• City Permits & Inspections (does not cover Temporary Occupant Load Cards for LiquorService Areas and/or Cannabis Consumption Areas)

• City Waste & Recycling (Blue and green carts only)• City Roads (Closures and/or Detours)• City Production (Tent & Bike Rack Rentals)• Calgary Police Service (Pay Duty Officers) when required

Subsidy may not be used to cover expenses, such as, but not limited to:

• Operating Expenses (Insurance, Taxes, etc)• Venue Rentals (Max Bell Centre, Arenas, Athletic Parks and Pools)• Non-City Services such as, but not limited to:

o Marketing and Advertising Expenseso Equipment, machinery, office supplies etco Repairs or upgrades to existing assets

Festival and Event Subsidy Application Guidelines

Background Information

On Feb. 8, 2010, City Council adopted a Festival and Event Policy for The City of Calgary. The policy recognizes that festivals and events enhance the quality of life in Calgary and are an essential element in creating complete communities. These experiences are recognized by citizens and visitors to have significant value, and are a vital component in Calgary's on-going development as an active and creative city.

Program Description and Quick Facts

The Festivals and Events Subsidy Program (FESP) provides registered not-for-profits and charitable organizations subsidized City of Calgary services to support their festival or event.

Subsidy can only be used to over costs related to City services such as, but not limited to:

• Meet The City’s definition of a festival or eventii

• Be a registered not-for-profit or charitableorganization

• Occur within the calendar year• Be non-commercialiii in nature• Cannot have received any other civic funding

Applicant Deadline

The City is accepting applications starting on Oct. 1, 2019. The deadline to apply is Oct. 31, 2019 by 4:30 P.M. MST. Late applications will not be considered.

Eligibility

All events must:

Subsidy Application Process

Application Steps1. Submit an Event Opportunity Form (EOF)2. Complete a Festivals and Events Subsidy Program Application form by entering all requested

information directly into the PDF document, saving it, and emailing it toeventservices@calgary.ca before the deadlineNote: It's recommended that new subsidy applicants speak with a City of Calgary Event Services staff member to estimate what City service costs may be incurred by their festival/event. City service cost estimates must be input into "Section C" of the subsidy application as expenses, so the Event Services Team may accurately estimate an applicant's recommended subsidy allotment.

Assessment Criteria

Applications will be assessed using the merit-based scoring criteria outlined below. This criteria has been developed directly out of The City’s Event Impact Model, which is part of the Festival and Event Policy. For more information on what is meant by merit, please see the Frequently Asked Questions section of this document.

There are four assessment criteria categories:

1. How well does the festival/event support the goals of The City's Festival and EventPolicy

2. How well does the event support current Council Priorities3. How well an event demonstrates sustainability through financial management,

leadership, planning and its ability to deliver on the stated mandate4. How accessible is this event from a monetary and/or social perspective?

1. Applications will be given a preliminary merit score by The City of Calgary's Event Services Team based on an assessment criteria.

2. The full list of events and preliminary merit scores will be forwarded to The City’s Event Advisory Committee (EAC)vi. They will review scores and recommend a final list of festivals and events to receive subsidy. The minimum threshold merit score that a festival or event needs to achieve in order to be recommended for subsidy will depend on The City’s subsidy budget for the year, as well as the number of applicants.

3. The City of Calgary Event Steering Committeevii retains final approval of subsidy amounts, based on the FESP budget.

Assessment

Subsidy Calculation

The City of Calgary's Event Services Team will estimate an event's subsidy allotment using information included in the application, in conjunction the last event editions' City services. It's recommended that new subsidy applicants speak with a City of Calgary Event Services staff member to estimate what City service costs may be incurred by the festival/event. The City of Calgary Event Services Team will then calculate the total dollar value of the City services the event requires using the Festivals and Events Fee Schedule.

Please note that any fines or charges related to damage and/or event cancellations, that may be levied against the event or its organizers, are excluded from subsidy. The City also reserves the right to exclude any other extraordinary fee or service from subsidy, such as any billable fees that are not part of the Festivals and Events Fee Schedule. Furthermore, subsidy may not cover any significant changes to the services requested after subsidy approval.

Notification of Results

Applicants will be notified in writing of the results of their application within 90 days of the deadline to which they applied.

Conditions of Receiving a Subsidy

The City reserves the right to withhold subsidy at any point if it determines, at its sole discretion, that the actual event operations are inconsistent with information provided by the event in its subsidy application.

In exchange for In-Kind Support of City Services, the Event Organizer will acknowledge and give proper credit and recognition to The City as a sponsor in all forms of publicity and advertising used by the Event Organizer in promoting the event.

Events that previously received subsidy will be responsible for filling out Section D of the Subsidy Application - The Post-Event Report. The Post-Event Report is critical in tracking the success of the festivals and events in Calgary. With this information, the Event Services Team can track the social and economic impacts of festivals and events in Calgary to report accordingly.

Failure to complete/submit this report may result in the suspension of future subsidy.

Next Steps

If you are approved for subsidy, please see the Festival and Event manual for more information on the next steps you will need to take.

Other City of Calgary Funding

Council Strategic Initiatives Fund (CSIF): One-time events or the first edition of a proposed regular event that does not qualify for assistance from the Festivals and Events Subsidy may be eligible to apply for the CSIF. Events are either eligible for the Festivals and Events Subsidy or Council Strategic Initiatives Fund, but not both.

Contact

For more information about this program, or if you have questions about the application process, please email eventservices@calgary.ca or call 403-476-4307.

The City of Calgary website provides information for organizers who are planning new or returning events. For more information, please visit calgary.ca/festivalsandevents.

