Arts Presentation Canada

Presenter networks and service organizations - Programming component

Table of Contents

1.0 Preamble¹

The Government of Canada is committed to giving Canadians direct access to diverse, quality artistic experiences through the financial assistance to arts presenters or the organizations that support them. Canadians shall have more access to artists' work from all regions of Canada that reflect its rich cultural diversity. Canadian communities of all backgrounds should have the opportunity to participate in and benefit from the broadest possible range of artistic experiences.

The Arts Presentation Canada (APC) program offers financial support to arts presenters, their networks and service organizations

1.1 General program objective

To give Canadians direct access to diverse quality artistic experiences through financial assistance to arts presenters or the organizations that support them.

To achieve this objective, the Department of Canadian Heritage undertakes to:

Applicants are encouraged to keep these goals in mind when applying to the APC program. Funding will be granted on a priority basis for activities directly related to the objective of the program.

1.2 Results expected by Arts Presentation Canada

In providing funding to organizations and activities eligible under Arts Presentation Canada, the Department of Canadian Heritage undertakes to demonstrate, at the national level, changes in:

• the diversity of performances, other artistic experiences and presentation activities on offer (including outreach and audience development activities);
• the evolution of audiences attending different performances, other artistic experiences and presentation activities (including outreach and audience development activities);
• the diversity of presenters and arts festivals offering quality programming in Canada;
• the number and relevance of networking opportunities and professional development activities, as well as changes in the participation level of presenters within different contexts;
• partnerships developed, and the number of activities, resources and volunteers involved in activities to integrate the arts into community life.

Consequently, organizations to which the Department provides funding will contribute to the achievement the general Arts Presentation Canada program objective. The demonstration of these results will be achieved through the analysis of final reports that funding recipients are required to submit. Qualitative and quantitative measurements are integrated in the program's annexes and final reporting templates.

1.3 APC components

The Program has two components:

• the Programming Component for existing presenter organizations, arts festivals, presenter networks and service organizations;
• the Development Component to support the emergence of presenters and presenter networks for under-served communities or artistic practices. (Please contact your regional office for further details on the Development Component).

2.0 Programming Component

2.1 Objective of the Programming Component

To give Canadians direct access to diverse quality artistic experiences through financial assistance to arts presenters or the organizations that support them.

To achieve this objective, the Department of Canadian Heritage undertakes to:

2.2 Eligible organizations and activities

2.2.1 Eligible organizations

Organizations eligible for the Program are:

2.2.2 Other eligibility criteria

To be eligible, service organizations and presenter networks must:

• have been in existence for at least one year;
• have their core activities focused on the professional development and networking activities for presenters.

2.2.3 Legal status of eligible organizations

Presenter networks and service organizations must be non-profit organizations incorporated under Part II of the Canada Corporations Act (or under corresponding provincial or territorial legislation).

Provincial, territorial or municipal institutions (including educational institutions that organize presentation activities for the public), as well as similar institutions or organizations of Status or Non-Status Indians, Inuit and Métis, are also eligible, if such organizations:

• offer presentation activities that are guided by an artistic vision;
• keep separate, clear and exact accounts for these presentation activities;
• can demonstrate that the federal funding does not replace funding from the province, territory or municipality, or any other institution or level of government, but rather that it is complementary in that it allows the presenter to contribute to the achievement of the APC objective.

2.2.4 Eligible activities

The following are eligible activities:

2.3 Eligible expenses

Eligible costs are direct costs incurred by an organization in carrying out programming, including activities compatible with the objective of Arts Presentation Canada.

All expenses incurred during the year related to presentation, audience development, or networking and professional development activities are eligible, except for expenses related to:

2.4 Non-eligible organizations and activities

2.4.1 Ineligible organizations

For-profit businesses and organizations, festivals and presenters whose programming is not guided by an artistic vision are not eligible under the Program.

2.4.2 Ineligible activities

The following activities are ineligible under the Program:

2.5 Assessment process and criteria

2.5.1 Assessment process

Applications are received by the different regional offices of the Department of Canadian Heritage and analyzed for eligibility. An eligible application is assessed based on how it helps fulfill the APC objective, and taking into account respective contexts and regional circumstances. Applications are then compared with other applications from the same region and priorized in relation to the funds available. A program officer may visit the presentation venue or the organization to collect additional information on an event or the organization.

