Charlottetown Great thing happen here

The application deadline for Arts & Culture Operating Assistance is Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 4 p.m. (AT). There is one intake annually for Arts & Culture Grants.

Eligible Groups:
Organizations requesting Operating Assistance must, at a minimum, meet the following criteria:

• Applicants must be a registered non-profit or charitable organization;
• The primary mandate of the organization must be to develop, create, produce, present, and disseminate artistic work in any artistic discipline;
• The organization must be based in Charlottetown, and the majority of programming or services must take place in Charlottetown;
• Provide year-round arts programming or services that contribute significantly to the cultural life of Charlottetown;
• Provide programming or services that are open to the public and publicized widely;
• Minimum three years of continuous operations;
• Employ paid (full-time or part-time) professional artistic, curatorial, or administrative staff;
• Have an established governance structure (board of directors), as well as well-established programs and services that are developed and delivered consistently;
• Pay artistic contributors for their services following professional industry standards.
  
  

Organizations that apply for Arts & Culture Operating Assistance may also apply to a Tourism Event grant if they meet the criteria for both programs. Organizations may apply for either Operating Assistance or Project & Event Assistance in any given year, but not both.

Ineligible Groups or Activities
The following groups and activities are not eligible for Operating Assistance:

• Retroactive requests;
• Private or closed events and activities;
• Capital projects;
• Events purely for commercial purposes;
• City Departments, boards, or advisory committees;
• Social service, religious, or sports organizations;
• Educational institutions (schools, colleges, etc.);
• Club or community centre programs;
• Conferences, conventions, banquets, or fundraising galas;
• Scholarships, prizes, and awards;
• Political or religious events;
• Events or activities taking place primarily outside City limits.

 

All eligible applications are screened upon receipt by the Culture and Economic Coordinator for eligibility and completeness. All eligible applications are scored out of a total of 100 points by Department staff, based on the criteria outlined below. Recommendations are then submitted to Council during the budget process, which concludes at the end of March.

Strategic Alignment (20)

• Advances City priorities in economic development and culture
• Aligns with the City’s Strategic Plan [LINK] and Cultural Policy [LINK]
• Addresses identified needs in Charlottetown’s cultural sector

Community Impact and Engagement (30)

• Activities are conducted primarily in Charlottetown and for the benefit of Charlottetown residents
• The organization supports professional skills and development opportunities for artists
• The organization creates innovative programs or activities which include paid opportunities for Charlottetown-area artists
• Programming activities demonstrate artistic innovation and leadership
• Demonstrates strong and expanding partnerships

Accessibility, Inclusivity, and Diversity (20)

• Provides increased and affordable access to culture
• Potential to engage new or underserved audiences
• Demonstrates inclusivity and diversity in programming, leadership, audience, and representation of equity-deserving groups
• Demonstrates how their project will identify, remove, and prevent barriers for persons with disabilities

Organizational Capacity and Governance (15)

• Clear mandate, strong governance, administration and strategic direction
• Management structure and staff are sufficient to serve the goals of the organization
• Proven ability to deliver programming

Financial Management and Sustainability (15) 

• Diverse revenue (sponsorship, other grants, and earned income)
• Accurate and realistic budgeting
• City contribution represents a reasonable portion of the overall budget
• Value for money

 

Applications are to be submitted by email to Doug Dumais, Culture and Economic Coordinator, at [email protected] and include the following information:

• Signed applicant checklist and authorization form [LINK];
• Indicate if your organization is a registered charity or non-profit, and provide the name, title, email, and phone number for at least one executive officer of your board of directors;
• Description of your organization and its objectives, and information on your organization’s annual programs and activities;
• The alignment of your organization’s activities with the City’s Strategic Plan (2022 to 2026) – a community for everyone [LINK];
• How your initiative/organization advances the strategic priorities of the City’s Cultural Policy (2024) [LINK];
• A description of the impact of your organization’s activities on the City of Charlottetown, including economic impact, professional skills development opportunities for artists, artistic innovation and leadership, paid opportunities for artists, and partnerships;
• The efforts that your organization has made, if any, to increase access to the arts, remove barriers for participation, and demonstrate and promote inclusivity and diversity in programming, leadership, audience, and representation of equity-deserving groups;
• A complete operating budget demonstrating revenues and expenses of your organization, clearly listing other funding partners (confirmed or unconfirmed), and demonstrating a need for City funding; 
• Most recent Financial Statements as approved and signed by the Board of Directors;
• Specific dollar amount requested from the City of Charlottetown;
• Any other information relevant to your application.

Format and Submission Guidelines: 

• All submission materials above must be submitted as a single attachment in PDF format.
• Submit your final grant application by email to [email protected] with the subject line: “Your Organization Name Operating Funding” 
• The deadline is Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 4 p.m. (AT). Late applications will not be considered.

