Apply Now: SaskFestivals Development Funding Program (Canada)

Deadline: 15-Apr-2027

The SaskFestivals Development Stream provides multi-year grant support to professional arts festivals and series in Saskatchewan to strengthen community engagement, economic activity, and the professional practice of local artists. The programme supports organizations working to build sustainable and impactful professional arts festivals and series across Saskatchewan. It aims to strengthen the province’s cultural vibrancy and economic vitality while encouraging community participation, tourism, professional development, and meaningful relationships with Indigenous peoples and other marginalized communities. The SaskFestivals Development Stream is designed to strengthen the impact and sustainability of professional arts festivals and series in Saskatchewan.

The programme seeks to:

Funded organizations are expected to develop strong organizational structures while contributing to the professional arts sector in Saskatchewan. Funding is provided on a two-year cycle.

The minimum grant request is:

The funding is intended to help organizations strengthen their operations, leadership, management structures, and professional arts programming. Applicants are expected to align their activities with the strategic priorities of SK Arts and SaskCulture. The programme also emphasizes meaningful community relationships and encourages organizations to develop authentic relationships with: Applicants should demonstrate how their work contributes to the broader cultural and economic vitality of Saskatchewan. Eligible applicants must meet specific organizational, programming, operational, and governance requirements.

Applicants must:

Organizations should demonstrate the capacity to manage multi-year funding and sustain professional arts programming. Applicants must demonstrate at least three years of public programming. This requirement helps establish that the organization has an existing history of presenting arts programming and serving audiences before applying to the Development Stream. The organization’s operations and primary programming must also be centred in Saskatchewan. Organizations applying to the Development Stream must demonstrate appropriate professional and organizational capacity.

Applicants are expected to:

These requirements are intended to support organizations with the capacity to use multi-year funding effectively. The programme encourages organizations to strengthen their relationships with the communities they serve. Applicants are expected to support authentic relationships with Indigenous peoples and other marginalized communities. This focus is intended to promote greater inclusion and meaningful community engagement within Saskatchewan’s professional arts festival and series sector. Organizations must compensate artists to be eligible for funding. The Development Stream is focused on strengthening the professional practice of Saskatchewan artists, and organizations that do not compensate artists are not eligible. Applicants should therefore ensure that their programming and financial systems appropriately account for professional artist compensation. Certain organizations are excluded from the Development Stream. Ineligible applicants include organizations that: Applicants should ensure that they have no outstanding reporting obligations before applying. A key purpose of the Development Stream is to help professional arts festivals and series develop stronger organizational structures. Funding can support organizations as they work toward: The programme therefore focuses not only on arts presentation but also on organizational development and long-term sustainability. Applicants should clearly demonstrate their organization’s existing programming history, professional capacity, and potential for sustainable development.

A strong application should explain:

It is a multi-year grant programme supporting professional arts festivals and series in Saskatchewan to strengthen community engagement, economic activity, organizational development, and the professional practice of local artists. The minimum grant request is $10,000 per year, with funding provided on a two-year cycle. Professional arts festivals and series that meet the programme’s eligibility requirements can apply. Applicants must have a core mandate to present an arts festival or series and demonstrate at least three years of public programming. Yes. Eligible organizations must have their operations and primary programming centred in Saskatchewan and must be governed by Saskatchewan residents. Yes. Organizations must engage professional expertise as part of their organizational and programming capacity. Yes. Organizations that do not compensate artists are not eligible. No. Applicants with outstanding grant reports are ineligible. No. Organizations receiving operational funding from SaskCulture are not eligible for the Development Stream. Organizations receiving operational funding from Sask Lotteries, Creative Saskatchewan, or SK Arts’ Professional Arts Organizations Program are also ineligible. Yes. The programme encourages authentic relationships with Indigenous peoples and other marginalized communities and aims to strengthen community engagement. The SaskFestivals Development Stream provides multi-year support for professional arts festivals and series in Saskatchewan seeking to strengthen their organizational capacity, community engagement, economic contribution, and support for local artists. With a minimum grant request of $10,000 per year over a two-year cycle, the programme can help eligible organizations build stronger leadership and management structures while developing sustainable professional arts programming. Organizations must demonstrate at least three years of public programming, Saskatchewan-centred operations and programming, professional expertise, sound financial systems, Saskatchewan-based governance, and appropriate artist compensation. For eligible professional arts festi