September 10, 2009

Each of Canada's communities is unique, and each is uniquely Canadian. This includes your community!

Communities are shaped by geography, history, their founders and those who came to live there. They continue to grow and change as the people who live there now build on those foundations.

The Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage Program was created to help you celebrate your community, its past and its present. The Program will increase opportunities, through festivals or other events and activities, for your local artists and artisans to be involved in their community and for local groups to commemorate your local history and heritage.

Eligible events and activities must be local - created by and for your community. They must be open and accessible to the public and strongly encourage and promote the participation of everyone in your community.

The Program has three components:

Local Festivals Festivals, events and activities that involve your whole community, give opportunities to local artists and artisans and/or celebrate local history and heritage.

Community Anniversaries One-time commemoration through festivals or other activities that celebrates a major anniversary of a significant local person or event.

Legacy Fund Awards for the creation of tangible, lasting capital projects which commemorate or celebrate a major anniversary of a significant local person or event.

For more application details visit the Department of Canadian Heritage's website here.

The Museums and Technology Fund will invest in innovative projects and partnerships that will enable collections-based arts and heritage organizations to use digital technology to support community economic development, education and life-long learning.

Program Objectives

Provide citizens with access to the diversity and richness of Ontario’s heritage and its history.
Maximize the role of collections-based arts and heritage organizations in stimulating cultural tourism, community economic development and municipal cultural planning.

Encourage innovative museum partnerships and models that support education, life-long learning and new audience development.

Who can apply?

Eligible organizations include:

*Community museums
*Community art galleries
*Community archives
*Heritage organizations with provincial mandates

The Ministry of Culture encourages all applicants to work with one or more partners.

For additional Fund details visit the Ministry of Culture's website here.

The Creative Communities Prosperity Fund (CCPF) will strengthen culture’s role in building vibrant, liveable communities across Ontario by supporting municipalities and innovative organizations that increase local capacity for Municipal Cultural Planning (MCP) and community economic development.

Program Objectives:

*Provide municipalities with incentives and support to help them in undertaking MCP-related activities and integrate cultural planning with land-use planning, economic development, environmental responsibility and social equity.
*Encourage innovative organizations and initiatives that strengthen Ontario’s cultural sector’s capacity to transform Ontario’s communities and economies through culture.
*Encourage innovative new cross-cultural (e.g. heritage, arts, libraries and/or cultural industries) and cross-sectoral (e.g. culture, business, environment, social, etc.) partnerships and models to support the cultural vitality, creativity and economic sustainability of Ontario’s communities.

Who can apply?

The Creative Communities Prosperity Fund has two funding streams:

Stream 1: Municipalities & First Nations
This funding stream will assist municipalities and First Nations communities with their Municipal Cultural Planning and related activities.

Stream 2: Not-for-Profit Organizations
This funding stream will support specific capacity building initiatives at the community level that enhance MCP, strengthen local cultural capacity and encourage community building and economic development. The lead applicant must be an incorporated not-for-profit organization.
For more Fund details visit the Ministry of Culture's website here.