 

The application deadline for Arts & Culture Project & Event Assistance is Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 4 p.m. (AT). There is one intake annually for Arts & Culture Grants.

Organizations requesting Project & Event Assistance must, at a minimum, meet the following criteria:

• Applicants must be a Federally or Provincially registered non-profit or charitable organization or be a recognized or emerging arts group, collective, or community group with the capacity to manage funds responsibly or a recognized or emerging arts group, collective, or community group that has partnered with an eligible non-profit for a grant application.
• Must be a one-time initiative or recurring annual cultural event, program, project, show, exhibition, or series, provided the organization is not already applying to the Arts and Culture Operating Assistance Stream.
• The primary purpose of the project or event is to develop, support, create, produce, present, and disseminate artistic work in any artistic discipline;
• The activities funded under this stream must take place in Charlottetown;
• For presenting organizations, the project, event, or program is open to the public and publicized widely.

Organizations that apply for Arts & Culture Project & Event Assistance may also be eligible for a Tourism Event grant, provided they meet the criteria for both programs. Organizations may apply for either Operating Assistance or Project & Event Assistance in any given year, but not both.

• Individual artist research, creation, or travel grants;
• Retroactive requests;
• Private/closed events;
• Capital projects;
• Events purely for commercial purposes;
• City Departments, boards, or advisory committees;
• Social service, religious, or sports organizations;
• Educational institutions (schools, colleges, etc.)
• Club or community centre programs;
• Conferences, conventions, banquets, or fundraising galas;
• Scholarships, prizes, and awards;
• Political or religious events;
• Events or activities taking place primarily outside City limits.

All eligible applications are screened upon receipt by the Culture and Economic Coordinator for eligibility and completeness. All eligible applications are scored out of a total of 100 points by Department staff, based on the criteria outlined below. Recommendations are then submitted to Council during the budget process, which concludes at the end of March.

Strategic Alignment (20)

• Advances City priorities in economic development and culture
• Aligns with the City’s Strategic Plan and Cultural Policy

Community Impact and Engagement (30)

• Activities are conducted primarily in Charlottetown and for the benefit of Charlottetown residents
• The organization supports professional skills and development opportunities for artists
• The organization creates innovative programs or activities which include paid opportunities for Charlottetown-area artists
• Demonstrates strong and expanding partnerships

Accessibility, Inclusivity, and Diversity (20)

• Provides increased and affordable access to culture
• Potential to engage new or underserved audiences
• Demonstrates inclusivity and diversity in programming, leadership, audience, and representation of equity-deserving groups
• Demonstrates how their project will identify, remove, and prevent barriers for persons with disabilities

Organizational Capacity and Governance (15)

• Clear mandate, appropriate governance structure, administration, and strategic direction
• Ability or capacity to deliver programming

Financial Management and Sustainability (15) 

• Diverse revenue (sponsorship, other grants, and earned income)
• Accurate and realistic budgeting
• City contribution represents a reasonable portion of the overall budget
• Value for money

 

Applications are to be submitted by email to Doug Dumais, Culture and Economic Coordinator, at [email protected] and include the following information:

• Signed applicant checklist and authorization form [LINK];
• Indicate if your organization is a registered charity, non-profit, merchant’s association, ad hoc group, or arts group, and provide the name, title, email, and phone number for at least one executive officer of your board of directors. If you do not have a board of directors, please explain your governance structure;
• Description of your project or event, objectives, and how funds will be used;
• The alignment of your event’s activities with the City’s Strategic Plan (2022 to 2026) – a community for everyone [LINK];
• How your initiative advances the strategic priorities of the City’s Cultural Policy (2024) [LINK];
• A description of the impact of your project or event’s activities on the City of Charlottetown, including economic impact, professional skills development opportunities for artists, artistic innovation and leadership, paid opportunities for artists, and partnerships;
• The efforts that your organization has made or will make, if any, to increase access to the arts, remove barriers for participation, and demonstrate and promote inclusivity and diversity in programming, leadership, audience, and representation of equity-deserving groups;
• A complete project or event budget demonstrating revenues and expenses associated with this project or event, clearly listing other funding partners (confirmed or unconfirmed), and demonstrating a need for City funding;
• Specific dollar amount requested from the City of Charlottetown;
• Any other information relevant to your application.

Format and Submission Guidelines: 

• All submission materials above must be submitted as a single attachment in PDF format.
• Submit your final grant application by email to [email protected] with the subject line: “Your Organization Name Project and Event Funding” 
• The deadline is Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 4 p.m. (AT). Late applications will not be considered.