Festivals & Festival Investment Grants
High quality festivals and celebrations contribute to a community's well-being and economic health.
The pursuit of arts, culture and tourism opportunities is one of our primary objectives as a means to strengthen our downtown and enhance livability.Planning a festival in the City of Victoria? Read on to learn more about the City's Festival Investment Grants.
Festival Investment Grants
The Festival Investment Grant is intended to nurture outdoor festivals and celebrations held within the City of Victoria, facilitate their growth and ensure their continued success.
Canada Day Celebrations Grants
The pilot Canada Day FIG grant stream will provide opportunities for a wide range of community-led programming on Canada Day in Victoria's neighbourhoods and cultural communities. Not-for-profit organizations can apply for up to $50,000 for a large-scale community-wide celebration. A pot of $25,000 will be available for smaller scale community celebrations.
Application Process
The City of Victoria is now accepting applications for the Festival Investment Grant (FIG) program to support community celebrations and festivals happening in 2023. New this year is a funding stream to support community-led Canada Day celebrations.
A budget of $325,000 will be made available to fund up to 25 per cent of the overall operating costs of a festival or celebration. The Canada Day stream will have an additional dedicated funding pot of $75,000. Last year the City funded 41 festivals and celebrations.
To apply for a Festival Investment Grant, first read the "Festival Investment Grant Policy Guidelines" below. When applying you must complete the "Online FIG Application Form" using the link below and email in the additional items from the Application Checklist.
Application Checklist
1) Complete the online application- Online FIG Application Form
Please email the additional documents to dmcconachie@victoria.ca:
2) Annual Fiscal Statement
3) Completed Budget Template
4) Certificate of Good Standing with the BC Registeries (provided by the Non-profit applicant)
5) Optional: Audience Survey (if available)
The application deadline is Friday, December 30, 2022 at 4 p.m.
Festival Investment Grant Information Session
An online information session will be held to provide information about FIG funding opportunities and the new Canada Day stream. A recording of this session will also be posted here.
Date: Tuesday, November 15
Time: 5:30- 6:30 p.m.
Location: Online. Please register here and an event link will be sent to you.
Budget
Accurate, realistic and detailed budgeting is critical for the long and short term success of festivals and events. Careful completion of the revenue and expenditure sheets will help determine your event's cultural investment in the community and highlight annual changes to your festival. It is critical that applicants ensure the following specific details are adhered to:
- Budgets are submitted using the templates provided
- In-kind sponsorships are clearly identified as in-kind
- In-kind sponsorships are shown in revenues AND expenditures in equal measure
- Blended sponsorships if in-kind and cash contributions must be reflected separately
A budget that does not conform to the above format will not be reviewed.
Documents and Forms
- Festival Investment Grant Policy Guidelines 2023 [PDF - 122 KB]
- FIG Budget Template 2023 [XLSX - 20 KB]
Reporting:
Timeline
- Applications open Nov 4, 2022
- Deadline for receipt of application Dec 30, 2022 at 4 p.m.
- Council report with funding recommendations February- March
- Notifications to Applicants Before April 1, 2023
- First Grant Payment (80%) July 1, 2023
- Final Payment (20%) Upon receipt of final report
