• $198.3 million will be allocated to the arts and culture sector through existing funding programs at Canadian Heritage.
• $55 million will be distributed through Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) in order to help artistic organisations that support artists.
• A two-phased approach to speed up the distribution of funds
• Phase 1 is for funding recipients who are projecting a significant financial impact as a result of the pandemic:
  • Top-up to existing recipients through Canadian Heritage’s arts and culture programs, which include the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, Canada Arts Training Fund, and Building Communities through Arts and Heritage Program. To simplify the process, current recipients of targeted programs will only need to fill out an attestation. The minimum amount awarded will be $5,000.
  • CCA will use a formula-based approach to deliver the funds. Clients will be able to apply for up to 25% of recently approved funding.
  • If your organisation receives funding from more than one participating department or agency, you may only request funding from one of these organisations for support from the Emergency Support Fund. 
• Phase 2 will provide temporary support to other organisations, which include those in the arts and culture that do not currently receive funding from Canadian Heritage, the CCA, and our other participating organisations. Further details on Phase 2 will be announced in the coming weeks.

• Main page: Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage and Sport Organizations
• Fund Q&A
• News Release (May 8)
• CCA Announcement (May 8)

The Event Safety Alliance has now launched their Reopening Guide.

The Reopening Guide addresses health and sanitary issues that event and venue professionals need to consider in order to protect both patrons and workers. The first edition is tailored to be especially useful for event professionals reopening the smallest events with the fewest resources available to mitigate their risks.

Rather than best practices, the Guide is a tool to allow each event professional to think through their own circumstances, looking closely at each aspect of an event and proposing potential mitigation strategies. 

This Guide is the product of contributions from more than 300 professionals from all facets of the live event industry.