PEC Arts Fund
PEC Arts Fund
innovation, and passion of artists who enrich the lives of both our residents and visitors to the County.
Goals of the PEC Arts Fund
Goals of the PEC Arts Fund
Program Details
Program Details
The PEC Arts Fund supports the work of arts-mandated organizations in Prince Edward County, including but not limited to: artistic programming or services; events; education and training opportunities; and collaborative projects.
Total Funding Available: $60,000
Maximum Grant Size: $15,000
Based on available funding, we anticipate typical grant size to be $3k-$5k.
To apply for a PEC Arts Fund Grant, applicants must:
- Be a Mandated Arts Organization that has a stated organizational mandate to provide services, programs and amenities in the realm of the arts (various fine and applied art forms including but not limited to visual, performing and performance, literary, media and decorative arts);
- Be located and conduct most activities within the geographic boundaries of the Municipality of Prince Edward County or be a local chapter of a larger organization that provides consistent services within Prince Edward County;
- Have demonstrated sound fiscal management;
- Demonstrate that they provide those services and programs in an effective, accessible, open, and inclusive manner; and
- Must have financial records in the name of the applicant (such as a bank account).
What can a PEC Arts Fund Grant be used for?
*Only 1 request for cash funding per Mandated Arts Organization will be considered per year.
In-Kind Funding
Mandated Arts Organization can apply for In-Kind Funding to support with costs such as venue rentals, labor, equipment, or other resources from the municipality. The County Foundation does two annual calls for applications, once in the Spring and in the Fall. Mandated Arts Organizations can only apply for In-Kind support through the Municipal Community Grants program and are not eligible to apply for cash funding.
- Organizations without a mandate to provide services, programs and amenities in the realm of the arts;
- Individuals or households;
- For-profit businesses;
- Organizations with political affiliations or whose primary purpose is
- Non-profit organizations with a mandate to serve the business sector,
- Hospitals or other organizations whose primary purpose is to provide
- School boards, primary and secondary schools, post-secondary
- Government organizations, including agencies, boards, commissions,
- Provincial, national, and/or regional organizations, unless a local
- Organizations receiving 80% or more of their funding from upper levels
Grants from the PEC Arts Fund may not be used for:
- Major capital purchases such as vehicle purchases, land or building purchases or renovations, except for small capital purchases or projects that support compliance with Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act or accessibility provisions within the Ontario Building Code;
- Prize money, awards, travel expenses, hospitality (food, beverage, alcohol);
- Reduction of accumulated or annual deficits, debt reduction or financing;
- Programs, services, activities, or amenities that are already supported by the Municipality through another funding program, service contract or an Exceptional Funding Partnership;
- Fund raising campaigns, events, or activities, except for In-Kind Grants which may be used to support fund raising initiatives;
- Programs with mandates legislated or regulated by the Provincial or Federal governments;
- Programs, services, activities, or amenities that promote a particular faith, or require participants to adhere to a particular faith;
- Activities, programs services or amenities that will be delivered outside of the geographic boundaries of Prince Edward County;
- Activities that serve to raise funds for other organizations, individuals/households, businesses, or causes;
- Activities that would qualify for fee reductions or waivers as described in the current municipal Fees and Charges By-Law.
- Application deadline is Monday, March 24th, 2025 @ 4pm
- Review and assessment by TCF: April 2024
- Notification and funds distributed by end of June 2025
- Funds spent and grant report submitted to TCF by end of June 2026
The PEC Arts Fund is supported by a maximum contribution of $50k in funding per year in 2025 and 2026 from the County of Prince Edward's share of the Municipal Accommodation Tax (TAX), as well as from $25k in initial seed funding contributed by The County Foundation to establish the fund. The PEC Arts Fund can accept outside donations from those in our community who are passionate about supporting the arts. Learn more >>
Applicants for 2025 can apply for a two-year multi-year grant for up to $15k per year. Applicants for 2025 can apply for a two-year multi-year grant as the current Council's term ends in 2026.
Important note: The Arts Fund is currently supported for two-years by a contribution from the PEC Municipality from their share of revenues from the Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT). However, the funding is not officially confirmed until during the annual budget deliberations. If the funding contribution was reduced, then all multi-year grant commitments could be reduced as a result if there was not enough funding to cover the current commitments.
PDF printed applications can be emailed to info@thecountyfoundation.ca, mailed or dropped off at The County Foundation at 35 Bridge St. Suite 107, PO BOX 24, Picton, ON, K0K 2T0.
Applying for a grant is a competitive process and we often receive more grant applications than there is funding available. Past funding commitments should not be interpreted as a guarantee that future requests will be approved.
Required Documents
To apply for a PEC Arts Fund Grant, you will need to provide additional required documents along with your application. The above tabs detail what you will need to submit so you can prepare them in advance if you wish to.
Applicant Profile
Attach a background of your organization. Include whether your organization is a not-for-profit such as a registered charity or a community organization, what arts-related programs or services you provide, details of key leadership team and Board of Directors if applicable. You can also include information on any partnerships relevant to your application.
