesley First Nations. Today this land is home to the Metis of Region 3 as well as many First Nations and Inuit peoples 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. Access our full Commitment to Equity statement on our website.

We recognize that barriers within the arts community exist, particularly for equity seeking communities, and that there are many unique entry points into an artistic practice and career in the arts. If you are unsure about eligibility, please reach out to discuss this with the program specialist before applying. You’ll also find answers to some common questions in our Investment Program FAQ.

There are two policies available for potential applicants who may need support to apply to this program, such as translating program guidelines and applications. These policies are available to potential applicants even if they decide not to apply to the program.

• An Accommodation & Accessibility Policy for potential applicants who experience barriers to access, to develop accommodations that suit their abilities and situations.
• The Application Assistance Policy for eligible applicants to alleviate some of the financial costs associated with preparing and submitting an application.

Calgary Arts Development is committed to open, fair and transparent processes. If you have any questions, want help with feedback on your application or if it’s your first time applying, please don’t hesitate to contact the program specialist as early as you can to ensure they can provide the best support possible. Staff can provide feedback on your application up to 10 days before application deadlines.

This program is open to non-profit arts organizations that did not receive operating grants through this program in the 2020 – 2022 funding cycle or exited the operating program during the last cycle. Organizations may be working in any artistic discipline and creating and sharing artistic work on any topic. This program is open to both community-based and professional arts organizations.

Eligibility requirements:

• Organizations must be registered provincially as a non-profit arts organization, or federally as a charitable arts organization.
  • Organizations that are un-incorporated or unregistered arts-based organizations operating within a business model commensurate to a non-profit society may also be considered for operational funding on a case-by-case basis. These organizations must at minimum demonstrate all of the following:
    • Effective leadership and ongoing operations for at least one year.
    • Clear lines of accountability and defined roles/responsibilities.
    • Rigorous and sustainable basic financial practices/tools.
  • Organizations must be located and operating within the Treaty 7 Calgary region and serving the Calgary community.
    • Organizations with a provincial mandate or those located outside of the Treaty 7 Calgary region must demonstrate that their activities are significantly and meaningfully accessible to Calgary citizens and are serving the Calgary community equally to other communities in their mandate.
  • Organizations must have an arts-based mandate and be centring arts-based programming in their work.

Ineligible organizations:

• This program cannot support post-secondary, degree- or diploma-granting institutions.
  • Organizations associated with post-secondary institutions are eligible provided they are registered provincially or federally as a non-profit or charitable organization and have their own board and governance structures.
• This program cannot support organizations receiving operating grants or operational funding directly from The City of Calgary.
• This program cannot support political, trade union or fraternal lodge organizations.
• This program cannot support organizations registered as religious societies.
• This program cannot support organizations located outside of the Treaty 7 Calgary region that do not primarily serve the Calgary community.
• This program cannot support for-profit organizations, businesses, co-operatives or individual artists and artist collectives.

For a glossary of terms and more important information about eligibility, please refer to the Investment Program FAQ.

This program provides unrestricted operational funding to support organizations’ overall mandates. Organizations are evaluated and assessed through criteria that consider the organization as a whole. Operating funds may be directed towards any part of an organization’s overall budget.

Ineligible Expenses & Activities

Funds from this program are not intended to support the following:

• Debt repayment.
• Fundraising activities (e.g., activities undertaken for the purpose of raising funds on behalf of a political party or charity).
• Activities or organizations that do not comply with or respect cultural protocols.
• Activities or organizations that use or present Indigenous cultural material, traditional knowledge or stories without permission from the community.
• Activities or organizations that willfully or in bad faith promote intolerance, hatred or hate speech with the purpose of inciting violence or harm.
• Activities or organizations that are illegal or contravene provincial or federal law, or municipal bylaws.
• Activities or organizations related to campaigning for a specific political candidate or party in an election.

Please note that the ineligible expenses and activities listed are given as examples and are not exclusive.

This program will be assessed based on criteria that align with Calgary Arts Development’s four directions in our strategic framework for 2023 — 2026. The ongoing impact of the pandemic and related financial, artistic and community challenges will be understood and accounted for through this process. As the sector navigates reopening and recovery, assessors will be asked to consider the below considerations through the lens of organization’s current state and ability to plan for the future.

