Community Support Organizations Operating Funding – Canada

Deadline: 1-Mar-23

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) is seeking applications for the Community Support Organizations Operating Funding program.

This grant provides annual funding to eligible not-for-profit community organizations that provide arts programs and services to communities, including those with limited arts opportunities.

What does this grant support?

• This funding is designed to support your organization’s operations, which are specific to your organization’s mandate, strategic and/or business plan and activities as described in your application and/or reporting.
• AFA operating funding typically supports expenses such as:
  • administration
  • programming
  • salaries and fees
  • maintenance of equipment and fixed assets
  • promotion
  • other expenses as required to fulfill your organization’s mandate

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for Community Support Organizations operating funding, you must:
  • have programming in artist support and development, artist training or public participation in the arts as your organization’s principal mandate as stated in its incorporation document
• Your organization must:
  • be a not-for-profit organization
  • be registered and in good standing under the appropriate legislation and have been in operation in Alberta for at least two years
  • have at least 50% of the organization’s board members living in Alberta
  • demonstrate the ability to operate using good governance principles, effective administration practices, and a commitment to fiscal responsibility while maintaining its mandate
  • operate as a stand-alone arts organization at arms-length from municipalities, commercial enterprises, or organizations and institutions receiving annual operating funds from the Government of Alberta or its affiliates
• If this is your organization’s first application for AFA Community Support Organizations operating funding, you must contact the AFA at least three months before the deadline for a preliminary eligibility assessment.
• As a first-time applicant, your organization must provide approved financial statements that demonstrate the organization has positive net assets for the two annual fiscal periods immediately prior to application.
• Organizations that are engaged primarily in competition-based activity are not eligible for AFA funding.

For more information, visit AFA.