Arts Grant Policy

Waterloo, Ontario · adopted 2023-09-18

This is the exact embedded text of the captured official document. Snapshot 7c0ee87d61bb · verified 2026-06-10 · original document · archived snapshot · unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.

Mandatory Policy, Municipal Act: No Policy Administration Team, Review Date May 04, 2023 Corporate Management Team, Review Date May 24, 2023 CORPORATE POLICY Policy Title: Arts Grant Policy Policy Category: Municipal Services Policy No.: M-013 Department: CAO Approval Date: September 18, 2023 Revision Date: Author: Astero Kalogeropoulos, Manager - Arts & Creative Industries Andrea Hallam, Cultural Planning Specialist Travis McCallum, Policy Analyst Attachments: None Related Documents/Legislation: Key Word(s): arts, festival, event, grant POLICY STATEMENT: The City of Waterloo recognizes that a strong arts community is essential for enhancing Waterloo's quality of place and contributing to a robust and diversified economy. The City of Waterloo provides arts grants to support eligible organizations and projects. With two distinct streams, this program will be able to provide;  operational grants to arts organizations to help build organizational resilience and pursue business innovation and;  project grants to support new initiatives. PURPOSE: The Arts Grant provides a framework for distribution of available program funds. This includes identifying eligibility criteria, funding use parameters, assessment processes, and accountability measures, among other factors. The policy supports understanding, transparency, and consistency in grant application, assessment, and allocation decision-making. DEFINITIONS: Affiliated Organization: a community organization that has a formal relationship with the City of Waterloo to support a mutual interest to provide arts and culture, festivals and events, and/or programs and services, in accordance with the City's goals. Affiliation Service Agreement: a formal agreement between an Affiliated Community Organization and the City of Waterloo that specifies mutual expectations and benefits to the respective parties. Capital funds: funds used for one-time expenses related to structures, equipment, or other long-term assets. Developing Organizations: applicants who fall into one of the two following categories: A) Emerging Organizations: Organizations formed within the past three years and have been operating for at least one year prior to the close of the grant application period; B) Organizations in Transition: Established organizations or organizations undergoing a substantial change in direction or transformation over the next 1-3 years in order to enhance organizational resiliency. Foundational Operating Grant: a type of operating grant that can be awarded to eligible affiliated organizations that have a Service Agreement with the City of Waterloo. Grant Assessment Committee: an ad-hoc committee consisting of up to two (2) staff from the Economic Development division, one (1) staff from the Finance division, and three (3) members of the Advisory Committee on Culture. Key Cultural Institution: a community organization that has relationship with the City of Waterloo through a formal process to support a mutual interest to provide arts programs and services, in accordance with the City's goals. Not-for-Profit Organization: An organization that does not pursue a profit and allocates all funding to support its goal or cause. Operating Grant: funds for regular, ongoing operating costs related to an organization, which may include, but are not limited to rent, insurance, telephone and internet services, salaries of professional or administrative staff, program expenses and in- house training. Project Grant: funds for support of one-time, temporary, and/or innovative endeavors with a specific objective that is completed in a specific timeframe with a clear beginning and end date. Projects must be different from, or in addition to, current core services and programs. SCOPE: This policy applies to:  All applicants to the Arts Grant program.  City of Waterloo staff responsible for the delivery of the Arts Grant program.  Members of the Advisory Committee on Culture. POLICY COMMUNICATION: This policy will be communicated by means of:  Posting the policy on the City of Waterloo website  Posting the policy on the City of Waterloo intranet accessible by staff  Providing a copy to all staff involved in the delivery of the grant program  Providing a copy to all Advisory Committee on Culture members It is the applicant's responsibility to be proactive in seeking out the grant application form and submission deadlines. POLICY: 1.0 Grant program principles The Arts Grant program is intended for arts initiatives that are:  Led by Affiliated Organizations, or designated Key Cultural Institutions; and/or,  Led by not-for profit organizations with an arts mandate The Arts Grant program is intended to:  Have an easy-to-follow application process;  Allow for innovative cultural initiatives;  Be flexible in terms of the range of ideas funded and their implementation 2.0 Program description Each applicant and project is unique. The Arts Grant is intended to encourage innovative arts initiatives and to offer flexibility to applicants. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact City Staff to discuss their application prior to submission. This program provides operating funds and/or project funds. See definitions above for more information. The following criteria should be considered by applicants and will be used by the Grant Assessment Committee to assess applications. 3.0 Eligible applicants All applications for Arts Grants will first be assessed by staff to determine if they meet basic eligibility criteria. To be eligible for an Arts Grant:  Organizations must have an organizational mandate to deliver art programming and/or initiatives;  Organizations' programs, services or projects must benefit the residents of the City of Waterloo by providing opportunities to participate in the arts;  Organizations must comply with all applicable legislation, regulations and bylaws of the Government of Canada, The Province of Ontario, and the City of Waterloo. (e.g., Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA), Human Rights Code, Occupational Health & Safety Act, Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010 (ONCA), etc.)  