Community Cultural Engagement and Planning Grant

CCEP grant program is accessible by municipalities, First Nations, Tribal Councils, Métis Locals or Métis Regions in Saskatchewan to plan for the cultural life of a community.

CCEP has four Streams:

• Research: information gathering, identification of cultural and community assets, mapping assets, assessment, analysis of data, evaluation, feasibility studies, surveys, publishing of research findings, etc.
  
• Engagement: community engagement and/or consultation initiatives related to culture in a community. Projects could include: public meetings, town hall meetings, facilitated discussions, focus groups, building community knowledge and capacity through presentations/guest speakers followed by discussions, etc.
  
• Development of a Culture Plan: a community culture plan will be the outcome of this stream. Applicants can include research and community engagement as part of this stream or the project could follow previously completed research and community engagement.
  
• Implementation: projects will be implementation initiatives resulting from a community culture plan or other plan that has a focus on culture in the community.

For this deadline, CCEP will not offer the Development of a Culture Plan stream or the Implementation stream.

Applicants must select one of the streams that best fits the activities of the proposed project. Please refer to the table provided below for the available streams and their corresponding application amounts.

Priority will be given to:

Community projects focused on relationship-building that:

• Have a focus on implementing or working towards implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action or reconciliation efforts such as setting up and maintaining a Reconciliation Committee; or
• Support the research and learning of the history of the Indigenous Peoples of the area where the municipality or First Nation is situated (examples: consultations with Elders and Knowledge Keepers, researching traditional place names and sacred sites, etc.); or
• Support research and learning about the Treaty relationship of the area.

From the Office of the Treaty Commissioner: “Treaties are basic building blocks of the relationship between First Nations and the rest of Canada…. Treaties are beneficial to all people in Saskatchewan. All people in Saskatchewan are treaty people.” http://www.otc.ca/pages/treaties_today.html

Eligible Applicants are:

An urban or rural municipality or First Nation or Tribal Council, Métis Local or Métis Region in Saskatchewan. (Examples: urban municipality applicant -Town of Kipling; rural municipality applicant - RM of Livingston).

The applicant must:

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

OR

Registered non-profit organizations in Saskatchewan working in partnership with at least one urban or rural municipality or First Nation or Tribal Council, Métis Local or Métis Region in Saskatchewan. (A letter of support from a partner(s) is required).

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.

Ineligible applicants are:

• Unincorporated community groups. (These groups may consider partnerships with eligible organizations);
• Organizations that have received any SaskCulture or significant Sask Lotteries funding in the last year;
• Districts for Sport, Culture and Recreation;
• Organizations receiving Annual Global Funding
• Individuals; and
• Schools and post-secondary institutions. 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 objectives and priorities of this funding program, including:

• Direct costs related to projects must directly address one of the CCEP Project purposes and priorities.
• Activities that benefit cultural development in Saskatchewan and for residents of Saskatchewan.
• Activities that address a community-identified need and demonstrate community support and involvement.
• Applicants may only submit one proposal per CCEP deadline;
  • 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 CCEP grant is wrapping up during the time of application for another deadline, contact SaskCulture for options.
  • Preference will be given to applicants that have not received a grant in the previous twelve (12) months.
• Applicants may not apply to multiple SaskCulture funding programs to support the same activity for the same timeframe.
• Previously funded organizations that receive CCEP grants yearly will be prioritized based on the evidence of past impact provided in the application.
• Eligible projects must start no sooner than eight (8) weeks after the application deadline and must end within twelve (12) months of the project start date. Projects that commence sooner than 8 weeks after the deadline will not be considered. 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.

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 Expenses include:

• Wages, honorariums, and contract agreements for cultural resource people who are offering their skills and expertise for the term of the project. These do 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, such as Elders and Knowledge Keepers;
• 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; and
• 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.

All expenses must fall within the indicated start and end date of the grant. Expenses incurred before or after the grant period will not be eligible.

Eligible expenses under the Implementation Stream may differ depending on the project.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with the Consultant regarding eligible expenses. All expenses must fall within the indicated start and end date of the grant. Expenses incurred before or after the grant period will not be eligible.

The following items are not eligible for CCEP funding:

• Capital expenses, such as construction, renovations or repairs or purchase of major equipment such as computers, video camcorders, power tools, etc.;
• Cash prizes, gifts, medals, trophies, charitable donations, or the purchase of alcohol;
• Sponsorships, fundraisers or award ceremonies;
• Activity that exclusively promotes definable religious or political viewpoints;
• Contributions of volunteer hours;
• Food or food-related costs are generally ineligible. However, up to 20% of the grant may be used for nutrition if these costs can be directly attributed to the cultural activity;
• Allowances, wages or personal expenses for program registrants and participants;
• Out-of-province travel expenses for initiative participants to attend competitions, festivals, award ceremonies, etc.;
• Contracts with out-of-province cultural workers (unless there is no one in Saskatchewan providing that service);
• Salaries and expenses of existing staff of the applicant organization — except when they are hired to perform the duties of a cultural worker;
• Office and administration fees including utilities, rent and/or rental of an applicant organization’s facilities; and,
• In-kind contributions (donations for food, goods, services, equipment, waiving rental fees, etc.) do not replace eligible expenses.

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:
  • Evidence of community need;
  • Extent to which the project addresses the purpose of the CCEP grant and fits within the selected stream;
  • Quality of the provided details of a project’s timelines, community involvement and project leaders;
  • Evidence of utilizing and implementing the project results;
  • Evidence of the project to move culture forward in the community and to have a potential long-term impact;
  • Feasibility and strength of project evaluation;
  • Evidence of municipal, First Nation, Tribal Council, Métis Local or Métis Region’s commitment (resolution, motion or letter) and community support;
  • Realistic and responsible use of resources (funds, human resources, etc.); and
  • Overall quality of the written application.
• 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 receive 75% of their total grant allocation upon grant approval and the remaining 25% upon SaskCulture’s acceptance of a recipient’s properly filed Follow-Up Report (FUR).

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 Outreach 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.