City of Barrie Arts & Culture Investment Program (Canada)

Deadline: 03-Feb-2025

The City of Barrie is thrilled to announce its call for applications for the Arts & Culture Investment Program to help strengthen Barrie’s arts and culture ecosystem through strategic investments in the work of arts and culture organizations.

The mandate of the Arts & Culture Investment Program (ACIP) is to promote and assist in the development of the arts in all its diversity for the enjoyment and benefit of all Barrie residents and visitors. The City of Barrie welcomes and encourages diversity of cultural and artistic expression and practice.

Through this investment, the program provides Barrie residents and visitors to the area with the opportunity to enjoy and actively participate in arts and cultural activity while:

• Strengthening the relevance, responsiveness, effectiveness and resilience of Barrie’s arts and culture sector
• Supporting capacity building by arts organizations
• Developing Barrie’s identity as an arts-friendly city
• Enhancing Barrie’s social, economic, and cultural prosperity by supporting Council’s Strategic Priorities

Goals

• Position Barrie as a premier business investment destination
• Develop a robust entrepreneurial and small business ecosystem
• Cultivate a dynamic workforce and pipeline of talent
• Foster a vibrant Downtown Economic Corridor
• Promote growth of a diverse and sustainable arts and cultural sector
• Implement strategies to strengthen development of key sectors

Priorities

• Affordable Place to Live
  • Encourage a range of housing options to make housing attainable
  • Open for business environment to help encourage job creation
  • Develop and attract talent to support their employers
• Community Safety
  • Support neighbourhood safety and crime prevention
  • Address speeding and aggressive driving to ensure street and pedestrian safety
  • Work with their partners to implement a community safety and well-being plan
  • Support community-based policing initiatives
• Thriving Community
  • Champion equity, diversity, and inclusion
  • Create and foster programs and opportunities to support community wellness
  • Foster growth in arts and culture
  • Expand and maximize access to parks and recreation opportunities
  • Continue to support a vibrant downtown
• Infrastructure Investments
  • Make it easier to move around the city
  • Fix roads that need attention
  • Update and improve infrastructure
  • Support active transportation and pedestrian connections
  • Implement climate action plans
• Responsible Governance
  • Support the services their community needs while keeping tax increases low
  • Maintain focus on city core services
  • Financial stewardship which includes finding efficiencies and innovation
  • Advocating to other levels of government for support
  • Ensure accountability and transparency

Funding Information

• The City provides ongoing support to not-for-profit arts and culture organizations in Barrie through three types of grants – operational, project, and capacity building:
  • Operational Category
    • Provides funding to support the operation (administration and programming) of established professional, semi-professional, and emerging arts and culture organizations operating within Barrie to enable them to further their mission.
  • Two Streams:
    • Operating Budget of $75,000 or more – An incorporated not-for-profit professional or semiprofessional arts and culture organization that has an operating budget of $75,000 or more at the time of application and has a history of sustained activity on a year-round basis.
    • Operating Budget of less than $75,000 – An incorporated not-for-profit professional or semiprofessional arts and culture organization that has an operating budget of less than $75,000 and has a history of sustained activity on a seasonal or year-round basis.
  • Project and Capacity Building Category
    • The maximum funding available for a Project or Capacity Building grant is $5,000.

Eligible Expenses

• Operational Category
  • All ongoing artistic and administrative expenses are eligible
• Project and Capacity Building Category
  • For Project-related activities:
    • Costs including supplies, fees and expenses for artists, artisans, demonstrators, and performers of arts and cultural activities
    • Volunteer costs (e.g., training, food, non-alcoholic beverages, distinctive clothing)
    • Logistical, production and technical requirements (except for alcohol-related costs)
    • Marketing, promotion, and audience development
    • Administration
    • Insurance
    • Policing and security costs (except for those costs related to alcohol)
    • Road closure expenses
    • Evaluation
  • For Capacity Building-related activities:
    • External experts / consultants / coaches’ fees and travel costs (travel limited to Ontario)
    • Professional development fees and travel for participation in seminars or workshops
    • Mentor and job shadowing honoraria and travel costs (limited to within Ontario)
    • Fees related to the use of licensed organizational development tools and related costs
    • Direct administrative costs related to the project
    • Public consultation costs

Ineligible Expenses

• Ineligible Organizations & Expenses:
  • For-profit organizations and ventures
  • Religious activities
  • Religious organizations
  • Political parties
  • Hospitals
  • Foundations
  • Funding bodies or organizations
  • Business Improvement Area AssociationsSports Teams
  • Programs or events that promote the Corporation of the City of Barrie
  • Organizations whose activities are deemed to come under the jurisdiction of other levels, divisions, departments or agencies of the City of Barrie or other governments (i.e., school boards, postsecondary institutions, social service organizations)
  • Fundraising activities
  • Activities that take place outside of the city of Barrie
  • Capital projects
  • Purchasing of buildings / real estate
  • Renovations
  • Equipment purchases
  • Alcohol
  • Travel
  • Deficit reduction
  • Retroactive activity
  • HST

Eligibility Criteria

• Operational Category
  • Must be an incorporated not-for-profit organization or co-operative operating as a not-for-profit.
  • The organization’s head office must be located within Barrie with most of their funded activities occurring in the city.
  • Must have been in operation for two years or longer at time of application.
  • Must be operating year-round with a demonstrated record of offering programs and services that are open to the public and publicized city-wide.
  • Must have proof of sound financial management (i.e., balance sheet, statement of income and expenses, auditor’s report, etc.).
• Project and Capacity Building Category
  • Can be an incorporated not-for-profit organization or an unincorporated group with not-for-profit goals and governance structure.
  • Most of the organization’s operations or the funded project activities are occurring in Barrie.
  • Must have been in operation for at least one year at time of application.
  • Must have a demonstrated record of offering programs and services that are open to the public and publicized city-wide.
  • Must have proof of sound financial management (i.e. balance sheet, statement of income and expenses, etc.).

For more information, visit City of Barrie.