Organizations must submit a completed application form, providing all of the requested information and all supporting material by the application deadline. The following types of groups are not eligible to apply:  A single individual  Organizations in the sports, recreation, neighbourhood, social service or health sectors  Organizations that act as a funding body, or makes grants to another organization  Political organizations or any organization focused on political activities or activism  Religious organizations, or programs, projects, festivals or events that promote or celebrate a religion  Government organizations  For-profit organizations or commercial businesses  Universities, colleges, schools and hospitals, and their agencies  Service clubs  Previous recipients that were awarded funding who have not taken reasonable steps to complete the project and who have not returned the funding to the City To be eligible for an Arts Grant, organizations must also;  Be organized for a minimum of one (1) year;  Operate as a not-for-profit or community organization under the leadership of a volunteer board of directors or executive committee, elected by the general membership, or as a registered charity;  Demonstrate a benefit to residents of Waterloo;  Hold regular board or committee meetings with recorded minutes;  Carry public liability insurance at the required level;  Keep accurate volunteer and participant records;  Carry out volunteer screening and other risk management measures to help ensure volunteer and public safety;  Demonstrate funding or revenue from at least one source other than the City of Waterloo;  Submit a status report for any project grant received in the previous year within the required timelines. The following may make an application ineligible;  Currently in financial arrears with the City of Waterloo;  Liabilities exceed assets for a period of two or more years;  Operating loss for two consecutive years;  Affiliated Organization that does not meet the requirements of their service agreement;  Non-compliance with legislation, City by-law and/or policy;  Any activity related to election campaigning for federal, provincial, municipal, or school board candidates, including promotional activities and advertising;  Commercial businesses and for-profit activities;  Submission of an incomplete application. 4.0 Eligible expenses Eligible expenses include:  project materials;  program materials;  artist fees;  professional fees;  capital projects related to operations;  ongoing operating funding. Ineligible expenses include:  retroactive expenditures;  charitable or fundraising programs, projects or events;  endowment funds;  projects or services that are the same as those provided by the City of Waterloo;  any activity related to election campaigning for federal, provincial, municipal, or school board candidates, including promotional activities and advertising;  debt reduction/loan repayment. 5.0 Application submission and assessment a) Applicants must submit their completed applications, using the provided application form, by the submission deadline. Applications submitted after the grant deadline or incomplete will not be assessed by the Grant Assessment Committee. b) Grant applications will be assessed by the Grant Assessment Committee. Applications will be reviewed using an assessment tool, based on this policy, to guide the evaluation of each application and to make funding allocation decisions. c) The Grant Assessment Committee may ask applicants to clarify the information provided or ask for additional information before making a funding decision. d) The Grant Assessment Committee will notify all applicants of final funding decisions within 6 weeks of the application submission deadline. This timeline will allow City staff to gather information from relevant City departments to support project success, and for the Grant Assessment Committee to make funding decisions. e) Successful applicants will be notified by a letter that outlines the amount of funding they have received, requirements for permits and approvals, and any other considerations related to the grant funding. 6.0 Conditions a) Notice of receipt of a grant does not imply approval of municipal permits and permissions. b) Partial amounts of grant funding may be held back until permits and permissions are received from the City of Waterloo and/or other agencies/organizations as required. c) Successful applicants may be required to put additional measures in place to ensure the safety of project participants. This may include a requirement for adequate liability insurance, depending on the nature of the project. d) Grant recipients must acknowledge the support of the City of Waterloo on all promotional materials that relate to their project and as otherwise determined by staff. e) Grant funds must be used as per the approved grant application. Any significant changes to the original grant application must be discussed with and approved by the appropriate City of Waterloo staff liaison prior to implementation. If the proposed changes are acceptable, the grant funding may be revised to reflect the changes, or if the proposed changes are not acceptable to the City, approval may be revoked, and grant funding will not be forwarded to the applicant, or the applicant will be required to return any grant funding already provided. Failure to seek approval from the City for any changes from the approved grant application may result in ineligibility for future funding or the need to return any grant funding received. f) Projects should be completed within one year (12 months) of receipt of funding. Extensions may be provided based on extenuating circumstances. g) Grant recipients must complete and submit to the City of Waterloo a Grant Summary Report, including a final reconciled budget, within 12 months of receipt of funding. h) Submission of a grant application does not guarantee the applicant will receive full or partial funding. i) Affiliated Organizations that receive operating support through an Affiliation Service Agreement are only eligible to apply for project funding. j) Grants should not be considered renewable in subsequent years. This grant is a one-time funding allocation. k) All grant opportunities are contingent on the allocation of funding as part of the City's budget process. l) A dollar-based limit per grant may be established by staff annually based on funding availability. 7.0 Appeals Appeals will not be considered. The decisions of the Grant Assessment Committee regarding applicant eligibility, application assessment, and grant allocation will be considered final. COMPLIANCE: In cases of policy violation, the City may investigate and determine appropriate corrective action.