Purpose

• Has the organization undertaken thoughtful and reasonable steps to consider equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility in their work within the context of their organizational mandate, artistic goals, community relationships and operational structure?

People

• Has the organization shown how their artistic experiences and programming meaningfully nurture and support artists in our city?
• Has the organization shown how their artistic experiences and programming meaningfully contributes to their artistic discipline and artistic communities?

Community

• Has the organization shown how they understand the communities they engage with and serve?
• Has the organization shown how they create and encourage opportunities for Calgarians to connect, create, participate and relate to the arts?

Resources

• Has the organization shown how they effectively utilize and leverage resources to achieve their mandate and serve their communities?
• Has the organization shown thoughtful and reasonable approaches to planning for the future and managing risk?

Scoring Process

Committee members will review applications and rate the level to which they agree or disagree with each of the program considerations listed in the section above, based on the information provided in the application.

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

Organizations that receive a rating of Agree or Strongly Agree from the majority of assessors in five or more program considerations will be considered for funding.

Fair Notice Policy

Organizations applying to the Operating Grant New Client Intake Program are subject to the Fair Notice Policy. Receiving a flag through this policy does not preclude organizations from entering the program, however potential high risk conditions may factor into the program considerations and scoring above.

This policy ensures that organizations that receive annual operational funding from Calgary Arts Development have the opportunity to address risks related to the investment they receive. These processes are intended to encourage those organizations to be transparent and work with Calgary Arts Development to create strategies and remedy high-risk conditions without being subject to major fluctuations in their grants in a single year.

The following is a section of the full policy. Please review the Fair Notice Policy in full here.

Calgary Arts Development reserves the right to apply any of the below flags for critical, high-risk concerns based on the information provided in the application or report, or as we become aware of organizational circumstances or events that may present a risk at any point through the funding cycle.

Calgary Arts Development staff review organizations’ applications and may apply a financial flag for any of the below.

• Deficits over 10% for the last two consecutive fiscal years.
• More liabilities than assets on the balance sheet for the last completed fiscal year.

Assessment committees will be asked to consider the below conditions and identify any critical or high-risk circumstances that may present a risk to the annual investment on behalf of the community. The majority of the committee must agree to the risk assessment in order for a flag to be applied.

• A significant and unexplained reduction to artistic or community impact compared to previous years, including serious issues that may arise related to equity, diversity and inclusion.
• A demonstrated lack of capacity to complete core programming or achieve key organizational goals.
• A demonstrated lack of capacity in resource management or organizational governance.
• The need for future planning to address the current level of risk or to mitigate previous resiliency flags.
• A significant lack of transparency and information in the application such that the assessors are unable to determine whether the organization merits their investment.

If an organization is successful in entering the program in 2023 and receives a Fair Notice Policy flag, they may be asked to meet with Calgary Arts Development or submit a written update outlining a plan to address their flag conditions before their funding is released. In 2024 they may be asked for an update to the flag conditions as part of their interim reporting.

Applications to the program will be reviewed by an independent assessment committee made up of artist peers and community members. The membership of the committee will be chosen through public nominations and staff expertise.

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

Assessment committees are chosen to represent the broad diversity of Calgary and its artistic communities, including but not limited to artistic discipline, gender, sexuality, age, religion, beliefs, nation, physical and neurological identities.

• Seven-member Committees: Recommending committees of seven members will be created for the year to evaluate this program.
• Committee Membership: Individual artists and arts workers with experience and knowledge from a variety of artistic disciplines and practices, who actively participate in, experience and advocate for the work of the arts community.

Committee members must review, understand and adhere to the Terms of Reference, the Program Guidelines, and to Calgary Arts Development’s Group Agreements.

Applications will be split into assessment streams based on artistic discipline and organizational context to ensure they are reviewed by committees with experience and knowledge about the applicants. Assessment committees will review applications in the online granting interface and evaluate each application according to the considerations outlined in the Program Considerations section of the guidelines.

Assessment committees will convene in a meeting facilitated by Calgary Arts Development staff to discuss each application, make recommendations, and provide thoughtful and reflective feedback which will be compiled and synthesized by Calgary Arts Development staff and shared with applicants at the end of the process.

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

We accept applications through a grant platform called Smart Simple that has an online portal.

