History of the Awards

The Future Focus Program is a funding collaboration between Calgary Arts Development, the Rozsa Foundation, and the Calgary Foundation. We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, who provided additional funds to support the program in 2024.

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April 7, 2025: Program guidelines have been revised and published. Updates include revised application deadlines and the introduction of a new Investigation Phase. Download the updated guidelines at the links below. The Investigation Phase  has separate deadlines and application questions from the Exploration and Investigation Phases. Please visit the Future Focus - Investigation webpage for more details on deadlines and application requirements for those program phases. 

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EXPLORATION + IMPLEMENTATION PHASES OVERVIEW

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The Future Focus program provides funding to arts organizations who want to explore a key question or challenge facing their organization to enable a significant shift or transformation and to develop ‘future focused’ directions for operations that diverge from previous or current practice.  

 

Organizations may be curious about how to anticipate, or encounter challenges they face, ask questions about their organizational purpose, their role in the arts sector and community, sustainability or continued viability, or how to adapt their business model or structure to operate into the future. The program supports organizations through the process of investigating, identifying, planning, and executing significant and purposeful adaptations in their operations.  

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FUNDING AMOUNTS​​​

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Exploration Phase – up to $15,000 

Identification of needs, initial development, project planning. 

 

Implementation Phase - up to $25,000  

Builds upon exploration phase or previously related work, implementing change within the organization.  

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Organizations may apply for more than one Investigation or Exploration Phase prior to seeking Implementation Phase support.  

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DEADLINES

 

Intake One

Final date for consultation and/or approval to make an application - February 14, 2025

Application deadline - February 28, 2025

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Intake Two

Final date for consultation and/or approval to make an application - May 9, 2025

Application deadline - May 30, 2025

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Intake Three

Final date for consultation and/or approval to make an application - August 29, 2025

Application deadline - September 12, 2025

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Intake Four 

Final date for consultation and/or approval to make an application - October 24, 2025

Application deadline - November 7, 2025

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Applications are due by 11:59pm on the deadline date.​​

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Funding decisions are typically made within 8-weeks of the application deadline. 

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​POTENTIAL AND INELIGIBLE PROJECTS​​​

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Organizations can access funds to engage external expertise and to develop and execute plans and strategies to navigate the questions, challenges, and opportunities they face. This work may include projects such as:  

 

• Making changes to established business models and organizational or incorporation structures. 

  • Note: the program does not provide seed funding for the establishment of new organizations, but to support existing entities make necessary changes to ensure their structures are serving the broader needs of the organization and community. 

 

• Developing strategies for new directions and/or organizational sustainability, specifically around: 

  • major shifts in organizational mission or the activity to support the mission. 

  • venue and space-related investigations. 

  • assessments of organizational capacity and ‘right sizing’ for sustainability. 

  • plans for succession from founding organizational leaders.  

 

• Investigating and implementing alternative revenue generating activities or diversifying revenue sources.

  • ​Note: the program does not support the creation or implementation of fundraising plans or events. 

 

• Forming strategic partnerships with other organizations, including resource sharing.  

• Addressing organizational life cycle questions, including potential mergers and closures. 

 

While the projects completed with the support of Future Focus Funding will likely influence the development and delivery of your organization’s existing and future programs, this funding program DOES NOT support: 

 

• the development and delivery of artistic programming 

• emergency operating funds 

• fundraising plans and events 

• routine, cyclical strategic planning 

• seed funding for the establishment of new organizations 

• learning processes around nonprofit and charitable operating and registration requirements.​​

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INELIGIBLE EXPENSES

 

Please note that Future Focus Funding cannot be used to pay for:  

 

• ongoing administrative salaries  

• ongoing administrative costs  

• deficit financing & debt repayment  

• capital campaigns  

• ongoing programming activities  

• retroactive costs - if you are incurring costs related to the project prior to the application deadline, those expenses may be ineligible for support. 

 

While we do not support ongoing salaries, we understand that projects may require additional staff resources to complete work directly related to the project, which may be an eligible expense. This may be new, short-term staff specific to the proposed project, or additional time for existing part-time staff to undertake the work.  

 

For organizations or groups without salaried administrative staff, project-related human resource costs may be included in the budget.

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HOW TO APPLY

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​Step One: Read the guidelines. 

Please read through the program guidelines to get an initial understanding of the Future Focus program, the types of projects it supports, and how applications are assessed. 

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Step Two: Book a conversation.

If you are interested in applying, you must begin by booking a conversation with us. We will help to determine if your organization and project are eligible.

 

The final date for consultation and eligibility confirmation is two weeks before each intake deadline.

 

We strongly recommend you book a conversation AT LEAST FOUR WEEKS prior to the deadline you plan to apply for.

 

Step Three: Complete your application.

If your project and organization are eligible for the funding program you will be sent access to the online application form, which must be completed by midnight of the application deadline. 

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WHO CAN APPLY?

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Your organization or group may be eligible to apply if:

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• Your organization is arts-focused or is an organization engaging the arts to fulfill its mission.

• Your organization is operating in the Treaty 7 region (including Red Deer).

• Your organization is a registered charity, registered non-profit, ad-hoc group, grassroots organization, or operating with a comparable alternative organizational structure.

• Your organization does NOT have an active Future Focus project or outstanding Future Focus reporting.   

• Your organization does NOT have an active funding agreement from the Rozsa Foundation, CADA, or Calgary Foundation for the same project. 

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Organizations can have only one active Future Focus project at any given time. 

Organizations can submit only one application per deadline. 

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Not sure about your eligibility? Contact Ayla Stephen at ayla@rozsafoundation.com.​​​​

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