Event and District Support Grants

Details at a glance 

• Event Support Grants up to $5,000 per event
• For public events that occur in Downtown Victoria
• Deadline to apply 4:00 p.m., October 31, 2019
• Applications submitted in October 2019 must be for events that occur between January 1 and December 31, 2020.

What is it?

The DVBA offers Event Support Grants of up to $5,000 to support events that contribute towards making downtown Victoria welcoming, vibrant, and the preferred regional hub for business, culture, services, and amenities.

Information on grant guidelines, application materials, and reporting requirements are available below or can be picked up at our office, at 20 Centennial Square, during regular business hours. Any questions or inquiries may be submitted by email to:  grants@downtownvictoria.ca

Our review process establishes open and transparent guidelines for the evaluation and distribution of DVBA funds, respecting the best interests of our members and being good stewards of the financial resources available for support programs.

The process to receive funding from the DVBA begins with completing this document. The information requested on the form is necessary to provide the DVBA information it needs to evaluate the application and its potential impact on our downtown Victoria community.

Please feel free to attach additional relevant information to your application to help us determine the merit of your application. Additional materials should be concise and clear. Organizations are welcome to apply for more than one event per year if the events meet eligibility criteria.

The filing deadline for DVBA Event Support Grant is 4:00 pm October 31, 2019 with distribution of funds occurring the following January.

To receive an Event Support Grant, our organization must meet the following criteria:

• Organization: The applicant must represent an organization that has been in operation for more than one year. Organizations that are registered non-profits may be shown preference in scoring, but it is not a requirement.
• Location: The event must take place within the DVBA boundaries, unless previously approved for evaluation by the DVBA.
• Financial Sustainability: The event must be financially sustainable beyond the support of this grant. And, the organization must be able to provide confirmed sources of secure funding for the event.

DVBA staff vet the application to ensure the application is complete and meets eligibility criteria. Incomplete applications, late applications, or applications that do not meet minimum criteria will not be considered.

If you have any questions regarding your eligibility, please email grants@downtownvictoria.ca.

Applications that pass initial review are evaluated by a committee of DVBA members. Evaluation is based on the following criteria:

Evaluation Criteria

• time of year – events occurring during high volume times of the year will not be scored as highly in this category as events occurring during shoulder seasons. But events during high volume times will still be considered.
• attendance – the number of people your event will bring to downtown Victoria.
• organizational sustainability – whether the organization has shown that there is capacity for the event to continue with other sources of income.
• business involvement & impact – how the event will impact businesses, both directly and indirectly; including positive points for partnerships and collaboration.
• cost of attending – how financially accessible is the event for the public?
• vibrancy – how the event adds to the vibrancy of the downtown Victoria landscape.
• diversity of offerings – the evaluating committee may score points for an application based on the types of events already being offered in Victoria or being considered for Event Support Grants during this cycle. In this category, the committee may also consider the number of events being funded by the applying organization.

When a grant award has been approved, DVBA staff will contact the organization directly to communicate payment date, all reporting and recognition requirements, and any other pertinent information.

To be considered for a DVBA Event Support Grant, organizations must meet the eligibility criteria and complete an application form. Applications should contain clear and enough information that will plainly describe the event and its elements.

Completed application forms must be submitted through email to grants@downtownvictoria.ca. Deadline for all DVBA Event Support Grant submissions is 4:00 pm on October 31, 2019. Applications may also be submitted in person at the DVBA office, 20 Centennial Square. Applicants are fully responsible for the timely delivery of the applications.

It should be noted that the grant process can be very competitive.

The full support request indicated in your application is not guaranteed, and the DVBA may only agree to grant a portion of the total request at its discretion or allocate special conditions for funding.

Submission of an application does not guarantee your event will be awarded all or part of the sponsorship requested. Incomplete or late applications will be disqualified from funding prior to the evaluation process.

The DVBA reserves the right to deny all applications as it sees fit, or to have events independently audited at its discretion. The event organizer must adhere to all City of Victoria bylaws, and the organizers agree to take on the full liability for the event.

To receive a DVBA Event Support Grant, an organization must agree to follow reporting and recognition criteria. Failure to follow the reporting process may affect the success of an organization’s future grants from the DVBA.

A completed final report form must be submitted to the DVBA 45 days following the end of the event. Filling out the report is a simple process, but applicants should review it prior to their event in order to track the correct info. You can find the report form here.

 Applications for Festival and Events Grants must be fully completed and submitted using the Downtown Victoria Business Association (DVBA) application form. Incomplete or partially completed application forms will not be evaluated.

1. If funds provided are not used in its entirety for the event indicated by the application, the organization must return the remaining funds to the DVBA to the attention of the Culture and Events Manager.
2. If there is a change to the event indicated on the application for which a grant has been provided, email notification must be communicated to the Culture and Events Manager of the DVBA prior to the event.
3. The event may not be represented as an event of the DVBA nor may the organization hold itself out as an agent of the DVBA.
4. The DVBA logo will be used to recognize the contributions of the DVBA.
5. The DVBA reserves the right to use any information related to the organization in its promotion and advertising. The use of information will be at the discretion of the DVBA and may be done without notice.
6. The organization receiving funding will complete and submit a Final Report form 45 days following the event. Failure to file a Final Report may affect the success of future DVBA grant applications.
7. All awards shall be considered as term grants, subject to all requirements specified in this policy.

Below is the complete list of events and their organizations granted funding for 2020 from the DVBA:

2021: Changes are Coming! 

DVBA event grant application assessment occurs once a year. The process is changing and so are the intake dates for applicants. 2021 applications will open mid-summer and the grants will be selected in early fall. Don’t miss this opportunity for monetary support of your event, keep checking the Grants page of the DVBA website (http://staging.downtownvictoria.ca/members/grants/) for updated info.

Start-up

Join forces with like-minded businesses and create a district. Together, we can help each other thrive. We’ll cover the $1,250 fee to work collaboratively with the DVBA to develop brand and visual assets that best represent the character and businesses of your district. Reach out to Jeff, our Executive Director to discuss at jeff@downtownvictoria.ca.

Infrastructure

Want to spruce up your district? Maybe install some eye-catching street furniture, decorative lighting, plants or public art? Let us give you a hand. We’re on board to pitch in 25% of the cost to a maximum of $2000. Please give us two months lead time and a detailed proposal, including a timeline and budget. Explore your options by reaching out to Jeff, our Executive Director at jeff@downtownvictoria.ca.

Marketing

Promote your district to attract more visitors and locals. We’ll provide 25% of funding to a maximum of $1,000 for the creation of marketing materials, advertising costs, photography, or social media advertising campaigns. Please give us two months lead time and a detailed proposal including timeline and budget. To discuss your marketing needs, reach out to marketing@downtownvictoria.ca