Operating Assistance: Professional Arts Festivals

Description

Operating Assistance: Professional Arts Festivals provides funding to assist the general operations of established professional non-profit arts and culture organizations that produce a major festival, present and feature professional artists, and have a clear unifying theme or vision.

Program Update: Operating Assistance extension

The Operating Assistance program is not open to new applicants in 2024/25 or 2025/26.

The BC Arts Council is extending the Operating Assistance program at current funding levels for the next two years. The extension of the program covers the 2024 and 2025 intakes in the 2024/25 and 2025/26 government fiscal years. The intention of this extension is to provide stable funding for Operating Assistance recipients for the next two years, allowing organizations to focus capacity and resources where they are needed most.

Key information:

  • Operating Assistance grants for 2024/25 and 2025/26 will remain stable for current recipients over each of the next two years, based on current grant amounts.
  • There is no opportunity to request an increase to Operating Assistance funding during the extension period.
  • Current Operating Assistance recipients must provide key updates to access funding.
  • Details about 2024/25 processes and submission requirements are in the Operating Assistance Overview 2024/25 document below.

As part of the Extending Foundations: Action Plan 2022-2024, the BC Arts Council continues to prioritize reducing barriers to funding programs and supporting equitable funding distribution. As this plan concludes, Council is developing a new strategic vision. This vision will be supported by an Action Plan that will guide the BC Arts Council’s approach to programs and funding.

Operating Assistance Overview 2024/25:
The Operating Assistance Overview 2024/25 provides detailed information and instructions for current recipients in the program on the processes and submission requirements for the 2024/25 intake.

July 2024 Operating Assistance Overview 2024/25 (PDF)

Past program guidelines:
NOTE: Past program guidelines are for reference only. Please refer to the Operating Assistance Overview 2024/25 document for the most up-to-date information for 2024/25 processes and requirements.

September 2022 Operating Assistance: Professional Arts Festivals Guidelines (PDF)

This information is only for current Operating Assistance organizations.

How to Apply

The Operating Assistance program supports organizations’ operations over a funding cycle of two years. The BC Arts Council intends to relaunch Operating Assistance in 2026 (in the 2026/27 government fiscal years) and accept applications from new applicants at that time.

Current Operating Assistance recipients must provide key updates and all submissions detailed in the Overview document above through the Grant Management System.