Grants
The City provides grant funding under a number of programs. Please note this is not an exhaustive list of grants available in the community and we encourage you to explore other available options.
Downtown Event Revitalization Funding
Audience
Organizations
Status
Inactive
Cut Off Date
2024-10-08 00:00
2025 City of Nanaimo Downtown Event Revitalization Grant intake is now CLOSED
Deadline: October 8th, 2024
Grant applications must be received by 4:00 pm on the day of deadline to be eligible for consideration in this funding stream.
The Downtown Event Revitalization Funding Program (Downtown Event Grant/ DERF) supports events and initiatives which attract residents and visitors to downtown, support vibrancy, stimulate business activity and align with other objectives of the City's Corporate Strategic Plan.
Funds can be used to assist with the costs of organizing and presenting public events and initiatives in downtown Nanaimo. The intention of the grant is to recognize the value that initiatives have in building vitality downtown and in enhancing Nanaimo's profile as a destination of choice. The grant serves as an incentive to event organizers to enhance, expand and improve their events. Applications are received once per year.
View the 2024 Summary of Grants Awarded (Operating, Project, and Downtown Event Grant)
View the Culture Awards FAQ page
For more information contact:
Culture & Events
250-755-4483
culturegrants@nanaimo.ca
Important Notes
- DERF Grant info session (ZOOM: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83936969274): Thurs, Sept. 12, 6-7pm
- Project Grant info session (ZOOM: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82726320879): Wed, Sept. 25, 6-7pm
- Operating Grant info session (ZOOM: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87036060226): Thurs, Sept. 26, 6-7pm
- All Grants info session (Bowen Complex, Conference Rm): Friday, Sept. 27, 1-2pm
- All Grants info session (ZOOM: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84829214496): Fri, Oct. 4, 1-2pm
*If content of section exceeds space allocated in field, please provide supplemental pages to your report for legibility.
Introduction
The City of Nanaimo recognizes the vital contribution of arts, culture and heritage activities to the City’s economic and social progress; the value of artistic and cultural expression; and enjoyment of life by its citizens. The work of the Culture & Events team is guided by the City of Nanaimo’s strategic planning document, City Plan - Nanaimo ReImagined. The City Plan outlines a commitment to investing in arts and culture for the purpose of strengthening the City’s economic base, improving the quality of life of residents, and enhancing community identity and pride. Further grounded within this integrated document are the City’s strategic goals to build respectful, collaborative relationships with the communities we serve.
Culture opens our minds to new perspectives. As convener, connector, facilitator, enabler and funder, the City of Nanaimo recognizes the crucial role of Nanaimo’s independent arts, culture and heritage event and festival producers to create impact and value for diverse publics. Events and festivals contribute to the economic, social, and cultural well-being of residents, drive tourism and attract investment. The City of Nanaimo is committed to providing opportunities for all Nanaimo residents and visitors to express creativity and enjoy leisure time through a wide range of programs, activities and special events.
Purpose
This fund is intended to assist with the costs of staging, organizing and presenting public events in downtown Nanaimo. The intention of the grant is to recognize the value events and festivals provide in building vitality downtown, enhancing quality of life, and raising Nanaimo’s profile. The grant serves as an incentive to organizers to enhance, expand and improve their events and festivals, and prioritizes applications that demonstrate how events and festivals are responding to changing community needs and leveraging opportunities.
Strategic Priorities
- events and festivals that activate the downtown area;
- projects that generate community pride and raise the profile of Nanaimo;
- projects that support innovative collaborations and partnerships and
- events and festivals that attract tourists throughout the year into the shoulder season.
Program Objectives
- promote experiences for residents and visitors;
- have strong potential to attract out-of-town visitors and overnight stays;
- promote local businesses, arts, products, culture, history and attractions;
- are either a one-time special event, or a recurring event or festival that is presented on an annual or semi-annual basis and
- are accessible to the general public (with or without gated admission).
