City of Barrie Cultural Grants Program 2021

Deadline: 22-Jan-21

The City of Barrie is seeking applications for its Cultural Grants Program 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.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic the 2021 grants program has been simplified and streamlined as an online process to serve the needs of Barrie’s not-for-profit arts organizations.

Types of Grants

The City provides ongoing support to not-for-profit arts organizations in Barrie through two types of grants:

Operating Grants – commit funding to the operating expenses of Barrie arts organizations that meet the assessment criteria for ongoing support. Please note: Organizations applying for both project and operating funds must be able to clearly define how their project is unique and separate from their regular operations. Please do not reference your special project in your Operating application.
Project Grants for Organizations – offer funding to Barrie organizations that are either incorporated or unincorporated and operate on a not-for-profit basis for the creation, production, and presentation of arts programs and arts services. Project grants are divided into two categories.
- Special Project/Program – this can be a wide range of special projects i.e. to celebrate an anniversary or to try new and innovative programming.
- Operating Project – this is ideal for small arts organizations that are requesting lesser amounts of money (under $5,000) and as such do not have a large operating budget or possess the amount of data necessary for completing an operating grant.

Funding Information

Project Grants are for up to $5,000 and support new initiatives and special projects as well as serve to support smaller arts organizations’ operations.
Groups that apply for Operating Grants of under $50,000 may also apply for a Project Grant provided that the project is unique and separate from their regular annual operations. If your organization is applying for both, please do not reference your Project Grant in your Operating Grant application.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for City of Barrie Cultural Grant funding, arts organizations must:

Operating Grants:
- be not-for-profit
- be Barrie based
- have been in operation for two years
- have a demonstrated record of regular ongoing performances/exhibits
- have proof of sound financial management
- must be governed by a Board of Directors
Project Grants:
- be not-for-profit
- be Barrie based
- have been in operation for one year or more
- have a demonstrated record of regular ongoing performances/exhibits
- have proof of sound financial management
- it is not mandatory to have a detailed governance structure
Organizations’ Affiliation with the City of Barrie: Arts organizations may have individuals within their organizations that work either full or part time with the City of Barrie or may be on contract with the City of Barrie. These organizations are eligible to apply to the City of Barrie Grants program.
Financial Reporting for Operating Grants only:
- Verification of financial results of the last completed fiscal year must be submitted with your applications.
- For requests over $50,000, audited financial statements are required. Requests between $20,000 and $50,000 require a review engagement report. Requests $20,000 and under require an unaudited financial statement that includes a balance sheet and a statement of income and expenses.