Celebrating 125 Years of Incorporation on April 6, 2011!

Program Description | Program Aims | Who Can Apply? | Eligible Activity | Not Eligible Are... | Funds | Evaluation

Large-Scale Grants Program Description

The 125th Anniversary Grants Program has been established to support the growing excitement, pride and enthusiasm for Vancouver's upcoming 125th anniversary in 2011.  This program is a time-limited opportunity intended to foster awareness and understanding of Vancouver’s identities, first nations’ heritage and cultural diversity. This program will support activities that enrich our society through civic engagement and the celebration of art, culture and heritage.

The program will provide grants to not-for-profit organizations to commission and create works, to produce or present events or exhibits, to host one-time conferences or symposia, or to devise and implement anniversary legacy projects.

Learn more about the Advisory Committee ’s visioning process

The application deadlines have now passed.

Download guidelines for the 125th Anniversary Large-Scale Grants
(107kb) (also published below).

 

What is the program hoping to achieve?

• To support a range of arts, culture, heritage and civically-focused activities which create excitement, pride and enthusiasm for the City’s 125th anniversary;
• To facilitate new or expand existing cultural and community partnerships;
• To celebrate the creativity of Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh peoples and Vancouver’s urban aboriginal population;
• To celebrate the creativity of diverse communities*in a way that meaningfully represents Vancouver’s current demographics**;
• To foster dialogue about civic issues that recognizes our City’s built and cultural heritage and provides thoughtful planning for its future;
• To maximize opportunities for neighbours to celebrate in all of Vancouver’s geographic neighbourhoods and distinct cultural communities; and
• To support high levels of creative merit and/or public community benefit.

Examples of organizations that can apply include neighbourhood houses, residents' associations, community service groups, ethno-cultural societies, arts and cultural organizations, heritage and museum organizations, service organizations, community policing centres, school organizations, libraries, business improvement associations, civic community centre associations and cultural community centres.

*Diversity can be defined as ethnicity, gender, age, ability, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, religious beliefs and other forms of self-identification.

**The 2006 census recorded 51% of Vancouver's population to be of a “visible minority” background.

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Eligible Applicants

• Must be a City of Vancouver-based, not-for-profit society, and registered in BC.
• Should have on-going paid professional leadership and administrative management.
• Must demonstrate a history of public presentation, production, exhibition or publication or the convening of large-scale events or conferences.
• Must demonstrate capacity to produce, present, exhibit, or convene the initiative(s) during the months of January – December 2011.

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Eligible projects and activities

If your eligible organization has a project that doesn’t seem to be included in this sample list of eligible activities, contact a Cultural Planner to see if the project does meet the program objectives.

Performing art, studio art or writing and publishing commissions or creations: these are anticipated generally to be new works created for or inspired by the City’s 125th anniversary or on themes of significant historical, contemporary or projected relevance to Vancouver’s identity.

Production or presentation of new or expanded events or exhibits: these are anticipated generally to be temporary events or feature exhibits which are curated on the theme of the City’s 125th anniversary or specifically expanded to include themes of significant historical, contemporary or projected relevance to Vancouver’s identity.

Presentation of festivals or celebrations: these may be new events organized around the themes of Vancouver’s 125th anniversary or they may be existing events which are significantly expanded or specifically themed in 2011 around the 125th anniversary.

Hosting of conferences, symposia or public dialogue series: these are anticipated generally to be new events or annual events that, in 2011, are convened to mark or celebrate the City’s anniversary or themes of significant historical, contemporary or projected relevance to Vancouver’s identity.

Anniversary legacy projects: these may be self-defined by an organization but are expected to be completed or installed before the end of December 2011; however, more complex projects may be considered if they are completed in early 2012.

NOTE: All proposed events, activities and initiatives must take place in the City of Vancouver.

NOTE: More than one project may be submitted by one organization, but separate applications will be required. Successful applicants may be required to submit a final report that highlights qualitative and quantitative performance indicators gauging the impacts of the project.

