How to obtain funding

Canadian Heritage provides financial support for activities organized during the Celebrate Canada period, from June 21st to July 1st. These activities celebrate National Aboriginal Day, on June 21st, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day on June 24th, Canadian Multiculturalism Day on June 27th and Canada Day on July 1st.

In order to ensure that your funding request is processed in a timely manner, you are invited to send us your request as soon as possible. Please make sure that your form is completed and signed. Incomplete applications will result in delayed processing and could be rejected.

• Who can apply?
• What are the eligible expenditures?
• What are the non-eligible expenditures?
• What are the funding criteria?
• What are the application requirements?
• Promotional material
• Funding Application Form
• Budget

Who can apply?

Eligible recipients for funding are the following:

• Canadian not-for-profit organizations: corporations, trusts, cooperatives, and unincorporated associations, etc.;
• Canadian business corporations where projects are non-commercial in nature;
• Canadian educational institutions, Canadian municipal governments and other municipal, provincial or territorial institutions; and
• federal, provincial and territorial governments are not eligible.

What are the eligible expenditures?

Eligible expenditures allowable during the application review process must be pertinent, reasonable, and essential expenses required to accomplish the objectives of an eligible project. These include but are not limited to:

• promotional expenses, communications, entertainment, supplies, equipment (less then $10,000 for grants) as well as reasonable travel for entertainers and hospitality expenses inside Canada;
• for Canada Day celebrations, birthday cake is the only eligible food expense, with the exception of requests for events held in the territories (Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon), where all food expenses are eligible;
• for Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, National Aboriginal Day, Canadian Multiculturalism Day, ceremonial and traditional food (such as bannock on National Aboriginal Day) may be eligible;
• fireworks are an eligible expense providing the application form is accompanied by a completed waiver with relevant signatures releasing the Crown from any liability; and
• administrative costs (not exceeding 15% of the total contribution), including salaries and benefits, fees for professional services, bank charges, utilities and reasonable travel/hospitality expenses inside Canada.

What are the non-eligible expenditures?

The following expenditures are not eligible for funding under Celebrate Canada:

• costs related to capital projects;
• lobbying activities, advocacy;
• activities that are not directly related to events that take place during the Celebrate Canada period;
• prizes;
• activities or services that take place outside Canada; and
• fairs and festivals.

Note: The applicant shall be liable for any deficit incurred as a result of activities undertaken.

What are the funding criteria?

Applications will be considered on the following basis:

• Eligible projects will contribute to the achievement of Program objectives.
• Eligible activities will be publicly identified as Celebrate Canada activities and held between June 21 and July 1.
• Admission fees will not be charged, nor will donations be required for entry in order to ensure the events are accessible to the entire community.
• Priority will be given to:
  • Proposals that seek wider participation and that are inclusive of various community groups such as minority communities (Aboriginal, Official Language Minority Communities, and ethno-cultural communities) and youth; and
  • Recipients who have obtained financial or in-kind support from other sources.
• The recipient agrees to respect and apply the Official Languages Act.
• To be eligible for a grant, projects must be assessed to be a low risk based on:
  • Dollar value of amount requested;
  • Complexity of project for which funding is requested;
  • Public sensitivity to the project or activities; and
  • Capacity of the applicant to carry out proposed project.
• Expenses for an approved project can only be incurred during the project funding eligible period, which begins on the date the application is received.

What are the application requirements?

All applications submitted to the Celebrate Canada Program MUST include:

• A signed and dated Funding Application Form .
• A Description of the Project and Applicant.
• A Description of Activities.
• An Activity Budget.
• A completed Delegation of Signing Authority, as a proof that the individual signing the Funding Application Form has been authorized to submit the proposal (e.g., Board of Directors' resolution or letter of authorization).
• A signed Event Liability Waiver releasing the Crown from any liability for the activity.
• Fireworks requests must be accompanied by an Authorization for Fireworks completed and signed by the local fire service authority. Remember to obtain appropriate liability insurance.
• If required, an Unincorporated Applicant Acceptance of Responsibility completed and signed.
• A copy of the letters patent or incorporation document for new incorporated applicants.
• Repeat applicants are not required to resubmit incorporation documents, unless their status has changed.
• A Final Activity Report along with copies of media coverage and photos must be submitted to your Canadian Heritage Regional Office and must be postmarked no later than August 31. Failure to do so will result in ineligibility for funding in the subsequent year.

Note:

• Organizations are asked to indicate both their current name and their previous name, if applicable.
• The information provided in this application will be used for assessment purposes only.
• Failure to submit a complete and accurate application, including a balanced budget, may result in a rejected application.
• The assessment is a competitive process, and the Celebrate Canada Program has limited resources. Therefore, even if your organization and application are eligible, you are not guaranteed funding from the Program, and even if your application is successful, the funding you receive may be less than the amount requested.
• Funds not spent on Celebrate Canada activities are to be returned to the Department of Canadian Heritage. Make cheques payable to: the Receiver General for Canada.

Promotional Material Order Form

Applicants may request a limited amount of promotional material (e.g., paper flags, event posters, etc.). Applicants must complete and submit the Order Form

This form is also available on page 14 of the Funding Application Form. You can also contact your Canadian Heritage Regional Office for more information.

Funding Application Form

Complete the form
[ Fillable PDF, 1.53 MB | Non-fillable PDF, 745 KB ]

For further information, please contact the Canadian Heritage Regional Office in your province or territory.

Budget

To facilitate your calculations, please use this Interactive Budget [PDF] [Excel] and attach it to your Funding Application Form.

Note:

To access the Portable Document Format (PDF) version you must have a PDF reader installed. If you do not already have such a reader, there are numerous PDF readers available for free download or for purchase on the Internet:

• Adobe Reader
• Foxit Reader
• Xpdf
• eXPert PDF Reader

Please note that all saveable and fillable PDF forms require Adobe Acrobat Reader version 8.1 or higher.