OPERATING: Apply to the City of Kingston Arts Fund
OPERATING GRANTS
The City of Kingston Arts Fund (CKAF) provides grants to local arts organizations & projects to foster creativity at all levels and enrich how Kingston residents experience and engage with the arts. CKAF celebrates Kingston's arts community.
CKAF Operating Grants support incorporated nonprofit arts organizations located in the city of Kingston who exhibit high achievement in arts programming and fulfill a significant role in the Kingston community through the arts. A jury of peers assesses applications and awards grants between $10,000 and $75,000 for a period of one year.
CKAF Operating Grant recipients must meet the following objectives:
I. Engage Kingston artists with professional opportunities and industry-standard compensation;
II. Nurture creativity and arts engagement for Kingston residents;
III. Address current needs in the Kingston community;
IV. Strengthen and expand access to the arts;
V. Create inclusive activities and equity practices that reflect the diversity of artists, arts communities and audiences in Kingston;
VI. Foster collaboration between emerging and established artists and arts organizations across disciplines;
VII. Build capacity in the arts and culture sector through professional development, mentorship and investment in sustainable, relevant, high-quality artistic work; and
VIII. Cultivate community partnerships across private and public sectors.
2024 Application Deadline
2024 CKAF Operating Grant applications are due now closed.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible for a CKAF Operating Grant, organizations must:
- Have a mandate or mission focused on artistic endeavours (creation or presentation) and activities consistent with this mandate or mission;
- Be incorporated for at least two years as a non-profit organization or be a distinct and discrete arts organization within a parent non-profit institution that has been incorporated for at least two years;
- Be in good standing with the municipality, specifically in regard to previous grants from CKAF, the City of Kingston Heritage Fund, and/or the Community Investment Fund;
- Include artist fees as an expense;
- Meet additional eligibility criteria outlined in the CKAF Operating Grant Guidelines.
New applicants to the CKAF Operating Grant stream must book a meeting with KAC staff prior 17 March 2024 to be eligible to apply. Contact grants@artskingston.ca for more information or to set up a meeting.
An organization cannot receive a CKAF Operating and Project Grant in the same year, however, applications may be submitted to both programs. If an organization's Operating Grant application is successful, their Project Grant application will be excluded from consideration.
Review the complete information on eligibility, funding period, assessment criteria, and reporting in the 2024 CKAF Operating Grant Guidelines
Applications and Submission Process
CKAF 2024 Operating grant applications are now closed.
Applicants must submit one (1) digital copy of their application to grants@artskingston.ca. To complete the application, you will need Adobe Reader and Microsoft Excel. Complete instructions can be found on the first three pages of the Application Form.
Operating Grant applicants must create an account with Canadian Arts Database / Données sur les Arts au Canada (CADAC). Financial and Statistical reports must be submitted through CADAC. You can find more information and technical assistance on their website: www.cadac.ca
Do not submit hard copies or paper copies of your application. If you require accommodations in the application process, please contact grants@artskingston.ca in advance of the deadline.
Application Forms and Guidelines
2024 CKAF Operating Grant Guidelines
2024 CKAF Operating Grant Application
2024 CKAF Request Year Programming Sheet
2024 CKAF Previous Year Programming Sheet
Adjudication
Applications to CKAF Operating Grants are evaluated in three areas: Artistic Contribution, Community Benefit, and Administrative Viability. Applications are reviewed by a jury of artists and arts professionals. Jurors are selected for their knowledge of the arts, high standing in the arts community, and awareness of the local and broader arts environment; jurors are reflective of the gender, demographic, and cultural diversity of Kingston.
If you would like to be considered for a 2024 CKAF Jury, please submit a Juror Interest Form.
CKAF Support
Schedule one-on-one meetings with KAC's Grants & Programs Coordinator, Violet Tang, by emailing grants@artskingston.ca. Meetings can be facilitated in person at the KAC office, virtually via Zoom, or over the phone.
First-time applicants to the Operating Grant stream are required to book a meeting with Violet prior to 17 March 2024. KAC staff additionally encourage returning applicants to request meetings. Please note that our capacity does become restrained closer to the grant deadline, and we encourage applicants to attempt to reach out early to arrange a meeting.
CKAF Project Grants Information Session
The KAC hosted a CKAF Project Grants Information Session on Monday, 18 March 2024 from 5:30–6:30 PM via Zoom. This webinar, hosted by the KAC Grants and Programs Coordinator, Violet Tang, was intended for new and returning Project Grant applicants. The session included a detailed review of the 2024 Project Grant Guidelines, Application Forms, and assessment criteria, as well as a Q&A with KAC staff.
If you have any questions or would like to book a meeting to discuss your application, contact Violet Tang at grants@artskingston.ca
Reporting Requirements
All CKAF Operating Grant recipients are required to submit an Interim Report. The 2023 Operating Grant Interim Report deadline is 15 January 2025.
The 2024 Operating Grant Report forms will be posted soon.
For organizations applying to the Operating Grant program in 2024, the Final Report will be integrated into the 2025 application form. Organizations that choose not to apply in 2025 are required to inform the KAC and submit a Final Report.
Acknowledgement Requirements
As outlined in the Terms of Reference for CKAF grants, all grant recipients are required to acknowledge the support of CKAF by using City of Kingston and Kingston Arts Council logos in advertising, programs, events and brochures relating to the activities for which funds are granted. If the recipient is unable to include these logos in a design (as when, on a small flyer or advertisement, space does not permit them to be legibly included) the recipient must acknowledge the support of CKAF by specifying it in the text of the item.
For guidelines regarding the use of the City of Kingston logo, please refer to their webpage here.
If you require different formats or clarification regarding the acknowledgement requirements, please contact the KAC at grants@artskingston.ca
CITY OF KINGSTON LOGOS
City of Kingston (black)
City of Kingston (white)
City of Kingston (blue)
KINGSTON ARTS COUNCIL LOGOS
Kingston Arts Council (B&W)
Kingston Arts Council (colour)
2023 CKAF Operating Grant Recipients
The Kingston Arts Council is pleased to announce and would like to congratulate the following recipients of 2023 City of Kingston Arts Fund Operating Grants:
Agnes Etherington Art Centre | $75,000
Situated on Anishinaabe Haudenosaunee and Huron-Wendat territories, Agnes Etherington Art Centre is a curatorially-driven, research-intensive professional art centre proudly serving a dual mandate as a leading, internationally recognized public art gallery and active pedagogical resource at Queen’s University. By commissioning, researching, collecting and stewarding works of art, and by exhibiting and interpreting visual culture through an intersectional lens, Agnes creates opportunities for participation and exchange across communities, cultures, histories and geographies.
Cantabile Choirs of Kingston, $29,534
Cantabile Choirs is a community-based performing arts organization in Katarokwi/Kingston that seeks to foster love and appreciation for the vocal arts while maintaining a high standard of vocal excellence and innovative programming. It offers music education and performance opportunities to singers of all ages in an inclusive, supportive, and accessible environment, providing opportunities for safe creative expression and personal growth.
Centre culturel Frontenac | $13,464
Le Centre culturel Frontenac organizes, supports, and promotes accessible artistic and cultural events in French in a diversified and inclusive manner. It brings together the French-speaking community and people interested in the French language in the Kingston and Thousand Islands area by celebrating art and culture in French.
H’art Centre | $12,014
H’art Centre is an award-winning, registered not-for-profit, charitable community arts hub that provides adults with disabilities and those facing barriers with opportunities to create, study and produce works in the arts and collaborate with trained community artists. H'art aims to nurture a vibrant, exciting and supportive culture that encourages artists, staff, volunteers, placement students, and audiences to reach beyond limiting beliefs and expectations. To value and recognize artists individually for their abilities and to share this understanding with the world.
Kingston Canadian Film Festival | $48,457
The Kingston Canadian Film Festival is a charitable cultural organization providing access to Canadian film in a dynamic festival setting. KCFF presents screenings, events and activities that provide a fresh experience of Canadian film that, in turn, creates an audience that supports and encourages the ongoing development and appreciation of our national cinema and its creators. KCFF exhibits films reflecting a range of perspectives, voices and identities, creating a dialogue between filmmakers and the public.
Kingston Symphony Association | $71,250
Kingston Symphony Association produces and promotes professional-quality instrumental and choral music programs for the education, enjoyment, and enrichment of audiences in the Greater Kingston area. It is dedicated to the support, development, and showcasing of Canadian artists and composers.
Kingston WritersFest | $44,814
Kingston WritersFest celebrates the power of the written word by connecting readers and writers in inclusive conversations to inspire, engage, and expand their worldviews. It promotes diverse literary expressions, develops and grows an audience for the literary arts, and fosters the artistic development of writers of all ages.
Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre | $53,818
Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre is a nonprofit organization facilitating the presentation, interpretation, and production of contemporary visual, time-based, and interdisciplinary arts. It aims to meet the professional development needs of emerging and mid-career local, national, and international artists from diverse cultural communities through exhibition, discussion, and mentorship opportunities. Modern Fuel supports innovation and experimentation and is committed to the education of interested publics and the diversification of its audiences.
ReelOut Arts Project | $23,697
ReelOut exists to celebrate queer media arts and to contribute to community vitality by programming materials that focus on issues of sexuality, gender, race, culture, religion, class, ability, health and age, thereby purposefully drawing together and initiating challenging dialogue among the residents of Kingston/Katarokwi and the surrounding areas.
Single Thread Theatre Company | $10,000
Single Thread Theatre Company creates immersive theatre experiences, advancing the art of immersive storytelling through innovation and the presentation of new works. Single Thread’s approach to non-traditional theatre making, inspired by creative industries such as video games and escape rooms, offers an empowering alternative for Kingston artists and youth to conventional theatre opportunities. Single Thread additionally champions digital theatre, specifically in the realm of XR, with the goal to place Kingston artists at the forefront of creation with these new technologies.
Theatre Kingston | $38,007
Theatre Kingston creates professional opportunities for, and collaborates with, local theatre practitioners to build a strong cultural voice in the region. Theatre Kingston is driven by the mission to strengthen the city’s theatre community, allowing the possibility for our stories and our artists to move beyond the city limits into the Canadian cultural landscape.
Union Gallery | $13,487
Union Gallery (UG) is a not-for-profit contemporary art gallery committed to experiential learning and driven by play, curiosity, curation, and research-creation. UG supports student, professional artists, and the artistic community at-large to foster a diverse network of creative exchange and mentorship. UG is committed to supporting artistic growth and professional development through merging technical and critical understandings of the arts, as well as a deeper understanding of how art can reflect the most important issues of our time.
2023 CKAF Operating Grant Jurors:
Brett Christopher
Kemi King
Denis Leroux
Katy Littlejohn
Kevin Moorhouse
Ex-Officio Grants Committee Members:
Nicole Daniels, Executive Director, Kingston Arts Council (Chair)
Violet Tang, Grants & Programs Coordinator, Kingston Arts Council
Katherine Dionne, Administrative Assistant, Kingston Arts Council
Danika Lochhead, Manager, Arts and Sector Development, City of Kingston
Councillor Paul Chaves, City of Kingston