The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund (CCSF) provides grants and contributions to improve physical conditions for arts and heritage cultural spaces across Canada. The program supports renovation projects, the acquisition and installation of specialized equipment, and planning, design, and feasibility studies related to arts and heritage spaces.

The CCSF is the only federal program primarily dedicated to cultural infrastructure. It aims to ensure that artists, creators, and heritage practitioners have access to professional cultural spaces, and that diverse arts and heritage experiences are available in communities across the country. The program is administered by the Department of Canadian Heritage through its regional offices.

The CCSF is highly competitive. Requests for funding consistently exceed available resources. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact a CCSF program advisor at their nearest Canadian Heritage regional office before submitting an application.

Eligible Projects:

Projects must involve one or more of the following:

• Purchase and/or renovation of an arts or heritage space
• Purchase and installation of specialized equipment for an arts or heritage space
• Completion of planning documents, design documents, feasibility studies, or facility assessments for the renovation or construction of an arts or heritage space

Important: Due to limited funding, construction projects are no longer accepted. Exceptional circumstances may apply — contact a CCSF program advisor at the nearest Canadian Heritage regional office for details.

Eligible arts and heritage spaces include, but are not limited to:

• Museums, archives, exhibit spaces, interpretive centres, art galleries
• Theatres, music or concert halls, rehearsal spaces, green rooms, collaborative studios
• Arts training or production facilities
• Outdoor spaces, stages, or amphitheatres

Expanded Feasibility Studies Component:

Beginning in 2024–25, the CCSF entered a period of experimentation with an expanded feasibility studies component. This expansion includes funding a wider range of arts and heritage cultural spaces projects in the earlier stages of development.

All applicants must:

• Operate in a manner consistent with professional standards
• Compensate artists, creators, and practitioners for their work
• Demonstrate that programming is available to Canadians or their communities
• Own the space or have a minimum five-year lease and written permission from the owner (for projects involving renovation, construction, or equipment installation)
• Have other sources of project funding (from the applicant, private sector, other levels of government, or other federal institutions)

Eligible Expenses:

Construction and/or renovation expenses: professional assessment, planning, and design fees; property acquisition and transfers; demolition and excavation; materials and labour; fire, safety, and security systems; accessibility improvements; environmental practices and sustainable construction (e.g., LEED, ecoENERGY); specialized equipment; fixed seating; purchase of an existing arts or heritage space; and purchase and installation of public art as part of a construction or renovation project.

Specialized equipment expenses: sound and lighting equipment; seating; stage curtains, staging, and rigging equipment; multimedia equipment; portable dance floors or stages; integrated data collection and ticketing systems; hygrothermographs and environmental control systems; hanging or storage systems; cases, panels, and interactive displays related to a permanent exhibit; and initial trainer fees related to specialized equipment.

Planning and feasibility study expenses: costs related to studies examining approaches for developing a new space or renovating an existing one; professional fees for assessing project viability; professional fees for design, market analysis, and operating requirements; and professional fees for specialized technicians.

Administrative expenses: costs directly related to the project, up to a maximum of 5% of eligible expenses, including carrying costs, calls for tender, services in both official languages and/or Indigenous languages, project audit fees, and signage for acknowledgement of financial assistance.