2.5.2 Assessment criteria for presenter networks and service organizations

The assessment takes into account the extent to which the activities proposed in the application help fulfill the general objective of the Program, as well as the quality of the applicant's previous accomplishments. The Department of Canadian Heritage wishes to support presenter networks and service organizations that facilitate networking among presenters and that offer activities contributing to the professional development of presenters, while taking into account local, regional and national circumstances. The quality of the proposed activity will be assessed taking into account these circumstances and the efforts of the organization to strengthen its practices. Following are the criteria for assessing applications:

1. Relevance and vitality of the organization and its activities in relation to the presenting community (40%)
   
   

   effectiveness of professional development activities and services offered in relation to the mandate of the organization, its members and the area of presentation; effectiveness of networking activities and services offered in relation to the mandate of the organization, its members and the area of presentation; relevance of activities and services offered to the general program objective of Arts Presentation Canada.



2. Benefits of activities and services offered for presenters (40%)
   
   

   in terms of professional development; in terms of networking.



3. Quality of management (20%)
   
   

   sound management and governance; balanced budget and financial performance; diversification in public and private-sector funding sources; capacity to measure achievement of intended results.

2.6 Maximum contribution or grant

The Program can provide support of up to 25% of eligible expenses, or a maximum of $25,000 in the case of grants and $200,000 in the case of contributions.

On rare occasions, a particularly deserving activity may be proposed for presenters working in communities where residents' participation in cultural events faces unusual barriers that cannot be overcome without substantial assistance or in an artistic discipline that is under-served or in a context where the sources of funding are limited. In such cases and provided that the need is clearly demonstrated and validated by a program officer, the Department may choose to provide an amount exceeding 25% (but not exceeding 50%) for eligible expenses.

2.7 Funding conditions

The choice of the form of funding will be made by the Department of Canadian Heritage, taking into account the amount awarded and previous funding to the applicant organization. The assistance may take the form of a contribution or a grant. In the case of a contribution the release of funds is conditional on the signing of a contribution agreement.

Recipient organizations must complete the activity for which they received funding. They must contact the regional office of the Department of Canadian Heritage if they wish to make substantial changes to the activity. If an organization cancels or significantly scales down the activity for which it received funding from the Department, it must reimburse all or part of the amount received at the request of the Department.

All organizations that receive funding under APC must, no later than six months after the end of their fiscal year for which they receive funding, complete a final report using the Final Report form supplied by the Department of Canadian Heritage. The documents that must be provided for the final report are itemized in the Final Report Document Checklist accompanying the Final Report form. It is imperative that organizations that receive a contribution submit a financial statement, and that organizations that receive a contribution of more than $50,000 submit an audited financial statement.

2.8 Submitting an application

Before proceeding, organizations that wish to submit an application for the first time must contact the regional office of Canadian Heritage to verify whether they and their activities are eligible. Application forms are available at regional offices or can be downloaded from the Department's Web site: http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/pac-apc/index_e.cfm.

2.9 Deadlines

April 30, 2006, or September 30, 2006, for activities starting after April 1, 2007.

Once completed, applications must be sent to the regional office of the Department of Canadian Heritage. When a submission deadline falls on a non-working day, it is extended to the following working day. The postmark provides proof of the date sent. To be considered, applications must be duly completed and signed, and accompanied by all required attachments. Applications that are incomplete or sent after the deadline generally will not be assessed. Any application submitted is subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

The Department of Canadian Heritage encourages organizations to submit applications concerning arts festivals and performing arts presentation seasons at least eight months before the start of the activity for which funding is requested.

2.10 Processing time

On receiving the application, the Department of Canadian Heritage sends the applicant an acknowledgment of receipt. The Department generally informs organizations of its decision six months after the application date. Organizations that request funding under APC will receive a letter informing them of the decision of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

2.11 Acknowledgment of funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage

Recipients of funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage are required to acknowledge the support of the Department in all promotional documents related to the activities supported. The conditions for such acknowledgements are specified in the contribution agreements or grant announcement letters.

2.12 Multi-year funding

The Department of Canadian Heritage may offer certain organizations multi-year funding. The eligible organizations will be selected by the Department from previous years' recipients. The Department of Canadian Heritage will contact the organizations that it has pre-selected to invite them, if they wish, to submit a multi-year application. The organizations invited to do so must, at a minimum:

• have obtained funding under APC over at least three years;
• have a balanced budget;
• have an accumulated deficit not exceeding 10% of the annual budget;
• be able to provide a viable multi-year action plan, together with realistic budget projections.

Continuation of multi-year funding is conditional on the stability of the organization. The Department of Canadian Heritage may cease to offer this type of funding should the organization undergo a change in general management or program management, face major governance or financial difficulties, or be required to adopt a business recovery plan by the Department or another government or public body.

Organizations receiving multi-year funding must provide an annual report on their activities, together with a financial statement.