Applications will be assigned to each organization in the grant platform. The application form will be available May 1, 2023.

Please contact grants@calgaryartsdevelopment.com for help with any questions or technical issues.

• Organization Information
  • Contact information
  • Mandate
  • Organizational structure
  • Board list
  • Grant request: between $10,000 – $30,000
• People (Artistic Impact)
  • Describe the artistic experiences and programming you provide and how these activities contribute to your artistic discipline as a whole.
  • Describe the role your organization plays in the arts communities (local, regional, or national) to which it belongs, including the role you play in nurturing and supporting artists.
• Community (Community Impact)
  • Describe the communities you engage with through your work, which may include artists, audiences, volunteers, staff and board, and how you engage with these communities.
  • Describe how your organization creates and encourages opportunities for Calgarians to participate in, connect, create and relate to the arts.
• Resources (Operations and Administration)
  • Describe your organization’s operating and governance structure, including how you approach planning, resource management, risk management and decision making.
• Purpose (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility)
  • Please describe how your organization has centred equity as an essential element of a healthy arts ecosystem. This may include activities related to artistic programming, governance policy, hiring practices and/or human resource management.
• Financial, Statistical and Programming Information
  • Financial Form
    • This form provides a detailed breakdown of an organization’s financials. It is essential that the total Expenses and Revenues in the Financial Form align with the totals reflected in the Financial Statements.
    • CADAC clients will submit their CADAC reporting.
  • Statistical Form
    • This form provides information about the events and people an organization works with. You will be asked to share the number of events presented, as well as information about the people the organization works with including staff, volunteers, board members and artists.
    • CADAC clients will submit their CADAC reporting.
  • Financial Statements
    • Statement of Operations and Balance Sheets for last two completed fiscal years.
    • Unaudited statements must be signed by two board members not involved in their creation.
  • Programming Form
    • This form provides information about the events an organization has programmed in the 21/22 Fiscal Year, as well as projections for the 22/23 Fiscal Year. It is essential that the total events in the Programming Form align with the total number of events and arts education activities provided in the Statistical Form.
  • Optional Support Material. Examples include but are not limited to:
    • Photos of past events
    • Strategic planning documents
    • Videos of past events
    • Website and marketing collateral
    • Letters of support

Applicants will be notified of their results by email.

Grantees will be sent an investment agreement via Docusign for their total 2023 – 2024 operating grant amount after the assessment process finishes and are required to sign and return the agreement within 30 days of receiving it in order to receive funding.

We use electronic fund transfers to make grant payments. If your application is approved, you will be required to provide a void cheque or direct deposit form with your banking information. Please let us know if you need any help with this.

Interim Report

Organizations will receive their 2024 operating grant after the successful completion and review of an interim report due February 28, 2024.

• Organization Information
  • Contact information
  • Mandate
  • Organizational structure
  • Board list
• Activity Overview
  • Upload a 1­–2-page PDF that describes activities for the fiscal year 2021 – 2022 that reflects on successes, challenges and goals of your organization. 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 application.
  • Please describe how your organization has centred equity as an essential element of a healthy arts ecosystem since 2020. This may include activities related to artistic programming, governance policy, hiring practices and/or human resource management.
• Financial, Statistical and Programming Information
  • Financial Form
    • CADAC clients will submit their CADAC reporting.
  • Statistical Form
    • CADAC clients will submit their CADAC reporting.
  • Financial Statements
    • Statement of Operations and Balance Sheet for last completed fiscal year.
    • Unaudited statements must be signed by two board members not involved in their creation.
  • Programming Form
• Optional Support Material

Final Report

The Operating Grant will complete its two-year cycle on December 31, 2024, and the program will reopen to applications in 2025. Applications submitted to the 2025 cycle will constitute reporting for the 2024 granting year. If organizations do not reapply to the 2025 program, they will be asked to submit a final report upon exiting the program.

Successful applicants may also be invited to participate in optional surveys, research and peer-to-peer learning. Please contact grants@calgaryartsdevelopment.com with any questions about reporting requirements.

Policies

Accommodation & Accessibility Policy

Application Assistance Policy

Deadline Extension Policy

Disclosure of Grant Information Policy

Other

Terms of Reference

Group Agreements

Frequently Asked Questions

Assessor Nomination Form