Deadline: 10-Oct-23
The City of Nanaimo is inviting applications for the Downtown Event Revitalization Funding Program to support events and initiative which attract residents and visitors to downtown, support vibrancy, stimulate business activity and align with other objectives of the City’s Corporate Strategic Plan.
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.
Objectives
- This grant is intended to support both groups and individuals in Nanaimo to plan and implement events and festivals downtown that:
- 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;
- are accessible to the general public (with or without gated admission).
Priorities
- The City’s strategic funding priorities for the program include:
- 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;
- events and festivals that attract tourists throughout the year into the shoulder season.
Eligible Activities
- Grant funding can be used to assist with costs related to organizing and presenting public festivals and events in downtown Nanaimo, such as:
- fees for artists, entertainers, Elders, and other presenters;
- venue and equipment rental fees;
- materials and supplies;
- marketing and promotion;
- administration.
Ineligible Activities
- The grant is not intended for the following:
- 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;
- events and festivals that have already received funding for the same activities through other sources at the City of Nanaimo.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must:
- 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;
- individuals are also eligible to apply and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
- Grant applications can be submitted for up to 35% of the total event budget; requests above 35% of total event budget will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Ineligibility Criteria
- 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
For more information, visit City of Nanaimo.
