Multicultural Initiatives Fund – Project Funding

MIF - Project funding aims to advance cross-cultural engagement by supporting projects that encourage people to share, learn and engage in meaningful efforts that address the following purposes:

• Anti-Racism work which engages in issues of power and privilege, and addresses individual and systemic discrimination. Anti-Racism includes active dialogue and action towards building equity and justice within cultural organizations and communities.
• Intercultural Connections work, which entails sustained cross-cultural engagement through activities like cultural exchanges, cooperative work between communities, creating safe spaces, community dialogues, creative projects and integration work for welcoming and inclusive communities.
• Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) projects that seek to implement a process of healing relationships that require public truth sharing, apology and commemoration to acknowledge and redress past harms towards implementing the TRC Calls to Action and Truth and Reconciliation efforts. Applicants are encouraged to identify who they are reconciling with and which Calls to Action they are seeking to address. For more information, visit SaskCulture’s Indigenous Awareness Hub.
• Cultural Retention work, which supports the development and advancement of cultural practices and traditions internal to a particular cultural community.
• Celebration of Diversity work, which supports the performances, displays, and expressions of ethno-cultural and Indigenous groups for the purposes of education and engagement with the broader community. Celebration of Diversity includes events such as festivals, cultural showcases, and performances that introduce cultural worldviews, expressions, creativity and innovation.

*NOTE: Some projects may have overlapping Purposes; please choose only ONE that most accurately reflects your desired outcomes.

Applicants can apply for a maximum of $15,000 of project costs. It is recommended that Celebration of Diversity projects apply for $5,000 level.

Priority will be given to projects that:

• provide significant opportunities to meet the Purposes of the MIF-P grant program, with an emphasis on Anti-Racism, Intercultural Connections, Truth and Reconciliation, and Cultural Retention projects;
• deliver relevant cultural activities that demonstrate significant opportunities for cultural impact, accessibility and service to communities;
• provide strong evidence of partnerships and community engagement from cultural communities that are being focused on. It is the responsibility of the applicant to demonstrate that there is evidence of agreement, understanding, permission, consent and commitment from cultural groups who are identified within a project;
• take place in the province’s northern and/or rural or otherwise underserved communities;
• address a community-identified need and demonstrate community involvement;
• benefit cultural development in Saskatchewan, for residents in Saskatchewan;
• are led by equity-deserving communities and cultural organizations, or by organizations who demonstrate commitment to equity within their organizational structures with attention to diverse staff, board, experience and programming; and
• support cultural communities and groups who have had limited access to SaskCulture funding.

Eligible Applicants include:

Registered Non-Profit organizations in Saskatchewan.

These organizations must:

• have a primarily cultural mandate in Arts, Heritage, Multiculturalism or Cultural Industries as defined by SaskCulture’s Cultural Policy, or otherwise demonstrate significant engagement in cultural activity;
• be in existence as a registered non-profit for at least one full fiscal year prior to the deadline date;
• be in good standing with Information Services Corporation (ISC);
• have no outstanding grant follow-ups due to SaskCulture; and
• provide a signed copy of the organization’s annual financial statement that was most recently submitted to the ISC to show evidence of good standing as a non-profit organization in Saskatchewan.

OR

be a First Nation, Tribal Council, Métis Local or Municipality.

The applicant must:

• be in good standing with the Sask Lotteries Community Grant Program; and
• have no outstanding grant follow-ups due to SaskCulture.

NOTE: Indigenous communities are encouraged to apply to the Aboriginal Arts and Culture Leadership grant program for activity in this area.

Ineligible applicants include:

• Unincorporated community groups. (These groups may consider partnerships with eligible organizations.);
• Organizations that have received significant Sask Lotteries funding in the last year;
• Libraries;
• Districts for Sport, Culture and Recreation;
• Organizations receiving Annual Global Funding;
• Individuals, and,
• Schools and post-secondary institutions are ineligible for this grant program. Interested schools should inquire about:
  • Artists in Schools program at SK Arts as an alternative to this grant program;
  • Multicultural Education Initiatives through the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan;
  • Eligible Cultural Organizations (ECOs) are ineligible to apply. ECOs should include project ideas in their next Annual Global Funding application;
  • Contact the SaskCulture Outreach Consultant to discuss your project and your eligibility to be advised on what alternate project funds might be available to you or,
  • Use SaskCulture’s “Find a Grant” tool to explore other options.

