Calgary festivals will see an additional investment of $300,000 this year through Calgary Arts Development’s Festival Special Project Grant. 17 grants have been provided to support Calgary festivals in programming excellence, increased awareness and participation, and healthy operations and growth.

In addition to this investment of financial resources, Calgary Arts Development will work with Tourism Calgary to support and promote Calgary festivals. This is a new granting program for 2008 only and may not be renewed in 2009.

A list of grants provided through the Festival Special Project Grants program is available here.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Goals of the Program
The goals of the program are to:  read more »

Calgary Arts Development announced, in July 2007, an important step towards strengthening resources for the arts in Calgary: the start of a process to renew and strengthen our granting programs. Through renewal we hope to support and encourage the tremendous growth of Calgary's arts sector by building the best municipal granting system in the country.

Building a strong program for the future will require us to take a series of actions in the short-term to ensure an appropriate amount of time to consult the community, develop new systems, align our resources and ultimately implement any new programs that result. Changes to the operating grants program are not something we take lightly, and our goal is to ensure minimal disruption for Calgary's arts organizations.

The attached booklet describes in detail how we will be moving forward with the renewal process. As always, we invite you to contact us directly to express any thoughts, questions or comments that you have. For questions directly related to the renewal process and your grant, please contact Karen Ball, Director of Community Investment, or Holly Simon, Community Investment Officer, at 264-5330 or grants@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.  read more »

Thank you to all the arts organizations that submitted their Extension Reports for the 2008 Operating Grants. A list of Operating Grants provided in 2008 is available here. 

We are now in a multi-year granting cycle for operating grants. No new applicants will be eligible for the operating program until 2009. However, new applicants may apply for Special Project Grants in 2008.

If you do not currently receive an Operating Grant from Calgary Arts Development and are interested in receiving a renewed 2009 Operating Grant Application when they become available in Fall 2008 please contact grants@calgaryartsdevelopment.com

The Special Project Grant has been considerably revised for 2008.

NEW: Budget Notes published below. Thank you for your questions and feedback on the new Special Project Grant form. We hope the notes are helpful. Don't hesitate to call us with any questions or comments at any time.

NEWS FOR FESTIVALS:

Festivals that have been in operation for more than one year and are operated by a non profit arts organization are not eligible to apply to this 2008 Special Project Grant but are now eligible for the Festival Special Project Grant.

All other festivals such as those planning their first year of programs are still eligible to apply to the regular 2008 Special Project Grant for support. Call Holly Simon, Community Investment Officer, at 264-5330 ext 109 with any questions.

Goals

The Special Project Grant Program invests in projects that

• Encourage artistic and organizational innovation
• Encourage Calgarians to engage in creative pursuits as artists and audience members
• Build Calgary's reputation as a diverse, inclusive, innovative and vibrant city

Deadlines

There are three opportunities to apply for funding:

• January 15, 2008
• May 15, 2008
• October 15, 2008

Grant Amounts

Grant levels will be based on the scope of the project and the availability of funds. Special Project Grants are usually awarded in the $1,000 - $10,000 range and will not support 100% of the project costs.

Eligibility

Project proposals may be submitted by individual artists, ad-hoc groups, or non-profit organizations. While registered non-profit status is not a requirement of the Special Project Grant Program, Calgary Arts Development cannot provide funding to a commercial company or enterprise and will normally not provide funding if the project is seen to be in any way a for-profit endeavour.

Please read the attached guidelines and application for more information on eligible projects. Applicants are encouraged to contact Calgary Arts Development to ensure that their project is eligible.

Contact:

phone 264-5330

or e-mail

Holly Simon, Community Investment Officer holly.simon@calgaryartsdevelopment.com

Karen Ball, Director of Community Investment karen.ball@calgaryartsdevelopment.com  read more »