2.13 Application Form - Presenter networks and service organizations

2.13.1 Reference Sheet - Document Checklist

ARTS PRESENTATION CANADA PROGRAMMING COMPONENT
	Your application must include:
	The "Funding Application General Information" page.
	The "Program and Applicant Identification" page, including answers to questions 1-10.
	Yours answers to questions 11-18.
	A budget of revenues and expenditures (question 27, columns A, B, C).
	"Planned professional development, networking activities and services" (question 29A).
	"Professional development, networking activities and services completed during the past year" (question 29B).
	Promotional material (Brochures, programs or reports on past events or activities, etc.).
	Your organization's organizational chart, a list of permanent employees and a list of board members.
	The board motion authorizing this application (duly signed by the chair or the president) and designating the person with signing authority.
	The curriculum vitae of the executive director.
	Financial statements for the last complete year of activities.
	If your organization has never before received funding from Arts Presentation Canada or has recently changed its mandate: a copy of the letters patent or corporate charter specifying the non-profit status, mandate of your organization and a brief one page organizational history.

Checklist:

• Send the original of your application, duly signed. Note that the Board Chair or the President of the organization must sign both the Funding application general information form and the Program application form.
• Do not use pencil to fill out the form or attached documents.
• Initial any corrections that you make.
• Keep a copy of the application for your records.

2.13.2 Funding application general information

• Funding Application General Information Form
  (PDF: 31kb)

2.13.3 Program and applicant identification - Programming Component

• Program and Applicant Identification Form
  (PDF: 22kb)

2.13.4 Questions - Presenter networks and service organizations

Comments:

• Questions 11 to 18 will be used to assess to what extent your proposed activities help fulfill the general objective of the program.
• Don't forget to fill in the budget of revenues and expenditures (question 27) and the schedule of professional presentation and outreach activities (questions 29A and 29B).

3.0 Glossary

For a presenter organization, artistic vision lies in the presenter's perception of what could be offered in the community in order to allow both qualitative and quantitative audience development, as well as diversification of the artistic experiences available in that community. Artistic vision is based on:

• knowledge of the audience, its tastes, interests and development potential;
• knowledge of the local community and other artistic experiences available;
• knowledge of the artistic milieu and the various disciplines, contemporary trends, individual creators, the circumstances and conditions for carrying out activities, and the available programming opportunities.

Artistic vision assumes a capacity to imagine, develop and implement a range of programs, dynamically combining the potential of the audience and of the artistic milieu.

Events focusing principally on presentation of the arts and the development of audiences for the arts. The programming is guided by a clearly articulated artistic vision.

Arts presenters select the artistic programming for public presentation in their community based on an artistic vision. They hire professional artists, groups and companies and are responsible for paying a guaranteed fee for each presentation. They provide the venue and supply the technical and promotional support. Presenters may also organize audience development and/or outreach in support of their artistic programming. They have a thorough knowledge of the audiences in their communities, of the professional arts community and of the various networks that support both the artists and the presenters.

A process that may involve two stages. The first consists of identifying, informing, researching, reaching and engaging a new audience through specific promotional activities, market research, audience profiling and establishing contacts in particular sectors of the community. Once the audience has been identified and engaged, the second stage consists of building knowledge and appreciation of specific artistic disciplines or forms, presenting new artists or disciplines, and then ensuring that the audience sees the need for such presentations. This is achieved through public conferences, round table presentations, pre- or post-show panel discussions, workshops, demonstrations, master classes, and other forms of contact with the community by professional artists programmed by the presenter in the community.

Contest in which participants are judged chiefly on the artistic excellence of their work, under fair and equitable rules and conditions. Contestants each perform for judges, with or without an audience. The most deserving contestant usually receives a prize. Please note that competitions are ineligible to this program.

A conditional transfer of funds in which there is or may be a need to ensure that the amount provided has been used in accordance with legislative or program requirements. More exactly, a contribution reimburses a recipient for specific expenses meeting conditions defined in the contribution agreement. The conditions concern important aspects such as the identification of the recipient(s), an explanation of how the proposed contribution will help achieve the Program objective, the maximum amount to be paid, the payment basis and schedule, identification of the person empowered to approve, sign and process payment, auditing procedures and criteria for assessing whether the contribution program is effective in achieving its objective.

Artistic work, research and production of a new or substantially revised artwork (e.g., play, dance, score, script, sculpture, video or installation). Production also covers stage revivals and may include presentation in certain fields, such as theatre or dance.