Initiatives must directly address the purposes and priorities of this funding program, including:

• Direct costs related to projects must directly address one of the MIF Project purposes and priorities.
• Applicants can access only one MIF-Project grant at a time:
  • If the applicant already has an outstanding/overdue SaskCulture grant, a second proposal will not be considered until the current one is reconciled.
  • If the applicant’s current MIF-P grant is wrapping up during the time of application for another deadline, contact SaskCulture for options.
• Applicants may not apply to multiple SaskCulture funding programs to support the same activity for the same time frame:
  • Priority will be given to projects and organizations not already funded by other Lotteries-supported grant programs.
  • Priority will be given to projects that have not received a MIF Project grant in the previous year.
• Previously funded organizations that receive MIF-Project grants yearly will be prioritized based on the evidence of past impact provided in the application.
• Organizations already significantly funded by other Sask Lotteries-supported grant programs may be a lower priority.
• Use or presentation of Indigenous cultural material, traditional knowledge or stories, must include evidence of permission (supporting letters) from the community.
• Eligible initiatives should start eight (8) weeks after the application submission and must end within one (1) year of the initiative’s start date. Retroactive funding is not eligible.

When submitting a proposal, please ensure that only eligible expenses are included. All expenses must fall within the indicated start and end date of the grant. All project income and expenses should be included in budget form and the budget should balance (revenue = expenses).

All expenses must be verifiable with receipts.

If you are unsure whether your project fits the Purpose of this grant, please contact the consultant, and check the list of successful applicants and project descriptions.

Eligible project expenses include:

• Wages, honorariums and contract agreements for cultural resource people who are offering their skills and expertise for the term of the project. This does not replace wages for the core job responsibilities of existing staff;
• Honorariums for program participants who are directly contributing their knowledge and/or lived experience to community engagement projects (excludes the Celebration of Diversity stream);
• Travel expenses for program participants. This includes gas, rental of vehicles, bus transit and airfare. While the primary cultural activities must take place in Saskatchewan, travel outside of the province is eligible if it is to bring resource peoples in locally to conduct work that cannot otherwise be conducted by someone in Saskatchewan;
• Material expenses related to the cultural activity, including gifts related to First Nations cultural protocols;
• Facility costs would only be considered eligible in situations where additional space is required for the project to move ahead. The existing space/facility of an applicant organization is not eligible and would be considered as an in-kind contribution - i.e. rent, utilities and office overhead;
• No more than 20% of the total grant award can support food expenses that are a part of the cultural experience that is being offered for participants. A strong rationale would need to be provided to exceed this amount;
• No more than 10% of the total grant request can be utilized for advertising and promotion costs for the initiative. A strong rationale would need to be provided to exceed this amount; and
• Organizations that are not ethno-cultural, multicultural, First Nations or Métis may apply for events and festivals, but are limited to artistic fees, honoraria and travel costs for multicultural, First Nations or Métis performers, Knowledge Keepers, presenters or resource people. (General event expenses are not eligible.)

All claimed expenses must fall within the indicated start and end date of the grant. All expenses must be verifiable by receipts or transaction records, upon request. Expenses incurred before or after the grant period will not be eligible.

The following items are ineligible for MIF-P funds:

• Capital expenses such as construction, renovations or repairs;
• Cash prizes, gifts, medals, trophies, charitable donations, or the purchase of alcohol;
• Generally, food costs are ineligible. (See Eligible Expenses for exceptions.);
• Activity that exclusively promotes definable religious or political viewpoints;
• Allowances, wages or personal expenses for program registrants and participants;
• Salaries and expenses of existing staff of the applicant organization;
• Office and administration fees including utilities, rent and/or rental of an applicant organization’s own facilities; and
• In-kind contributions (such as volunteer hours, donations for food, goods, services, equipment, waiving rental fee, etc.) do not replace eligible expenses and should not be included in the budget.