If an organization is already receiving core funding or project funding through other civic programs (i.e. Cultural Grants or Community Services Grants), the proposed project must demonstrate significant expansion of on-going programming and the grant request should focus on the expanded component of the initiative.

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Ineligible projects and expenses

• Demonstrations, marches, and rallies.
• Marketing, promotional or commercially-oriented events.
• Activity occurring prior to January 2011 or after December 31, 2011.
• Deficit reduction or fundraising events.
• Capital costs of projects.
• Ongoing or core activity already funded by the City of Vancouver

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Use of Grant funds

Programming: fees*** for artists, speakers and key creative or community contributors, production staff fees, exhibition costs, venue and equipment rental, design, display and decoration, documentation. 

Administration: planning, co-ordination, event or project management, fundraising, audience surveys or other data collection, and office expenses.

Publicity and marketing: development and implementation of publicity and marketing strategies, and advertising and promotional expenses.

*** Industry-standard fees for key personnel, including speakers’ fees, are encouraged.

The payment of artist fees is also encouraged. Refer to these groups for guidelines:

• American Federation of Musicians: www.afm.org
• Canadian Actors Equity Association: www.caea.com
• Canadian League of Composers: www.clc-lcc.ca
• Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists: www.cadabc.org
• Professional Writers Association of Canada: www.pwac.ca
• Canadian Artists Representation/CARFAC: www.carfac.ca

Successful applicants may be required to submit a final report which provides both qualitative and quantitative performance indicators gauging the impacts of the completed project.

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Grant Fund Amounts

The minimum grant is expected to be no less than $10,000. The level of grant will depend on the proposed budget and scope of the project and how well it supports the program objectives and meets the evaluation criteria. The minimum project budget is expected not to be less than $40,000 and all City contributions towards the project will generally not exceed 50% of the proposed budget.

Evaluation

Members nominated from the community participate on an Assessment Committee along with staff. Community members will have relevant expertise and experience in one or more of the following: commissioning, creating, producing, presenting, curating, publishing, or organizing significant public events. The Assessment Committee makes their recommendations based on how well the proposal meets and supports the program objectives, using the specific evaluation criteria outlined below. The proposals that best meet the program objectives will be given the top priorities for funding. All recommendations are considered, and given final approval, by Vancouver City Council.

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How will the applications be evaluated?

Merit

• Clarity of intent and vision of the project as it relates to the City’s 125th anniversary program objectives;
• Strength and rationale of project partnerships, if they are proposed;
• Experience of the key creative personnel involved and quality of their work as demonstrated through past projects, training or experience;
• Level of creative merit and/or public community benefit; and
• Distinctiveness of the project in the spectrum of arts, culture, heritage and civically-focused activities proposed for the City’s 125th anniversary.

Impact

• Degree to which the proposal maximizes opportunities for citizens and visitors to celebrate in Vancouver’s geographic neighbourhoods and/or distinct cultural communities;
• Degree to which the proposal facilitates new or expands upon existing  cultural and/or community partnerships;
• Degree to which the proposal provides opportunity for celebration of the creativity of Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh peoples and Vancouver’s urban aboriginal population;
• Degree to which the proposal provides opportunity for celebration of the creativity of diverse communities in a way that meaningfully represents Vancouver’s current demographics; and
• Degree to which the proposal fosters dialogue about civic issues that recognizes our City’s built and cultural heritage and provides thoughtful planning for its future.

Capacity

• Project producers have the skills and expertise to implement the project as demonstrated through previous projects, training or experience;
• Evidence of commitment of all partners/key participants to the project;
• Evidence of competent administration, a functional board and appropriate governance structure;
• Evidence of financial accountability; proposed budget is achievable, diversified and balanced; and
• Noting the short timeline to implement new projects or expand existent ones before December 2011, that realistic planning is in place.

In addition to the above criteria, because the Celebrate Vancouver’s 125th Advisory Committee envisioned celebrations taking place in all of Vancouver’s neighbourhoods, geographic distribution of the proposals may come into consideration when assessing the requests. For more information about the Advisory Committee ’s visioning process, visit: http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cultural/celebrate125

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