Prairies Performing Arts Initiative (PPAI) - 2. Who is eligible

Eligibility checklist

You must meet all the following criteria to be eligible for this program

• you’re a not-for-profit professional performing arts organization or equivalent Indigenous Peoples’ organization located in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, or Alberta that meets all the criteria below:
  • you’re an incorporated organization operating with a mandate to create, produce, and perform works in the professional performing arts
  • you’re registered and operating as a non-profit arts entity
  • you have a board of directors overseeing operations
  • you have internal or external oversight of the organization’s finances and produce annual financial statements
  • you employ a paid artistic director, or equivalent
  • you pay artist fees at established national standards for the artistic discipline(s) and practice(s) in which you operate
• you have disseminated the work you created and produced through at least 5 years of continuous professional programming that is accessible to the public and offered as a subscription or member series
• you normally have an annual revenue of $1 million or more from the previous fiscal year or as an average of the last two fiscal years

Eligible activities

Your project must strengthen the sustainability and growth of professional performing arts producing organizations through improvements or innovations in business practices and/or growth or diversification of revenue streams. Eligible activities would include one of the following priorities:

1. innovative marketing and audience development.
2. innovation and development of new approaches and tools to diversify revenue bases and increase exposure to new partners and investments
3. strategic use of technologies and tools to improve operational efficiency, support digitization, or expand multimedia experiences and products
4. developing, sharing and/or implementing expertise, best practices, and tools to benefit performing arts organizations

You are encouraged to consider opportunities to expand the project benefits to the sector by partnering with other professional performing arts producing organizations.

Eligible costs

Eligible costs under the program must be incremental, relevant, reasonable and essential to carrying out the eligible project activities. Project-related costs that may be eligible for reimbursement include, but may not be limited to:

• professional services (e.g. consultant fees associated with project implementation, design, etc.)
• digital tools (e.g. platforms, applications, etc.) and new technology that will improve business operations, and/or increase or diversify audiences or revenue
• purchase and/or rental of machinery and equipment directly related to the authorized project
• marketing/promotion costs, only as part of a broader project and if deemed essential to the success of the project (e.g. to promote a new offering developed as part of the project, to target a new audience base)
• pro-rated salaries/wages directly related to staff time spent on the project
• acquisitions of proprietary processes
• supplies, transportation; and
• other costs that are reasonable, incremental and directly attributable to activities necessary to achieve desired results, as specified by the agreement

The program may allow for eligible costs to be incurred on a retroactive basis for a 12-month period prior to the receipt of a funding application, but no earlier than April 16, 2024.

Ineligible costs and activities

Costs and activities that are deemed unreasonable, non-incremental, and/or not directly related to the project are ineligible for funding. Ineligible costs and activities can include, but are not limited to, the following:

• refinancing of existing debts or amortization or depreciation of assets
• ongoing operational activities
• infrastructure improvements such as construction, expansion, or modification of buildings
• presentation of festivals, one-time or new events/celebrations related to holidays (e.g., canada day)
• salaries and benefits of employees not contributing to the project and artists’ fees
• ticket subsidization
• prize money or merchandising and promotional products (e.g., gifts, caps, pencils, mugs, etc.)
• land acquisition and goodwill
• entertainment expenses; and
• donations, dues, and membership fees