Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund

Overview of the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund program:

The Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund (OCAF) investment program was established in 1999 and is managed on behalf of the Government of Ontario by an independent, not-for-profit entity called the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation. OCAF aims to increase cultural tourism by assisting Ontario’s arts, cultural, and heritage organizations to capitalize on the potential of new and expanded events and activities, including exhibitions, festivals, and performances. OCAF achieves this by providing up-front working capital directed towards the applicant’s marketing and promotional costs. The OCAF investment takes the form of a partially repayable loan. Since 1999, OCAF has invested in a diverse range of projects that have attracted more than four million visitors while helping to strengthen the earned revenue streams of those organizations supported.

Benefits of the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund program:

• OCAF investment reduces the financial risk associated with mounting such events.
• Specifically, the program supports projects that aim to:
• Attract new tourists to the region; and
• Increase the earned revenue capability of the applicant organization

Eligibility criteria of the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund program:

• To be eligible, projects must meet all of the following criteria:
• The project must be distinct from ongoing programming or activity (this can be either a new event or a significant expansion or enhancement to existing programming)
• The project must represent the single largest new programming initiative in the applicants business plan for that year
• The project must run for a fixed or limited period
• The project must have a marketing plan targeting new tourists to the community
• The project must anticipate that at least 10% of the project's total revenues are secured from the private sector AND at least 40% of total revenues are achieved through the projects earned revenue
• The project must demonstrate the capability of repayment to OCAF and to generate a surplus for the applicant
• The Board typically considers projects with total attendance figures of at least 1,000 in rural areas and 10,000 in large urban centers. Special consideration will be given to projects with attendance between 7,500 and 10,000 in large urban centers or between 750 and 1,000 in rural and northern areas if there is a strong case for tourism potential.