Special Events Stabilization Initiative

Organization Eligibility Criteria

To apply to SESI, organizations must meet the following criteria:

• Have a head office and operate in the City of Toronto (except for Band Councils, Tribal Councils or other Indigenous governments).
• Be one of the following:
  • An incorporated not-for-profit and charitable organization
  • A local band council, a local tribal council or other local Indigenous government (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) or equivalent authority
  • A Business Improvement Area
  • An incorporated not-for-profit community organization partnering with unincorporated individuals or collectives producing a special event, defined as: a festival, parade, cultural celebration or other type of unique activity, occurring for a limited or fixed duration (i.e. one-time, annual) and presented to a live audience, that impacts the City of Toronto by involving the use of, or having impact on, the public realm (i.e. owned, leased or controlled by the City of Toronto). It usually occurs on the public realm but sometimes can ‘spill over’ from private property.
• Have successfully organized an edition of the festival or special event in 2024 and at least one previous edition of the festival between 2019 and 2023. Both editions must meet SESI’s eligibility requirements.
• Be in good operational and financial standing with the City of Toronto.

Events & Activities Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Events & Activities

In order to be eligible, the events or activities must:

• Takes place in the city of Toronto
• Held annually for a minimum of one day to a maximum of 90 days (consecutive days or within a 90-day period)
• Takes place between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024
• Offers programming that is primarily free or at a nominal fee, i.e. less than $5 per person
• Open to the general public without a requirement for membership in a club or group
• Takes place in the public realm, i.e. not private-owned or indoor spaces
• Demonstrates community engagement and drives business to local main streets.

Ineligible Events & Activities

• Take place primarily indoors and in private venues
• Primarily ticketed festivals with a value of more than $5 per person
• Sporting and recreational events
• Artist residencies
• Competitions, contests and/or award shows
• Trade shows, business meetings, conventions and conferences
• Marathons and road races
• Religious and political events, including celebrations of historical events of other countries
• Historical re-enactments
• One-time only festivals
• Online festivals
• Primarily commercial or marketing-driven
• Any festival that would not comply with the City’s anti-harassment and discrimination policies

Expenses Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Expenses

Eligible expenses include operational expenses (fees and costs) dedicated to festivals and event execution, including but not limited to:

• Private security
• Paid Duty Officers and policing infrastructure
• Temporary Building permits
• Noise Exemption permits and sound monitoring costs
• Parks permits
• Paramedic Services
• Fire Services
• Solid Waste Management and Disposal
• Parking Buy-Outs
• Hostile Vehicle Mitigation
• Road Closures/Diversions – Signage and Barricades
• TTC Diversions
• Insurance

In addition, all eligible expenses must be incurred from January 1 to December 31, 2024.

Recipients of CFFP are eligible to apply to SESI. Please note, organizations applying to both programs are required to show a clear difference in expenses. For SESI, applicants need to illustrate how festival and event security costs have substantially risen, over a 2019 baseline, showing clear differentiation between programming expenses and health, safety and security costs.

Ineligible Expenses

Ineligible expenses include, but are not limited to:

• Activities that do not contribute to the festival for which the application was submitted
• Programming and entertainment
• Technical production (i.e. lighting, sound, staging, video)
• Administration
• Volunteer hours or gifts
• Alcohol

How to Apply

Applications are currently closed.

Organizations that meet all three sets of eligibility criteria can apply. To develop a strong application, also review the detailed assessment criteria.

If desired, download the application questions as a reference prior to completing the online form.

For questions, please email sesi@toronto.ca or call 416-395-0490.

Assessment Process & Criteria

Assessment Process

Applications are reviewed and scored by a review panel comprising cultural sector representatives and City staff. Eligible applications are assessed against the General Assessment Criteria outlined below. Funding recommendations are made by the review panel until all available funds have been allocated.

Please note that all decisions concerning eligibility and funding amounts are final and there is no appeal process.

General Assessment Criteria

Applications are assessed against four program priorities:

• Organizational Capacity & Financial Sustainability – 20 per cent
• Health, Safety & Security Investment – 35 per cent
• Cultural Vitality – 20 per cent
• Public Impact & Citizen Engagement – 25 per cent

When submitting the application, please be as thorough and concise as possible on how the festival meets the following criteria.

Organizational Capacity and Financial Sustainability – 20 per cent

Strong applications demonstrate high capacity, excellent organization, financial stability and financial sustainability. These elements are prioritized in scoring to ensure responsible and accountable management of resources, and demonstrate reliable and effective event delivery:

• Festival or event planning cycle demonstrates adequate staffing, reasonable timeframes and successful event execution; the ability of the festival or event organizer to successfully plan and execute the festival or event is clearly articulated.
• Has financial and human resource capacity to plan and execute the festival or event.
• Budget is detailed, appropriate based on the festival or event’s history (bearing in mind the impact of global challenges in the festival production industry), specific to the festival, and balances. Any excesses or deficits are explained.
• Budget or final costing of a previous festival or event for comparison is provided.
• Revenue generation strategy and diverse revenue sources.
• Comprehensive plans for managing financial risk.
• Festival or event holds adequate insurance.
• Other grants and income sources are listed.
• Internal financial controls are in place.

Health, Safety & Security Investment – 35 per cent

Strong applications demonstrate a clear understanding and required planning for all health, safety and security elements associated with executing publicly accessible festivals. There is evidence of investment and attention to best practices in the health and safety planning. These elements are prioritized as the purpose of the fund is to assist in offsetting rising health, safety and security costs as the festival and events landscape has shifted over time:

• Description of health, safety and security measures is thorough and demonstrates a commitment to upholding the safety of the public, attendees and staff/volunteers.
• Health, safety, and security actions are demonstrable and meet necessary requirements in alignment with the size, scope and location of the festival or event.
• Reasonable and appropriate funds are allocated towards health and safety and accessibility measures.
• A commitment to a high standard of health, safety and security planning is clearly articulated.
• There is a viable and well-resourced health, safety and security plan; festival or event staff and volunteers are briefed, trained and knowledgeable in health and safety requirements.
• Comprehensive emergency planning and safety and security risk mitigation.
• Demonstrated substantial increase to health, safety and security planning and costs over time; increased investment in health, safety and security in line with changing festival landscape and best practices (since 2019).

Cultural Vitality – 20 per cent

Strong applications demonstrate a meaningful and significant commitment to including cultural programming in their festival or event. This can be through the mandate and objectives of the organization and festival or event, and in the programming and artists engaged. This is prioritized as part of highlighting Toronto’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, and in investing in cultural programming that is unique to the city:

• Festival or event description references cultural elements.
• The application demonstrates clear, compelling and meaningful cultural programming for the festival or event.
• The cultural programming is representative of Toronto’s diversity and demonstrates support for a diverse range of artists and performers.
• Cultural elements are evident throughout the festival or event programming and are reflected in the festival or event description, cultural mandate, programming, the community partnerships and planning.
• Description of programming is clearly articulated.
• Equity, diversity, and inclusion are demonstrated as part of the festival or event’s planning process and/or programming.

Public Impact & Citizen Engagement – 25 per cent

Strong applications demonstrate significant and meaningful community engagement including a volunteer program, diverse local vendors and community partners. This could also include legacy commitments to the local community where the festival or event is hosted. This is prioritized to showcase driving business to local main streets and communities, and in order to promote investment in the local economy. It also encourages additional neighbourhood vibrancy and enables engagement of volunteers and local visitors:

• Festival or event enhances and citizen engagement to benefit all Torontonians. There are opportunities for participation by equity deserving groups, people of all ages, abilities, sexual orientation, gender identities, ethnicities, cultural background, religion, language and socio-economic conditions.
• Impact to the community and inclusion of the community is clearly articulated.
• Has an effective and publicly available accessibility plan.
• Festival or event is expected to attract a large attendance.
• The community in which it is located is engaged in meaningful and authentic ways.
• Has the support of local business and community partners and has a mix of for- and not-for-profit community partner organizations.
• Has a viable and well-resourced volunteer program. The volunteers participate in and contribute to the planning and realization of the festival.
• Has a method to measure approximate attendance.

Definitions for Purposes of SESI

“Accessibility” is defined as the practice of making information, activities, and/or environments sensible, meaningful and usable for as many people as possible. An accessibility policy helps organizations set goals to make themselves more accessible by identifying barriers that prevent people with disabilities from accessing the organization’s goods, services, or facilities and to determine how those barriers can be prevented or removed.

“Black-led organizations” are broadly defined as organizations with a mandate to serve and support Black communities, have executive and senior management who identify as Black, and/or are primarily staffed by Black community members.

“Community partner” is defined as a group or organization that has positive and meaningful ties to the community in which the festival serves. Affiliation with these partners enriches the festival’s cultural mission and provides opportunities for the community to participate in the festival. A community partner can be for- or not-for-profit, a local business, a community, programming and/or cultural organization.

“Cultural programming” includes performing arts, visual arts, literary arts, interdisciplinary arts, craft, design and expressions of cultural identity.

“Emergency plan” refers to the organization’s capacity to plan and respond to emergency situations that may occur during their event. Components to the plan include public safety, identifying hazards, mitigating and managing risks, security personnel, roles and responsibility, training, contingency plans, inclusion of the City’s emergency services into the plan, communications plan, etc.

“Equity deserving groups” include women, racialized groups, people with disabilities, immigrants and refugees, undocumented individuals, 2SLGBTQ+ people, people of low income and other groups the City identifies as historically underrepresented.

“Financial controls” refer to how the organization manages its finances. This can be explained through policies and procedures in the pre-planning stage and the approach to spending and cash-handling (as applicable) during the festival.

“Indigenous-led organizations” are broadly defined as organizations with a mandate to serve Indigenous communities, operate under Indigenous governance models, have executive and senior management who identify as Indigenous, are primarily staffed by Indigenous community members and/or follow an Indigenous service model.

The “public realm” is defined as the publicly owned places and spaces that belong to and are accessible by everyone. These can include municipal streets, lanes, squares, plazas, sidewalks, trails, parks, and open spaces.