Culturally diverse presentation refers to the ability of the presenter to focus on equality of opportunity for visible minority artists. The definition of visible minority artists includes, but is not limited to, those of Asian, African, Latin American, Arab, and mixed heritage.

A sum of money usually given either by an individual, a company or an organization. The donor may request to remain anonymous or be recognized publicly. The receiver must have a legal charitable number and acknowledge this donation through a tax receipt.

Transfer payment issued when the government chooses to pursue a policy or implement a program by providing funds to individuals or organizations. The eligibility criteria and the applications received prior to payment are sufficient guarantee that the objectives for the payment will be met. Under the APC program, an organization that receives a grant is still required to submit a final report together with a financial statement.

The amount a presenter agrees to pay the professional artist or artistic organization for a performance, regardless of the number of tickets sold. The fee is negotiated on a per performance basis. The artist or organization may negotiate a percentage of the box office receipts on top of the guaranteed fee.

An individual, a company or organization offers goods (materials such as printing, furniture, equipment, amount equivalent to renting equipment, etc.) or services (legal advice, consultation, book keeping, etc) which has a market value (meaning that one could apply a cost for the service if one had had to pay for it) to a not for profit organization. The in-kind donation may or may not be recognized publicly. Note that APC will only recognize rendered services that are professional in nature and will not reimburse this item within the financial contribution allocation.

A provincial, territorial or municipal institution (including an educational institution) is a public body operated solely in the public interest and established for educational or cultural purposes.

The ability of an organization to take note of its goals and results in quantitative and qualitative manners for the purpose of building programming and organizational capacity, securing long term funding through judicious reporting of actions and activities, informing board members, strategic planning, etc. Examples of such tools are: questionnaires, surveys, audience comments and polling, audience attendance, market and cultural trends, communication on web sites, various feedback mechanisms, etc.

Arts that make use of film processes, video and audio techniques, new media, or a combination of any of these. Note that the APC program will priorize media arts presentation where the artist will be directly involved with its audience either through a presentation or an audience development activity. Media arts festivals must pay to all artists whose films/videos/multimedia are being screened. The festival must present works entirely created and developed by artists. The presenter must demonstrate a genuine commitment to presenting works by independent artists, including films, video or audio productions, and new media. APC will give priority to applicants where artists are remunerated to undertake outreach activities with the general public during the festival.

A three-year plan with both artistic and financial aspects. It covers activity planning (programming and audience renewal/diversification), the approach that the organization plans to adopt and the funds that it plans to obtain to ensure success. This action plan, approved by the board of the organization, must cover the entire period for which multi-year funding is being sought from the Department.

Experiences that bring residents of a community into contact with artists in an environment other than that of a performance.

Outreach activities may take the form of public conferences, pre- or post-show panel discussions, round table presentations, workshops open to the public, demonstrations, residencies, seminars, public rehearsals, master classes with local artists (or arts students), discussions or participation in local events or in practices in schools, community centres or local seniors centres.

Includes the entire range of genres (traditional, contemporary, avant-garde, classical, street, etc.) associated with all the live art disciplines: dance, theatre, music, performance art, spoken word, circus, humour.

A series of performing arts presentations grouping performances over an artistic season. A season may focus on a single artistic discipline or may cover a number of them. Choices are guided by a clearly defined artistic vision.

Organization that represents and champions the interests of a group of presenters to the arts community and government institutions. It also organizes activities and offers services to its members.

Artist who has specialized training in the field (not necessarily in academic institutions), who is recognized by his or her peers (artists working in the same artistic tradition), who is committed to devoting more time to the artistic activity, if financially feasible, and who has a history of public presentation.

Ability of the presenter to keep the interest of past audiences by continued effort of offering them quality programming.

Assumption by professional artists or artistic organizations of the financial risks related to presentation of their own programs, with ticket revenues going to them. The artist/organization usually takes responsibility for administrative, technical and promotional aspects.

Non-profit organization that directly furthers the interests of artists, creators, presenters and other artistic organizations, through activities associated with the delivery of professional services.

To sponsor something is to support an event, activity, person or organization by providing money or other resources in exchange for access to an audience.

Pricing policy for tickets for shows, subscription charges, charges for training workshops, etc. A ticketing policy stipulates the grounds on which the organization sets ticket prices. It can take into consideration the cost of tickets for other events, the economic situation in the region, a particular audience, charges for similar activities, etc. A presenter may also seek sponsors in order to offer an activity free of charge. The Department may decide not to support an activity if the organization's ticket pricing policy creates unfair competition for its colleagues. Exceptions may be made when the event occurs within communities facing specific barriers to participation.

¹ Note: Terms in italics are defined in the glossary.