Vulnerable Sector Check: Please include your organization's current policy regarding maintaining up-to-date vulnerable sector checks for staff and volunteers as part of the Applicant Profile if relevant to your project.
Operating or Intiative Budget
As part of the application, you will need to submit an Operating or Initiative Budget. In either case, please detail where the grant funding will be directed.
Operating Budget - If you are seeking operational support for the work of your organization or community group then you would submit an operating budget. This would detail your organization's revenues and expenses for the current year.
Initiative Budget - If you are requesting grant funding specific to a project, program, or purpose then please include a budget detailing revenues and expenses related to this initiative.
Annual Financials
Please submit your most recent financial statements if you are requesting more than $5,000 in your application. It is preferable that the financials have been prepared by an accountant or other qualified third party if available. Financial statements will show the overall financial status of your organization, including income and expenses.
The purpose of the financials is to provide information on the organization or community group's current financial status, as opposed to a budget which forecasts a plan for managing money. If you are applying for a grant less than $5k, then you are not required to submit financials as part of the application.
Supplementary Documents
In addition to the other required documents, you can submit up to 2 additional supplementary documents along with your applications. This can include images from your programs, an Annual Impact Report, testimonials or stories, or anything else you feel would be relevant to your application that you would like to highlight.
Community Benefit
Quality of Artistic Programming and Services
- Demonstrated high quality of artistic work and activities with a clear vision and identity. Significant impact on the overall cultural landscape of PEC.
- Relevance to Prince Edward County - How has the PEC community been considered when shaping the programs and services being offered? Who does your organization serve? Does your work fill a gap in the community?
- Reach of work in the community - How many people are participating and can benefit? Does the organization offer a breadth of activities or is targeted to underserved groups? What areas of the County will the work take place?
- Distinctive and unique.
Community Engagement & Inclusivity
- What efforts are being made to engage the community? Is there an effort to engage those not currently participating?
- Educational opportunities - What opportunities to learn are available? (Workshops, classes, panels, etc).
- Affordability/accessibility - What efforts are made to ensure services and programs take place in an effective, accessible, open, and inclusive manner?
Economic Benefit
- Professional Development - Providing assistance and training to those working in the arts sector from seminars, courses, mentoring, networking, etc. Strengthening the economic prosperity of professional artists and arts workers.
- Support of artists and arts workers. Ensuring growth, stability, and creativity through ethical and fair practices.
- Community Partnerships.
Organizational Capacity
As part of the evaluation process, adjudicators will assess your organization’s capacity to successfully deliver the programs, services, or events you propose for the community. Does your organization have a history of successfully implementing similar initiatives? Have you demonstrated a strong track record of program or service delivery?
Adjudicators will also evaluate the feasibility of your proposed activities and initiatives. Do you have the necessary resources to execute your plans effectively? Is there a clear strategy with well-defined objectives? Additionally, how does your organization measure success, and what processes are in place to evaluate the outcomes of your work?
Finances
Does your organization have other revenue resources in place to help carry out your intended work? Knowing that a project has the capacity to deliver and other funds to help support it alongside a community grant helps to demonstrate the financial feasibility of the project. On the other hand, would an organization or initiative benefit from initial seed funding to take them to the next level?
Do adjudicators feel that the budget and grant request is reasonable when compared to the community impact? Does the organization demonstrate strong fiscal management and maintain an overall healthy financial position? Financials will also be examined in the context of evaluating organizational capacity to deliver and to evaluate the reasonability of the request when compared to the project budget.
Merit to Other Applications
After your project has been reviewed stand alone on the above criteria, your application is evaluated within the context of other applications. Below are examples of the questions we ask the committee to consider during an adjudication:
Has funding been adequately disbursed across a variety of artistic disciplines and activities?
Has the impact of the grants been disbursed across Prince Edward County, or is it concentrated to one area?
Has funding supported ongoing work benefitting our community leading to more sustainable organizations?
Have we supported new ideas that inspire, push boundaries, and encourage artistic growth in our community?
For Grant Recipients
For Grant Recipients
Past Recipients
Past Recipients
We will be very excited to share past recipients following the inaugural year of the PEC Arts Fund!
Supporters of the PEC Arts Fund
Funded in part by the Municipality of Prince Edward County through the Municipal Accommodations Tax.
SUPPORTING THE ARTS IN PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY
In Prince Edward County, we all benefit from a dynamic and vibrant artistic and cultural community. The arts are an essential part of shaping a community's identity and creating moments of shared joy between friends and neighbours. They can help to drive economic growth across other sectors and industries, and they can embolden and inspire people to share their own stories in unique and meaningful ways.
Why support the PEC Arts Fund?
Ways to Give
- Donate using a credit card through Canada Helps. Select "PEC Arts Fund" from the drop down menu.
- We can accept Interac e-Transfers sent to info@thecountyfoundation.ca. Indicate "PEC Arts Fund" in the notes section.
Make cheques payable to The County Foundation, and use the memo line to specify the PEC Arts Fund.
Cheques can be mailed to: The County Foundation, Suite 107 – 35 Bridge Street, Picton, ON K0K 2T0
Learn more about the artists living and working in Prince Edward County:
