City of Ottawa Cultural Funding Support Unit
Major Arts and Cultural Festivals Program
Ottawa, Ontario
Closed for the current round; recurring annual program, with a three-year operating cycle restarting in 2027.
The 2026 application deadline was November 20, 2025 at 4 p.m. The next three-year operating cycle starts in 2027, while the next annual deadline is not posted.
- Eligible applicants
- Incorporated not-for-profit organizations with a year-round presence in Ottawa or an eligible Anishinabe Algonquin First Nation, an active Ottawa-based board of at least three members with at least 50% of directors residing in the Ottawa region, audited financial statements, and a history of funding through this program or two consecutive years of Cultural Funding Support Unit funding. Arts festivals must have a major city-wide impact, run at least two consecutive days and no longer than a month, use professional artists for the majority of participating artists, and report at least $100,000 in cash operating expenses; cultural festivals have a $50,000 minimum cash operating expense budget.
- Funding amount or limit
- The public festival guidelines describe annual and three-year operating categories but do not publish a fixed per-application maximum or award formula; awards are competitively assessed through the City’s Cultural Funding Support Unit.
- Jurisdiction
- Ottawa, Ontario
- Last verified
- 2026-08-01
Eligible activities
- Annual or three-year operating support for major local arts or cultural festivals that are open and accessible city-wide, celebrate Ottawa’s artistic and creative communities, and provide significant public participation. Arts festivals may showcase dance, music, theatre, literary arts, media, and/or visual art; cultural festivals showcase the artistic and creative expression of the cultural community represented.
Verification note
Music festivals are explicitly eligible, but the program is designed for established major festivals with city-wide reach, multi-day programming, professional artists, and substantial operating budgets.
Official sources
MusicList summarizes official public material and does not accept applications. Confirm current eligibility, dates, and terms with the operator.