Eligibility Criteria
- be based in Nanaimo;
- be an incorporated non-profit society or community organization and in good standing (provincially or federally) as a non-profit society or community organization in good standing;
- active for at least a full year prior to application and
- individuals are also eligible to apply and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Ineligible Applicants
- City of Nanaimo departments
- Event organizers with outstanding balances owed to the City of Nanaimo
- Publicly funded or private educational institutions (public schools, universities, colleges, training organizations)
- Organizations or individuals located outside of the boundaries of the City of Nanaimo
- Previously funded individuals / organizations that have not submitted a final report
- Organizations that have not had a representative attend a mandatory Grant Preparation Zoom meeting
Eligible Festival & Event Activities
- fees for artists, entertainers, Elders, and other presenters;
- venue and equipment rental fees;
- materials and supplies;
- marketing and promotion
- administration
Ineligible Activities
- activities where participation is based on fundraising pledges;
- activities that are politically-partisan;
- activities that are focused on commercial activity (e.g. marketing campaigns, tradeshows), religion or health care;
- activities occurring outside of downtown Nanaimo (the City reserves the right to determine the boundaries of downtown for the purpose of this program);
- projects where the central focus is not hosting an event or a festival;
- projects which duplicate existing events or festivals;
- capital projects;
- recuperation of deficits;
- the distribution of bursaries or scholarships and
- events and festivals that have already received funding for the same activities through other sources at the City of Nanaimo
Assessment Criteria
- Quality of proposed event or festival
- The degree to which proposed activities are innovative or distinctive
- The degree to which the proposed project has community support
- Activities that reflect the strategic funding priorities and program objectives outlined in this grant
- Demonstrated capacity to plan, administer and deliver the proposed event
- Realistic proposed budgets with diverse sources of revenue
- Promote downtown, and its arts and culture assets, and its businesses and services, to create pride of place, vibrancy, and attract both residents of Nanaimo and tourists
- Contribute, as one-time special events, or annual festivals and events, to the overall scope of activities downtown by providing a unique offering
- Be accessible to the general public (with or without gated admission)
Adjudication Process
Appeal Process
Funding Acknowledgement
Terms & Conditions of Funding
- failure to meet the terms and conditions of the grant
- failure to comply with legal obligations
- failure to respect the commitment to provide a workplace free from harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct
- unapproved changes to funded activities
- significant risk of insolvency or bankruptcy
Final Reports
Final reports must detail any substantial changes to your original proposal and must include an accounting of spent and unspent funds. Failure to provide a final report will result in the rejection of all new funding applications.
Grant Repayment
If for any reason you cannot use the grant at the expected time, decide not to carry out the plans described in your grant application or refuse the grant conditions, you must notify us immediately. If you are unable to complete your project or event any unspent funds must be returned to the City of Nanaimo. Unused grant funds will not be carried over to the next calendar year.
Payment
The City of Nanaimo will deliver awarded funds by direct deposit. To receive funds via electronic funds transfer (EFT), recipient must fill out and return the EFT form, along with VOID cheque or verified account information printout from banking institution.
Statement of Inclusivity
“Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates resources and opportunities to support more positive outcomes for all regardless of age, ability, gender, sexual orientation, faith practice, ancestry, or background. By identifying inequities and targeting investment in prevention and intervention, the wellbeing and inclusion of the diversity of people that make up our entire community can be enhanced, creating a city that puts people first and supports a sense of belonging.”
Funding is provided with the expectation that recipients will:
Encourage diversity awareness and build a culture of compassion for people of all cultures, genders, orientations, ages and abilities (Policy C4.2.8).
Changes to Activities
City staff must approve any major changes to your funded activities before you carry them out.
Acknowledgement of the City of Nanaimo and Logo Use
Public acknowledgement of support is required for all grant recipients. Please ensure that all materials (including copies of reports, advertising, oral presentations and publicity relating to the project(s) or programming credit the support of the grant. Please ensure proper logo use when crediting the City of Nanaimo’s support. You can request logo files by contacting culturegrants@nanaimo.ca.
Permits, Fees, Applications
The approval of this grant does not indicate approval of associated required permits for public events. Processing special event permits can take several weeks. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all necessary permits have been obtained prior to commencing project and or event and ensure compliance with all required permits.
