Community Grant Funding and Application (now the Festivals and Events Grant)
Information Session October 14, 2025
An Information Session was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. If you were unable to attend the information session, slides from the presentation can be found here. If you have any questions, please contact clerk@brockville.com.
Background
In August 2025, Council revised its Community Grants Program and established the Festivals and Events Grant which is a municipal fund used to support the efforts of non-profit groups and organizations in their planning and implementation of festivals and events throughout the City.
The program will be funded from a percentage of the Municipal Accommodation Tax collected in the previous year. There are two intakes for the program in the spring and fall. In 2025, the total funding available is $66,000 and is split equally between both intakes. Should there be funds remaining following the completion of Intake One, they will be added to the Fall Intake. The maximum funding request per application is $7,500.
Applications will be reviewed by a Grants Review Committee made up of City Staff and two City Council members.
Please Note: Organizations seeking fee waivers should now apply through the Festivals and Events Grants Program. Fee waivers are no longer handled separately.
Fall Intake
Applications for the 2025 Fall Intake will open on Monday, October 13, 2025. The deadline to apply is 4:00 pm on Friday October 31, 2025.
How to Apply
Interested candidates are encouraged to review the Festival and Events Grant Policy prior to submitting an application, which further explains the funding available, eligibility requirements, and the grant review and reporting process.
- Organizations who are eligible must submit a Festivals and Events Grant Application Form and include any required documentation outlined within the form by 4:00 pm on Friday October 31, 2025.
- A detailed budget of revenues and expenses (template provided here) must be included with your applications.
- All applicants who receive a Municipal Community Grant must complete the Festivals and Events Grant Reporting Form within 60 days after the completion of the initiative. Any organization that does not complete and submit the form will not be considered for grant funding in subsequent years.
- The City will confirm receipt of your application by email. If you don’t receive confirmation within five business days, please reach out to grants@brockville.com
Applications can be submitted by completing the form below (starting October 13). The maximum funding request is $7,500.
You may save your answers and continue later if you are unable to complete everything in one sitting: please copy and save your unique link when you choose to “save and continue” as you will be unable to revisit that page once you leave it.
Important note: we are unable to recover lost drafts. As an additional precaution, we encourage you to work on your answers offline in Word or another program first and copy your answers into the online application form when you are ready to submit.
Questions may be submitted prior to the application deadline to grants@brockville.com.
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Be a registered not-for-profit or charitable organization as defined in this policy;
- Be located primarily within the City or offer festivals or events within the City;
- Have members with a good track record of successfully completing, implementing, and planning festivals or events;
- Demonstrate strong financial responsibility and capability in carrying out the funded festival or event and continued growth and sustainability into the future;
- Be in good financial standing with the City, including fulfilling all obligations of previous grants, donations, or programs of the City, including mandatory reporting;
- Ensure adequate levels of property and general liability insurance naming the Corporation of the City of Brockville as an additional insured, where appropriate.
Definition of a Not-for-Profit or Charitable Organization:
- Is a registered corporation formed for the purpose of providing services, activities, programs and opportunities that improve or benefit one or more communities; or
- Is an ad hoc organization, or community group, that operates on a not-for-profit basis and is not incorporated but has their own separate bank account or has partnered with a not-for-profit or charitable organization; and
- Does not generate revenue to be distributed amongst its members, directors, officers or trustees for their financial gain; and
- Reinvests revenue remaining after expenditures into the organization to further future festivals and events.
Program, Activity, Event, and Project Eligibility:
To be eligible, proposed programs, activities, events, and projects must:
- Be located primarily within the City;
- Be open to the public; and
- Demonstrate a clear benefit to the community through tourism, economic impact, inclusion, or cultural or recreational enrichment.
Both large scale and small or emerging festivals and events are eligible for consideration, recognizing their unique value in contributing to a vibrant community.
Review Process
As there are many worthwhile festivals and events and limited funds annually, it is important that all applications be scored following a set rubric to ensure fairness and transparency. Staff will first review all applications received by the deadline for completeness. Completed applications will then be forwarded to the Grant Review Committee for consideration. The Grant Review Committee may decide to fund applications in full or in part, or to deny applications.
Each application will be scored using the same criteria, based on the review process outlined below:
- Demonstrated tourism, economic impact, inclusion, or cultural or recreational enrichment: (50%)
- Number of attendees attracted
- Generates overnight stays and visitor spending
- Impacts of cultural or recreational enrichment
- Merit and Reputation: (15%)
- Positive attendee experience
- Qualified, experienced and professional leaders
- Effective planning and evaluation
- Ability to recruit and sustain volunteer support, where needed
- Demonstrated community support for the festival or event
- Visibility and Profile: (15%)
- Regional, national, or international media exposure
- Positively impacts the view of Brockville in the media
- Highlights Brockville as a tourist destination
- Promotes health and well being of residents and visitors, demonstrating that Brockville is an active and interesting place to visit
- Financial Responsibility: (20%)
- Demonstration of a well thought out festival or event that has sufficient detail to ensure that the proposed festival or event will proceed as anticipated, including:
- Identification of a clear plan for how funds will be allocated and used
- Details and accurate budget for the festival or event to be provided with explanation of any shortfalls or anomalies
- Funds requested are reasonable to complete the festival or event and represent good value for money
- Demonstration of a well thought out festival or event that has sufficient detail to ensure that the proposed festival or event will proceed as anticipated, including:
Information
Questions can be submitted prior to the application deadline to grants@brockville.com
Previous Grant Recipients
A list of previous Grant Recipients can be found below: