$100 Million to Support State Arts, Culture and Sports Sectors - SteinbachOnline.com

By launching its first $34 million investment this year, the Manitoba government says it is excited to further develop and enrich the arts, culture and sports sectors in the province.

On August 16th, Minister for Sport, Culture and Heritage, Andrew Smith, announced the opening of applications for the New Arts, Culture and Sport in Communities (ACSC) Fund.

Minister Andrew Smith said, “I understand that many of our community groups had problems after COVID. Many of them suffered from COVID and lost their volunteers.” Many are volunteer-based organizations, so they’ve lost volunteers and, in many cases, the ability to raise money as they used to (there’s a fund called the Building Sustainable Communities Fund (BSC)), but , does not cover the same scope as this project, namely ACSC, arts, culture, sports and heritage in scope.”

There are three programs that arts, culture, and sports departments can apply for, each with guidelines better suited to what a particular nonprofit needs.

• capital project. Organizations can apply for up to $5 million on a 50/50 cost-sharing basis for large projects supporting the development and renewal of spaces and facilities used for arts, cultural, and sports programming and activities . The deadline for submitting the application and supporting documents is October 31, 2022.
• community celebration. One-off or recurring events, festivals, and celebrations that foster cultural exchange and are rooted in inclusivity and belonging can receive up to $5,000 in full funding. Submission forms and supporting documents will be published quarterly (on an ongoing basis) for the next three years.
• Small capital and special initiative. Projects in this stream can receive 50-100% of eligible costs, depending on the overall cost of the project, and include initiatives such as organizational development opportunities, training, technology, volunteers, equipment development, and organizational Supports those that enhance the ability to grow. Participation in and involvement in arts, culture, or sports programming. The deadline for submitting the application and supporting documents is September 26, 2022.

“There’s this very steep curve they have to overcome and with this money they can apply for, we can really push them to the limit so they can continue to thrive. I want them to be able to build a culture. They can try out whatever they need: a center, a community center, a sports facility, and enjoy the good times because they can spend the money when it’s tough. So we can bring it back to the community, and we’ll fund its operation.”

We have $100 million in funding that will be split over the next three years. This year he will get $34 million and in his second and his third year he will get $33 million. This enables groups that cannot get all the funding they need for a particular project or initiative. Decentralized funding allows groups to prepare plans for their projects so they can get approval when they apply for funding.

“This is a good time to try and change the channel on what happened post-COVID. Some community organizations are on the smaller side and may not have the capital to match. There are 50 matching requirements.

Smith encourages community groups to apply early and complete their applications thoroughly, as applications that are not properly completed may be rejected.

“My recommendation is to apply and apply early. As with any grant program, often some of the major challenges and bottlenecks are in the application itself. may seem trivial to the applicant, but sometimes he or she should consider it carefully and make it clear to the reader that this is what you want to do and meets the requirements. If you don’t tell them your requirements, they won’t try to guess it and your changes may be rejected.”

“I would love to see many applications being accepted in this first year.”

The Fund’s website is https://www.gov.mb.ca/acsc/ and applications are open and the deadline is approaching. For requirements/criteria for each of the three programs, please visit the website, complete the corresponding forms, and submit the duly completed forms and supporting documentation to acsc@gov.mb.ca. Or call 1-866 Manitoba (626-4862).