Confidentiality
Documents submitted by applicants become property of the City of Nanaimo. The City will make every effort to maintain the confidentiality of each application and the information contained therein except to the extent necessary to communicate information to Staff and the committee for the purpose of evaluation and analysis. The City will not release this information to the public except required under the Province of BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act or other legal disclosure process.
Tax Implications
FAQ Culture & Events Grants
Where can I find the Grants information session presentation for reference?
The all grants information session presentation can be seen as a PDF document HERE.
What Culture & Events funding opportunities are available through the City of Nanaimo?
Where can I find a summary of Grants awarded in 2024?
2024 City of Nanaimo Summary of Culture Grants (Operating & Project)
My organization is located outside the City of Nanaimo boundaries. Are we eligible?
In order to be eligible for funds at the City of Nanaimo, your organization must be registered as a non-profit with an address inside the boundaries of the City . Organizations that operate in multiple communities must be able to demonstrate public activities taking place inside the City limits in order to receive funding through the Culture Operating Grant.
What type of grant should I apply for? What is the difference between Project and Operating?
Operating grants differ from Project grants in that they fund a year-round cycle of operations at an organization, and are a contribution to the organization's administration as well as public activities. Groups with operating funds are expected to run a year-round cycle of activities, hold an established administrative structure that reports to a volunteer Board of Directors, and has the capacity to have independently prepared or audited financial statements. The funding received is a contribution to ALL activities, including all programs that arise throughout the year. An organization seeking operating support must be able to demonstrate confirmed ongoing activity by providing a “Program of Work,” which describes programming, administration, community involvement and promotion. An organization in receipt of operating funds has flexibility to adapt their program of work to respond to organizational change, and may only apply to one stand-alone project grant per year.
Project grants differ from operating grants in that they are allocations toward the realization of a specific project or series of activities. Instead of a ‘Program of Work,’ an application for project funding would describe the nature of the project or series of activities, who is involved in delivering the activities, when and where the activities will take place. Administrative costs associated to the delivery of the project are eligible (for example: venue rental, staffing, or promotional costs), but ongoing operating expenses (like office rent, or utilities) are not considered a project cost.
My organization is applying to host our annual cultural event fundraiser, with proceeds going to charity. Can we seek support from the City of Nanaimo?
Fundraising activities, where the outcome generates funds for a separate charitable cause are not eligible for funding through this program. Organizations that undertake fundraising activities, such as regular programs and events that charge a fee for entry, where the funds raised will be a portion of the revenues at the organization applying for funding, are eligible to apply, provided their fundraiser is not the sole activity of the organization.
Can I apply for more than one Project grant project/initiative?
Yes. Based on funds available, up to three Project Grant applications may be approved in a year.
Can our organization apply for a Culture Project Grant and a Culture Operating Grant?
Applicants who are receiving Culture Operating support may apply for one supplemental Project grant. Organizations that receive an Operating grant may apply for one project grant that is either a collaboration with another organization or a capacity building activity. The application must clearly demonstrate how the request falls outside of regular operations.
Can our organization apply for a Culture Project Grant and a Downtown Event Revitalization Grant?
Organizations may apply to both funds, provided the requests are for separate projects, events or activities.
My activity/ project will start in 2025, but will last into 2026, am I still eligible to apply?
Yes, the fund supports activities that are initiated in 2025. Organizations with activities that carry over into 2026 must supply an interim report if/when submitting a new application to the Culture Project Fund.
Can I apply for more than one Downtown Event Revitalization project/initiative?
Yes. Based on funds available, up to four Downtown Event Revitalization applications may be approved.
Can I apply for Downtown Event Revitalization funding if I have received other funding from City of Nanaimo for my project?
Organizations and individuals may apply more than once to the City of Nanaimo, but the funds must support a different project, program or activity.
How do I book a City of Nanaimo park?
Visit the City of Nanaimo’s website and complete the Event Booking Form to submit your request to the City. More useful information about event planning can be found online.
Further Questions?
We're happy to help. Having trouble accessing the forms linked above? Questions or concerns? Contact us directly at 250-755-4483 or cultureandevents@nanaimo.ca. Subscribe to receive Love Arts Nanaimo Updates and follow us on Instagram at @prc_nanaimo.
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