Objective
The Tourism 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.
- New festivals must expect a minimum of 250 attendees for their 2025 festival.
- Existing festivals must have a minimum of 100 postal codes collected from the previous year and collect a minimum of 250 postal codes in 2025 to be eligible for the 2026 program.
- New and existing festivals must be prepared to collect 6-digit attendee postal codes and submit them as part of the final report, in an Excel document.
- 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, 2025, must apply prior to May 11, 2025. Applicants will be notified by May 30, 2025.
- Festivals occurring from Oct. 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026, must apply prior to August 15, 2025. Applicants will be notified by September 19, 2025.
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, 2026.
Non-Eligible
Meetings and conventions
Bank and financial fees
Sporting events
Debt repayment
Fishing tournaments
Financing of a deficit
Trade shows
Amount of HST refundable
Markets
Repeat programming (e.g., multiple performances of the same production, recurring tours)
Please note: Festivals receiving from the Tourism Festival Fund will not be eligible to receive funding from certain provincial funding programs, such as the Arts in Communities program (AIC), and the RDC Community Investment Fund (CIF).
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 6-digit attendee 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 |
Application Process
Fill in the application form using the THC Smart Simple Platform, and provide any supplemental information required via email 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.
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.
Contact information
For more information on the program, please contact: subventionfestivalgrant@gnb.ca.