Montréal is renowned for its numerous festivals. During the holiday season, the city would like to offer a variety of large-scale winter events to residents and tourists alike. 

This call for projects offers a single portal for all holiday project proposals. 

Proposals will be assessed separately by the funding organizations involved. Depending on the type of proposal, they may be funded by one of the following entities: 

• Ville de Montréal - Service de la culture 
• Ville de Montréal - Service du développement économique 
• Ville de Montréal - Ville-Marie borough 
• Tourisme Montréal 
• Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Habitation (MAMH) - Secrétariat à la région métropolitaine (SRM) 
• SDC Montréal Centre-ville 
• SDC du Vieux-Montréal 

Goals 

The call for projects aims to boost the vitality of the city’s greater downtown area from December 1 to December 31, 2024, thus making it more vibrant and appealing through two types of events: 

1. An event that could become a staple New-Year’s celebration (around December 31) through its high quality, its magnitude and its potential for enlisting a high attendance. 
2. A thematic event to celebrate the holidays as early as December 1 (Christmas market, festive animation, etc.) 

Organizations may submit projects for a December 31 event, a holiday-themed event, or both. 

Montréal and its partners thus aim to: 

• Make Montréal and its cultural scene more appealing. 
• Offer a cultural programming to a diverse audience. 
• Highlight cultural projects that reflect the common visions of various funding organizations. These visions include: 
  • Diversity and inclusion 
  • Promoting the French language 
  • Promoting environmental awareness

Every funding organization will grant its support separately to the project or projects it will have assessed individually. 

In the case of a large-scale staple event unfolding on December 31, the budget for its realization must be of at least $750,000. 

Eligible expenses 

• Production, including the elaboration and implementation of the event programming, including artists’ fees and workers’ wages. 
• Promotion and communication. 
• Project management (maximum 15% of the budget budget). 

Ineligible expenses 

• Fixed cost of operations (rent, electricity, insurance, etc.) 
• Capital works projects, including rental property improvements. 
• Projects already receiving support from the Service de la culture de la Ville de Montréal. 
• Deficit of the organization in charge of the project

Eligible organizations

Eligible organizations must:

• Be nonprofit organizations that have been legally constituted for at least 6 months prior to the date of the application. 
• Organize regular professional cultural activities in one of the following fields: performing arts, circus, media, public art and visual arts, new and multidisciplinary arts. 
• Have their headquarters in Montréal. 
• Realize a free, outdoor event in Montréal. 
• Submit a full application that is in line with the program objectives. 
• Disclose all partnerships and agreements for financial support with the funding as well as the provincial and federal governments.
• Have fulfilled their commitments during previous financial support partnerships and be in good standing with the city’s departments and with tax authorities. 

Ineligible organizations 

• Academic institutions and professional training centres. 
• Nonprofit organizations applying for financial support in order to fund the following activities: 
  • Their operations
  • Fairs, showcases, trade shows, galas, colloquiums and conferences.
  • Outdoor activities that are not free of charge (whether on private or private property) 
  • Events that are essentially religious, political or commercial in nature 
  • Fund-raising activities
  • Projects related to national holiday celebrations. 
  • Non-cultural community events
  • Sports events

The assessment committee will analyze the projects based on 5 categories: 

1. General qualities
2. Promotion and audience
3. Partnership and project impact
4. Expertise
5. Financial balance

To find out about the specific criteria of each funding organization, click on the guide below (in French).

• PDF file Guide - Temps des fêtes 2024 : appel à projets exceptionnel (in French) [PDF 2 MB]

Assessment process

Every funding organization will carry out a preliminary assessment of the applications, based on their own criteria. Once they have analyzed the projects, a committee made up of all the funding partners will converge to formulate joint recommendations.

The final decisions will be made in accordance with the conditions and rules set by each partner.

Several organizations may be selected as part of this call for projects. However, if no application meets the requirements of the funding organizations, they reserve the right not to retain any of the applications.

Applications for financial support must be signed by the authorized representative of the organization. They must include the following elements:

• Organization history and mission (maximum 2 pages)
• Detailed presentation of the project
• Project budget (and if applicable, of the previous edition)
• Copy of letters patent
• Governing board resolution from 2024 authorizing a representative to sign agreements regarding the application. 
• A list of all governing board members, their mandate and involvement. 
• Self-declaration form of the organization

Use the online form to propose your project and submit your documents.

Deadline

You must submit your signed and completed form, along with the required documents latest by Sunday, April 14, at 11:59 p.m.

No document will be accepted past the deadline.