Operating Program Application Questions
Multi-Year 1 application and Annual operating application
These are the questions for a Multi-Year 1 and Annual operating application. They relate to the
assessment criteria for operating programs. Publishing organizations will see slightly different questions that do not make reference to Canadian Arts Database/Données sur les arts au Canada (CADAC).
Organization Information
Mandate and Vision
- What are your organization’s mandate and vision, and how do you make sure they stay relevant? If relevant, include information on how your mandate supports OAC priority groups. [Maximum 325 words]
- Writing tip:
- OAC’s priority groups are Indigenous artists, artists of colour, Francophone artists, new generation artists (18-30 years old), Deaf artists and artists with disabilities, and artists and organizations located in regions outside of Toronto.
- If your mandate and vision have changed in recent years, explain why and how. You may refer to recent consultations and processes.
Brief History
- Tell us about your organization. For example, state the year it was founded, and important milestones in its development. [Maximum 250 words]
- Describe the context in which you work – the communities you engage with, your environment, and artistic discipline/genre. Indicate how this context has shaped your organization’s art, development, and decisions. [Maximum 300 words]
Governance and Organizational Structure
- Upload board and staff lists. [Maximum 10 pages total]
- List the members of your board, governing body or advisory committee, and their committees, including names, dates of appointment, city/town/First Nation, expertise and roles.
- List your staff (programming and administrative), indicating if they are full- or part-time, and their key roles and responsibilities.
- Do not include resumés or biographies.
- Tell us how the experience and expertise of your artistic and/or administrative leader(s) are helping to guide your organization. [Maximum 400 words]
- Writing tip:
- Do not repeat the staff list uploaded above.
- Explain if and how your current leadership reflects your community and includes individuals who identify as belonging to one or more OAC priority groups. Tell us how the organization creates an environment that welcomes their perspectives and views and explain if it has or is developing processes and timelines to ensure future inclusion of individuals from one or more OAC priority groups.
- Tell us about your board/governing body and staff. [Maximum 400 words]
- Writing tip:
- Do not repeat the board and staff lists uploaded above.
- Describe your organization’s structure and why it is that way. For example, talk about staff size, positions, board type, committee structure, etc.
- Explain how your board/governing body and staff are representative of your community.
- Explain if and how the board membership and staff reflects your community and includes individuals who identify as belonging to one or more OAC priority groups. Tell us how the organization creates an environment that welcomes their perspectives and views and explain if it has or is developing processes and timelines to ensure future inclusion of individuals from one or more OAC priority groups.
- Provide information about their skills and expertise.
- If your organization is currently going through major staff or board changes, describe your transition plans and recruitment processes, including selection criteria.
- Describe how you determine fees and salaries for artists and arts workers. Include information on both contract workers and permanent staff. Include the people you pay for commissions, artistic presentation, workshops, artistic programming (artistic direction), technical production (installation, sound, lighting, stagehands) and administration (human resources, finance, marketing), etc. [Maximum 250 words]
- Writing tip:
- Indicate what your policies or practices are around payment of fees for cancelled activities, including artistic staff salaries and freelance contracts. Indicate if changes or cancellations usually require discussions or negotiations with unions or guilds.
- When applicable, refer to relevant fee standards, such as those set by unions.
- Beyond payment, specify what other supports you provide for contract and salaried staff, including all artists and arts workers (for example, health or retirement benefits, intellectual property rights, artwork insurance and transportation of artwork). [Maximum 200 words]
- Describe how your organization creates a supportive, safe and respectful environment for staff, contractors, board members, volunteers, audiences and participants. [Maximum 300 words]
- Writing tip:
- This can include any past initiatives as well as current or planned processes.
- Include as relevant community consultations, anti-harassment or anti-racism policy development and professional development opportunities, and accommodation policies or practices to ensure full participation of artists and arts workers with disabilities.
Reports and Plans
Last Completed and Current Years
- Describe your organization’s challenges, achievements and plans with regard to artistic/service programming and activities, finances, human resources, board governance and communications during the last year and for the remainder of the current fiscal year. [Maximum 1000 words]
- Writing tip:
- For the last completed year, describe programming that occurred as planned, and how you handled, cancelled and rescheduled other activities.
- For the current year, highlight new programming you are undertaking or envisioning.
- List the audiences, participants and communities you have engaged with or are starting to engage with.
- Explain how you are cultivating and sustaining relationships with audiences, partners, donors, sponsors and volunteers, and how you are communicating with them.
- Explain how accessibility for audience members and participants who are Deaf and/or who have disabilities is integrated into your planning and programming choices.
- Explain how you have ensured that the organization or involved collaborators have the relevant knowledge (artistic, cultural) to deliver programming and activities.
- If applicable, describe how you have involved or are involving cultural practices or stories by those who are Indigenous or other priority groups and how you have made or are making sure that you are doing so appropriately.
- If relevant, explain how calls to address anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, and other social justice issues, have influenced your organization.
Request Year
- Describe your artistic/service programming plans, as far as these are known. Explain your choices. [Maximum 450 words]
- Writing tip:
- This may include alternative scenarios and contingency plans.
- If applicable, explain how your plans impact your projected artist fees (including artistic staff and contracted artists) differently in the request year compared to the last completed and current years. This could include changes to the number of artists hired, fee standards being used, etc.
- Describe the audiences, participants and communities you will engage with.
- If you are planning on developing new relationships with audiences, partners, donors, sponsors, and volunteers, indicate who and how you will communicate and interact with them.
- Describe how accessibility for audience members and participants who are Deaf and/or have disabilities will be integrated into your planning and programming choices.
- Explain how you will ensure that the organization or involved collaborators have the relevant knowledge (cultural and artistic) to deliver programming and activities.
- If applicable, describe how you will involve cultural practices or stories, and how you will make sure that you are doing so appropriately.
- What are your organizational expectations for the coming year? How will you continue to address organizational challenges (for example, human resources or board governance matters) and meet your communications, marketing and audience development needs and goals? [Maximum 300 words]
- Writing tip: Leave out discussion of finances; address them in the next section.
The following question applies to eligible applicants requesting Multi-Year 1 grants only.
- Describe your key artistic/service programming and organizational plans for Year 2, and how they support your long-term goals. [Maximum 500 words]
Financial Notes
- What is your projected financial state for the end of the current fiscal year? What are your financial expectations and plans for the request year? How will you handle cash flow and manage potential financial risks? [Maximum 500 words]
- Writing tip:
- You may identify new sources of revenue from special programs, expenses for cancelled activities or changes in self-generated revenues.
- For those with significant unrestricted net asset deficiencies, describe how you will continue to manage your organization’s finances in order to meet ongoing obligations.
- If you have a significant accumulated surplus, describe how this is managed (for example, whether funds are restricted or unrestricted) and upcoming plans to use it.
- If you have a significant accumulated deficit, briefly describe any plans (short and/or long term) to reduce it.
Financial & Statistical Variances
- List and explain any major year-to-year financial variances that will substantially affect the interpretation of your financial report. In your variance explanations, please indicate the relevant year/years. The following information is required:
- CADAC Line #
- CADAC Line Heading
- Variance Explanation
Additional Information
- You may provide additional information, if necessary, that has not been addressed in the application questions. [Maximum 250 words]
Activity List(s)
- Upload activity lists for your organization’s current and request years.
Support Material
In some programs, you may be required to submit the following:
- examples of artistic work (for example, audio/video or digital image files)
- website address
- CVs/resumés/bios, study guides, media reviews
OAC Statistics
In addition to the application questions, you will be asked a few questions to help OAC collect data about the arts community. This information is gathered for OAC research purposes only. Your answers will not be seen by assessors and will not be considered in determining any grant amount.