Community Performing Arts Organizations Operating Funding

To be eligible for Community Performing Arts Organizations operating funding, you must:

• be engaged in creating and producing in the performing arts as your organization’s principal mandate as stated in its incorporation document

Your organization must:

• be a not-for-profit organization
• be registered and in good standing under the appropriate legislation (eg. Alberta Corporate Registry) and have been in operation in Alberta for at least two years
• have at least 50% of the organization’s board members living in Alberta
• demonstrate the ability to balance good governance practices and fiscal responsibility, while maintaining their artistic mandate
• operate at arms-length from organizations and institutions receiving annual operating funds from the Government of Alberta, their affiliates, and/or commercial enterprises

Ineligible applicants

Organizations that are engaged primarily in competition-based activity are not eligible for AFA funding.

First-time applicants

If this is your organization’s first application for AFA Community Performing Arts Organizations operating funding, you must contact the AFA at least three months before the deadline for a preliminary eligibility assessment.

As a first-time applicant, your organization must provide approved financial statements that demonstrate the organization has positive net assets for the two annual fiscal periods immediately prior to application.

This funding is designed to support your organization’s operations, which are specific to your organization’s mandate, strategic and/or business plan and activities as described in your application and/or reporting.

AFA operating funding typically supports expenses such as:

• administration
• programming
• salaries and fees
• maintenance of equipment and fixed assets
• promotion
• other expenses as required to fulfill your organization’s mandate

We only accept applications through the Grant Administration Tracking and Evaluation (GATE) Front Office online application system.

We must receive your online application through GATE Front Office no later than 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time on the deadline date,  unless the deadline falls on a statutory holiday or a weekend when it will be extended until the next working day. Please give the system time to process your application so that the AFA receives notification of your submission before the deadline falls.

GATE Front Office username registration

First-time applicants will require a GATE Front Office username and password. Requests must be received at least five business days prior to the application deadline.

Please complete the GATE Front Office Registration form and email it as an attachment to registrationAFA@gov.ab.ca.

GATE Front Office usernames and passwords will be sent to the email addresses provide on the registration form.

What to include in your application

For detailed step-by-step instructions, please download the GATE Front Office user guide.

GATE Front Office online forms

• Contact Information which includes street and mailing address, primary and secondary contact names, phone numbers and email adresses
• Organization Information, which includes the organization's legal name, Alberta Registration number and incorporation date and fiscal year-end
• Applicant Agreement which includes the name and position of your legal signing authority
• Current Board List which includes names, titles, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses and start dates for all current members
• Community Derived Revenue (CDR), using the data from the most recent, approved financial statements, which includes total expenses, revenue and government grants
• Diligence Questionnaire, which asks questions about your programming, financial management and stewardship

Attachments

Attachments must be developed prior to application, using either original documents specific to your organization or preformatted AFA templates, and uploaded to your online GATE Front Office submission.

You’ll be required to complete and upload the following attachments:

• a list of planned activities for the coming year:
  • Planned Activities Listing (PDF)
  • Planned Activities Listing (Word)
• your most recent annual financial statements including Balance Sheet, Statement of Revenues and Expenditures, and Statement of Cash Flows
• most recent annual return from Alberta Corporate Registry
• void cheque or direct deposit form, if desired (not mandatory)

Funding awarded through this opportunity is calculated based on Community Derived Revenue (CDR). CDR is defined as an organization’s total annual revenue minus all federal, provincial and municipal government grants. Your organization’s CDR is then divided by the sum of the CDRs for all eligible Community Performing Arts Organizations, and then multiplied by this funding opportunity’s budget to determine your funding allocation. 

Funding for Community Performing Arts Organizations is established by the AFA Board of Directors based on the annual AFA Budget allocated by the Government of Alberta. Department staff evaluate applications according to eligibility criteria and prepare recommendations to the board.

The AFA Board of Directors reviews all funding recommendations, and all decisions are final.

Grant recommendations are made to the AFA board of directors. Successful recipients will be notified upon board approval, generally between four to six months from the application deadline.

Your organization is only eligible to receive support from one AFA operating funding opportunity in any given year. Funding is intended for the activities planned for your organization’s next fiscal year based on information provided in your funding application.

Ineligible expenses for AFA operating funding include, but are not limited to:

• alcohol
• amortization
• GST expenses
• fundraising expenses
• bad debt and other paper losses
• capital expenses

The AFA or our authorized representative may examine your financial and other records to ensure funding was used for its intended purpose:

• funding recipients must return unused portions of their grant to the AFA
• we may require your organization to return funds if reporting requirements are not met
• if you do not meet reporting requirements, your organization may be ineligible for further funding from the AFA for a period of three years from the time the delinquency is resolved

The AFA Fair Notice Policy applies to this funding opportunity:

• we may cancel, suspend, reduce or demand repayment of your grant in circumstances where we are concerned with the viability of your organization

Funding acknowledgement

Your organization must credit the AFA for financial support in any publicity prepared in relation to your organization’s activities, including electronic, print or visual material. 

• if your organization fails to satisfy AFA recognition requirements, it may be subject to a 10% funding reduction in subsequent payments
• subsequent infractions may result in ineligibility to apply for AFA funding opportunities

Download versions of the AFA logo and guidelines for usage.

You are required to complete and submit a satisfactory final report in GATE Front Office that demonstrates that funding awarded for the previous fiscal year was spent on the activities described in the application.

Your final report is due October 1.

We must receive your online report through GATE Front Office no later than 11:59 pm Mountain Time, unless the deadline falls on a statutory holiday or a weekend when it will be extended until 11:59 pm on the next working day. Please give the system time to process your application so we receive notification of your submission before the deadline falls.

Your organization’s final report must include:

GATE Front Office online forms

• Statistical Report, aligned with your organization’s most recent approved financial statements

Attachments

• list of completed art activities aligned with your organization’s most recent approved financial statements
• copies of promotional and publicity materials from the previous year, showing compliance with AFA recognition requirements (scanned into one PDF and uploaded)
• your organization’s most recent approved financial statements with Balance Sheet, Statement of Revenue and Expenditures and Statement of Cash Flows
  • up to $25,000 requires a financial statement approved and signed by three board members, including the treasurer 
  • $25,001 to $50,000 requires a Notice to Reader financial statement provided by an independent, professionally designated accountant
  • $50,001 to $100,000 requires a Review Engagement statement provided by an independent, professionally designated accountant
  • more than $100,000 requires an Audited financial statement provided by an independent, professionally designated accountant. 

Visit the Help and Resources section of our website to:

• download the new Front Office User Guide
• find additional resources for organizations

You may wish to download the following resources to include as attachments with your application or final report.

• Planned Activities Listing (PDF)
• Planned Activities Listing (Word)
• Financial Statement Board Approval Form

Should your organization wish to receive payment through direct deposit, please use the Direct Deposit form:

• Direct deposit form