Every year, festivals and events in Ontario attract thousands of visitors, contributing millions of dollars in tourism-related revenue to support the provincial economy. Tourism events are a great way of demonstrating Ontario’s diversity, culture, and heritage. In 2017, the Government of Ontario provided funding through the Celebrate Ontario program to support 304 events/festivals to help drive economic development and tourism across the province.

Government grants are offered via the Celebrate Ontario program, which provides financial support to local public festivals and events in order to attract tourism activity within Ontario. The program provides up to 25% coverage to a maximum $150,000 in funding for new events and up to 50% coverage to a maximum $300,000 in funding for existing events. Ideal projects must help drive tourism in the region by making it easier for event organizers to offer new and improved experiences.

The program is accepting applications for single-year and multi-year projects until November 9, 2017 at 5:00pm EST.

Celebrate Ontario: Funding for Tourism Festivals and Events

Celebrate Ontario supports new tourism generating events and existing tourism-generating events. The program provides government grants to enhance and advertise local festivals/events that attract tourists and increase expenditures. By improving these events through funding, the Government of Ontario can help strengthen the province’s image in domestic and global markets.

Eligible applicants can receive up to 25% coverage to a maximum $150,000 in funding for new events and up to 50% coverage to a maximum $300,000 in funding for existing events.

The program has three unique funding streams, including:

1. Single-Year Projects: Supports new and existing tourism events with programming enhancements and marketing campaigns to boost tourist visitation and spending;
2. Multi-Year Projects: Supports existing tourism events with programming enhancements and marketing campaigns to boost tourist visitation and spending; and
3. Blockbuster Projects: Supports bidding and hosting costs for major one-time events or events that do not recur annually in Ontario, but travel nationally or internationally to various host destinations.

Related Post: Celebrate Ontario Blockbuster: Large-Scale Tourism Event Grants

Celebrate Ontario Applicant Eligibility Requirements

To be considered eligible for Celebrate Ontario Funding, applicants must:

• Be federally or provincially incorporated;
• Be a for-profit, non-profit, municipality, or an Aboriginal organization; and
• Operate within the Province of Ontario.

Types of Projects Eligible for Celebrate Ontario Funding

To be eligible for Celebrate Ontario funding, projects must:

• Take place in Ontario and occur between April 1, 2018 and March 31, 2019. (For Multi-Year projects, the second year of the event must occur between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020).
• Be open and accessible to the public (cannot be targeted for a specific group or community); and
• Be an annual or biennial tourism festival or event.

What Project Costs Are Eligible for Celebrate Ontario Grants?

Projects funded by Celebrate Ontario should encourage increased tourist visitation and spending. The program will provide Ontario government grants to offset the following project expenses:

Event Enhancement Projects

Celebrate Ontario will provide funding to support the enhancement of new and existing tourism events. The program provides funding to offset the following expenses:

• Fees paid to artists, musicians, performers, celebrities, special guests, and speakers, including travel and accommodation and entertainment agencies;
• Fees paid for new programming and activities;
• Moveable Temporary Assets (Eg: stages and equipment)
• Fees paid for audio and visual support, technical and stage crews;
• New or improved visitor services;
• Eco-friendly services;
• Improved accessibility services;
• Audience surveys, research or economic impact studies;
• Translation costs;
• Mobile application development to support the event.
• Site services (Eg: security, shuttle buses, etc.).

Event Marketing Projects

The program will provide up to 15% coverage of expenses related to marketing activities to promote a local festival or event. Eligible marketing costs include:

• Targeted paid advertising (Eg: Broadcast or electronic);
• Distribution costs for printed materials (Note: All printing costs are ineligible for funding);
• Exterior ad space (Eg: Billboards and transit shelter spaces);
• Geo-targeted digital and social media advertising;
• Marketing material translation costs.

Recent Celebrate Ontario Funding Success Stories

In the past year, Celebrate Ontario has invested more than $19 million in government funding to support local events and festivals. Some of the program’s recent success stories include:

• Toronto Christmas Market: Funding helped this holiday event enhance its programming and attract new vendors. Attendance grew by approximately 40,000 people with 3% of the attendees being tourists;
• Calabogie Blues & Ribfest: Funding helped festival organizers to install an additional stage and contract five additional performers. Approximately 10,000 people attended with 50% of the attendees being tourists; and
• Supercrawl: Funding allowed the organizers to offer additional attractions and improve the event’s secondary stage. Approximately 200,000 people attended the three-day festival.

How to Apply for Ontario Tourism Funding

To get started with the Celebrate Ontario program, applicants must complete a series of steps prior to submitting an application package, including:

1. Register for access to the Grants Ontario System;
2. Create a new user account and ONe-key ID; and
3. Discuss project with a Regional Advisor.

If a project provides a good fit for the program, candidates may be encouraged to submit an application package that includes recent financial statements, event budgets, schedules, and timelines. Successful applicants will be notified by a Regional Advisor in Spring 2018.

Please Note: Celebrate Ontario Blockbuster will be accepting applications on an ongoing basis. However, applications must be submitted four months prior to the proposed event or festival.

Recent Celebrate Ontario News:

• Celebrate Ontario 2018: Funding for Tourism Events
• Celebrate Ontario Grants Needed to Sustain Large Scale Community Events
• Celebrate Ontario 2017 Grants for Tourism Event Funding (Deadline Approaching)
• Celebrate Ontario Blockbuster: Large-Scale Tourism Event Grants
• Celebrate Ontario 2016 Grants for Tourism Events: Apply by Nov. 4

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