Definitions

Festivals (includes Street Festivals): The primary purpose is entertainment and is developed for or centered around celebrating a unique aspect of community. Activities include a variety of acts and performances with multi-faceted arts, cultural or recreational experiences. Most likely (or has the potential to be) multi-day and/or multi-location.

Parades: Are a gathering of people, and/or animals, and/or vehicles which travel in unison for the purpose of celebration or to raise awareness for a cause.

Community Events: Are larger-scale local, regional or international events with a unique audience or participant experience, which may result in a significant economic or tourism benefit. Attendance is generally greater than 1000 people.

Community Programs: A community developed event which typically has a singular focus or target audience. Most likely geographically defined to a community or specific location. Attendance is typically less than 1000 people.

Sport/Recreation Events: A recreational or competitive participant-based activity. Participants and spectators may be dispersed over a large area such as with walks and runs. The primary purpose is to either raise awareness, charitable fundraising or to provide the opportunity to qualify for other sport/recreational events. The event generally requires multiple locations (i.e. pathways, parks and/or roadways.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What does The City mean by a festival or event’s “merit”?

A: In the context of this program, merit means that the event has, or is very likely to have, a high impact in Calgary, as evaluated using the framework outlined in the Festival and Event Policy’s Impact Model. The assessment criteria used to score event merit are derived directly from the Impact Model.

Q: Do I have to reapply for subsidy every year or if there are significant changes to my event?

A: Yes, you must reapply for subsidy every year, and if there's a “significant change” (a major shift in direction of the event’s stated mandate), and/or an order of magnitude change (smaller or larger) to the event’s operational size. City Event Services staff have sole discretion in determining whether an event has undergone a significant change. If you think your event may fall into this category because of changes you have made to its mandate and/or operational scope, please contact The City’s Event Services in advance of the deadline to discuss it.

Q: Can I reapply for subsidy if my first application was declined or to improve my merit score?

A: If your event is declined for subsidy you are eligible to apply the following year. You are welcome to contact the Festivals and Events team for advice on how to modify your event to produce greater merit.

Q: Will I find out my merit score?

A: A score will fall into one of three subsidy levels. The upper level will receive the highest percentage subsidy and the bottom third will receive the lowest. You will not be notified of your actual score, but can find out whether you fall into the upper, middle or lower third.

Q: How does The City establish the value of the subsidized fees and services it provides?

A: Each business unit within The City has established rates for services it provides. These rates then become part of a formal Festivals and Events Fee Schedule, which is approved annually by the Corporate Event Steering Committee. When The City provides subsidy to an event, the rates are used to calculate the exact value of The City’s in kind contribution to the event. Likewise, when an event is paying for service (in other words not subsidized), the same rates are used to calculate the bill.

Q: I was approved up to a certain amount but my bill is much higher? Will the City subsidize these costs?

A: The City does it’s best to estimate the subsidy required by an event. We use costs from previous editions, your service requests, and the fee schedule to determine your subsidy allotment. If additional costs are incurred the event will be responsible for any costs above the approved amount. If your event is new to the subsidy application process, it is important to speak with a City of Calgary Event Services Staff member to properly assess City service requirements of your event. This helps the City determine an accurate subsidy allotment for every event.

The City does it’s best to ensure a fair distribution of subsidy while maintaining our fiscal responsibility.

i Subsidy” or “subsidized support” as set out in this Policy means Council’s approved funding for festivals and events of transactional and hard costs for services from The City of Calgary. The subsidy program will be based on Council approved budget.

ii Festival/Event: “Festival” and “Event” share a common definition under this program; when the word “event” is used by itself in these guidelines, the use includes festivals. A “festival” or “event” is defined in The City of Calgary’s Festival and Event Policy as:

• An organized gathering of people for the primary purpose of supporting a community, cultural, recreational orsport experience within a limited period of time and available to the general public; and/or

• A parade of people, and/or animals, and/or vehicles that travel in unison for the purpose of celebration; and/or• A sport competition, or recreational or cultural activity that is sanctioned by a recognized authority, such as City

Council and/or its designated authority;• Any such activity that would have a significant impact on public property, facilities and/or public safety;• Any such activity that would involve the support and/or services of two or more business units of The City of

Calgary.

iii Non-Commercial: Refers primarily to festivals and events organized by not-for-profit organizations registered in Alberta, or by Business Revitalization Zones (BRZs) recognized by The City of Calgary. Additionally, events and festivals organized by ad-hoc groups or other types of organizations may be deemed to be non-commercial on a case-by-case basis at The City’s discretion if its primary purpose is not-for-profit or charitable.

iv City Council Bid Endorsement: A bid that has been approved by a motion in Council.

v Interdepartmental Events Team: A committee of City Administration, led by Recreation and its designated division, containing representation by the technical staff of the main City business units involved in providing services and support to festivals and events, including Calgary Police Services. It is responsible for providing a technical review of all subsidy applications, as submitted via the Event Advisory Committee, to determine the type and level of services and support required for each festival and event, and providing schedules of those services for incorporation into the event’s Service Standard Agreement.

vi Event Advisory Committee: A committee established by The City of Calgary to advise City Administration on matters related to The City’s Festival and Event Policy. Its membership consists of representatives from the Calgary Sports Council, Calgary Sport Tourism Authority, Federation of Calgary Business Improvement Zones, Tourism Calgary, Calgary Arts Development Authority, Calgary Economic Development and City Administration, as well as two Citizens at Large. Within the Festival and Event Subsidy Program, the Event Advisory Committee’s role is to ensure an open and transparent assessment process is followed, and to make final recommendations of subsidized events to City administration.

vii Event Steering Committee: A committee of City Administration led by the Director of Recreation, with representation by the directors or designates of the main business units involved in providing services and support to festivals and events. It is responsible for the oversight and implementation of the Festival and Event Policy throughout The City of Calgary.