Applications must be submitted via the Online Grant Platform (OGP) by the deadline.

• SaskCulture will review applications to confirm basic eligibility requirements have been met. If a submission is ineligible, the applicant will be notified. There are opportunities for early submissions to get feedback to help improve aspects of a submission that are unclear or ineligible in advance of a deadline, but this is not a guarantee of either feedback or funding.
• Only complete, signed and submitted applications will be considered. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that their application is successfully submitted. Two different people must sign the application.
• Eligible applications are evaluated by volunteer community members with knowledge and experience that relates to the purpose and priority of this grant program. The assessors will evaluate applications based on the following criteria:
  • The quality and merit of proposed activity;
  • Evidence of the ability of the applicant organization to carry out the project and deliver quality programs and services;
  • The extent of participation and accessibility for target populations (First Nations, Métis, youth, rural and northern communities, newcomers and people of African, Asian and Latin American heritage);
  • The extent of resourcefulness, collaboration, partnerships and community engagement;
  • The extent and evidence of support and involvement from community partners involved in the development and delivery of the project, including Indigenous leadership, where relevant;
  • The extent of potential for ongoing impact and legacy;
  • Realistic and responsible use of resources (funds, volunteers, etc.); and
  • How well the proposed activity provides significant opportunities to meet the indicated Purpose and Priorities of the MIF-P grant program.
• Returning or otherwise annual projects funded by SaskCulture may have their most recent project Follow-Up Report provided to assessors as part of the assessment process.
• Applicants can expect to be informed of funding results within eight (8) weeks of the application deadline. Dissatisfaction with the results of a grant assessment, either with the denial of the grant or with the amount of funding awarded, does not constitute valid grounds for appeal.
• Successful applicants will receive 100% of their grant award upon grant approval and the recipient is required to submit a completed follow-up report at the end of their project.

Once your organization has been approved for a grant, applicants will:

• Use the funds for the eligible activities outlined in their application. Any changes to the use of funds must be approved by SaskCulture. Funds may not be transferred to other activities or organizations and unused funds must be returned to SaskCulture.
• Be required to retain all supporting receipts. All first-time grant recipients will be required to submit receipts. Other grant recipients will only submit receipts if requested to do so by the Outreach Consultant. Failure to submit receipts may affect the approved grant amount. For example, partial or no final payment, or a grant return of the first payment may be required.
• Have access to the Follow-up Report form on the Online Grant Platform, following the automatic system notification of approved funding;
• Be required to submit a Follow-up Report within 45 days of the completion of the project. This report must detail the activities of the project and indicate how it met the goals of the funding program.
• Refer to the Follow-up Report Form at the beginning of the project, as statistical information will need to be gathered during the project. The grant recipient may want to use the budget tool regularly as a project management tool.
• Use the funds for the funded project within 12 months of the project’s start date.
• Recognize Sask Lotteries as the funder in all relevant promotions and event opportunities, as well as highlighting SaskCulture’s funding program to help build awareness of the programs.

Example:

YOUR ORGANIZATION NAME received financial assistance from Sask Lotteries, thanks to a SaskCulture program.

Logos and promotional materials, along with how-to guides, are available at Using Logos.

Failure to meet the above funding obligations to the satisfaction of SaskCulture will be grounds to withhold the final payment if applicable, and will restrict access to future funding.

You will receive correspondence stating that your application has been denied funding for this particular funding program. While all decisions, made by volunteer Peer Assessors, are final, this news should not deter you from applying for future funding opportunities.

• Review the funding program criteria and determine how your application might better address the priorities. If your project’s objectives do not line up with the criteria of the funding program, take the opportunity to explore other options.
• Check your project budget and ensure that your costs are realistic based on your intended outcomes.
• Contact the funding Consultant to discuss ideas and/or changes needed for success. If the Consultant feels your project still has potential, adjust your application and try again at a different deadline or for a different fund.