Objective
The Invitation Festival Fund supports new and existing festivals of two consecutive days or longer that can demonstrate a tourism impact in their area.
Eligibility
- Existing festivals must demonstrate that a minimum of 15% of their attendees live at least 75 kms outside of the community where the festival is being held by submitting collected postal codes of attendees.
- Existing festivals must have a minimum of 100 postal codes collected from the previous year. New festivals must expect a minimum of 100 attendees.
- New and existing festivals must be prepared to collect attendee postal codes.
- Events must be open to the public.
- All organizations and businesses applying for funding must be of sound financial standing and have no obligations to the Government of New Brunswick.
Deadlines
Festivals occurring from April 1 – Sept. 30, 2024 must apply prior to April 26, 2024.
Applicants will be notified by May 31, 2024.
Festivals occurring from Oct. 1, 2024 – March 31, 2025 must apply prior to August 16, 2024. Applicants will be notified by September 20, 2024.
Project Costs
Eligible:
- Costs associated with the execution of the festival are eligible. The total festival budget must be $10,000 or higher.
- All eligible project costs must be incurred between the date of application and March 31, 2025.
* Note that costs such as artist fees, local food purchases, etc, may be covered under other provincial festival programs.
Non-Eligible:
- Meetings and conventions
- Sporting events
- Bank and financial fees
- Debt repayment
- Repeat programming (e.g., multiple performances of the same production)
- Trade shows
- Markets
- Financing of a deficit
- Amount of HST refundable.
Level of Investment
New festivals: Level of investment will be calculated based on anticipated number of attendees, and festival capacity. New festivals are eligible to receive a maximum of $10,000, not to exceed 25% of their total projected expenses.
Established Festivals: Level of investment will be calculated based on visitor postal codes submitted from the previous year’s festival, and the percentage of attendees from 75km away or more. A minimum of 15% of attendees coming from 75km away or more is required. Please see below table for levels of funding based on submitted postal codes. The amount of funding will not exceed 25% of total projected expenses.
| Number of Postal Codes Submitted | TIER 1 Low 15%-19% (75% of TIER 2) | TIER 2 Regular 20-24% | TIER 3 High 25%+ (1.5 x TIER 2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 101-200 | $ 1,125.00 | $ 1,500.00 | $ 2,250.00 |
| 200-300 | $ 2,250.00 | $ 3,000.00 | $ 4,500.00 |
| 301-400 | $ 3,375.00 | $ 4,500.00 | $ 6,750.00 |
| 401-500 | $ 4,500.00 | $ 6,000.00 | $ 9,000.00 |
| 501-600 | $ 5,625.00 | $ 7,500.00 | $ 11,250.00 |
| 601-700 | $ 6,750.00 | $ 9,000.00 | $ 13,500.00 |
| 701-800 | $ 7,875.00 | $ 10,500.00 | $ 15,750.00 |
| 801-900 | $ 9,000.00 | $ 12,000.00 | $ 18,000.00 |
| 901-1000 | $ 10,125.00 | $ 13,500.00 | $ 20,250.00 |
| 1001-1100 | $ 11,250.00 | $ 15,000.00 | $ 22,500.00 |
| 1101-1200 | $ 12,375.00 | $ 16,500.00 | $ 24,750.00 |
| 1201-1300 | $ 13,500.00 | $ 18,000.00 | $ 25,000.00 |
| 1301-1400 | $ 14,625.00 | $ 19,500.00 | $ 25,000.00 |
| 1401-1500 | $ 15,750.00 | $ 21,000.00 | $ 25,000.00 |
| 1501-1600 | $ 16,875.00 | $ 22,500.00 | $ 25,000.00 |
| 1601-1700 | $ 18,000.00 | $ 24,000.00 | $ 25,000.00 |
| 1701+ | $ 18,750.00 | $ 25,000.00 | $ 25,000.00 |
The first instalment of 50% will be released to applicants once the project is approved and the signed letter of offer is returned to the department. The remaining funds will be released upon submission of a final report and supporting financial documentation. Standard Information Announcements of approved projects must be signed off by the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture.
THC reserves the right to make the list of successful projects public once the applications have been approved.
Application Process: Fill in the application form in full online, and provide any supplemental information required via e-mail to subventionfestivalgrant@gnb.ca.
Successful Applications: Successful applicants will receive a letter of offer outlining the terms and conditions that apply to the financial contribution. The official decision on the application will be communicated to the applicant in writing.
Contact information: For more information on the program, please contact: subventionfestivalgrant@gnb.ca