Official Languages Support Programs’s Cultural Development Fund

Guidelines

Objectives

• Support and strengthen the cultural and artistic activities and cultural expression of official-language minority communities to enhance their vitality.
• Promote the contribution of arts, culture and heritage to the sustainable development of official-language minority communities and Canadian society.
• Develop and promote the arts, culture and heritage of official-language minority communities in Canadian society.
• Foster identity-building and a sense of belonging within Canada's official language minority communities.
• Give Canadians access to the richness of the official-language minority communities' culture, arts and heritage.

Eligible recipients

• Institutions, non-profit organizations, and provincial and territorial governments.

Eligible expenses

Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to:

• costs of implementing projects that contribute to ensure the long-term development of the arts, culture and heritage sectors in official-language minority communities.

No consideration for funding will be given to:

• infrastructure projects;
• recurring operating expenses;
• regular collaboration, networking and strategic planning processes.

Content of application

• Assessment of the situation in the area being applied for (with a description of the facts that led to the project idea and the rationale for selecting the proposed approach - what is happening now and what more the applicant wishes to do). A key component of the application.
• Description of the proposed project and implementation phases.
• Clear statement of expected outcomes with performance indicators for the entire project.
• Demonstration of how the proposal is linked to one or more of the objectives of the Cultural Development Fund (use the section, “Links with the Objectives of the Development of Official-Language Communities Program - Community Life component” on the application form (Appendix C: Table 1), to show how the direct outcomes targeted by the activities will contribute to achieving one or more objectives of the CDF)
• Links between the proposed activities and the development plans prepared by the official-language minority communities involved, where applicable.
• Implementation schedule.
• Budget with a breakdown of all revenues and expenses.

Application submission

To submit an application, organizations must refer to the Applicant's Guide and fill out the Official Languages Support Programs application form, both of which can be found on the Department's Web site at http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/lo-ol/pubs/frm/pdclo-dolcp/index-eng.cfm. To submit an application or for information about local, provincial or territorial project, organizations should contact the Canadian Heritage official who is responsible for Official Languages Support Programs in their region.

Provincial and territorial governments, and their creations, should contact the regional desks managers of Official Languages Support Programs at Canadian Heritage.

For Canada-wide projects, or projects that involve many regions of the country, the applicants should contact the Manager of Cultural Initiatives, Official Languages Support Programs, Canadian Heritage (see http://pch.gc.ca/pgm/lo-ol/cntct/102-eng.cfm).

Schedule

All funding applications must be submitted to Canadian Heritage, postmarked no later than January 8, 2010.

Funding decisions 

Funding decisions will be based on the following application assessment criteria, established priorities and available funding.

Application assessment criteria

• Project's contribution to the development of culture, arts and heritage.
• Advancement of cultural and artistic activities and cultural expression within official-language minority communities by creating dynamic and appealing living spaces, and through the discovery and visibility of cultural diversity.
• Development of quality relationships with other partners.
• Project benefits and impact on the community involved.
• Innovative nature of the project.
• Diversification of funding sources.
• Project visibility (pan-Canadian, interregional, interprovincial or interterritorial).

Funding priorities

Canadian Heritage takes the priorities expressed during the various consultations with the official-language minority communities into account.

Funding aims, in particular, to support concrete and structuring initiatives as a result of cooperation between stakeholders in the culture, arts and heritage sectors of the official-language minority communities, government representatives, or other collaborators.

All funding decisions will be made by the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Funding conditions

The Department will fund selected applications with a grant or contribution. Contributions will be made through an agreement that sets out the reporting requirements and payment conditions.

With the provincial and territorial governments, funding support from the Cultural Development Fund will be made through cooperation service agreements.

Multi-year funding agreements can be signed.

August 5, 2009