Grant
Provincial
Between Intakes
Experience Ontario
Government of Ontario
Maximum Funding
Up to $125,000
Annual intake (April-March fiscal)
Difficulty
Moderate
Payment
Reimbursement
Trend
Stable
First-Timers
Friendly ✓
Co-Funding
50%
Experience Ontario provides Up to $125,000 (50% of costs). Funding program supporting in-person festivals in Ontario. The program covers up to 50% of eligible costs. Annual intake (April-March fiscal).
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
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Program Description
Funding program supporting in-person festivals in Ontario. Provides grants for eligible events to help grow tourism and cultural experiences.
Eligibility Requirements
- Must be a legal entity established by or under legislation, federally or provincially incorporated, or a First Nation in Ontario
- Alternatively: an Indigenous community in Ontario; a regional or provincial organization representing First Nation, Metis, Inuit or urban Indigenous peoples; or an Indigenous service provider in Ontario (e.g. band councils, tribal councils, Indigenous education authorities, Provincial Territorial Organizations)
- Must be based in Ontario with an operating business presence
- Must have a Canadian bank account in the legal name of the applicant at a Canadian financial institution
- Must be hosting or organizing an in-person festival or event
- Event must run over a minimum of two consecutive days with a minimum of 5 hours programming per day — one-day events are ineligible except those held on Canada Day, and non-consecutive day events are ineligible
- Event must take place within the applicable program year (Experience Ontario 2026 funded events taking place between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027)
- Event must support tourism growth or cultural experience in Ontario
- Established Event Stream: tourist attendance should be at 30% of overall attendance or 5,000 tourists, at least once in the previous three-year period
- Capacity Building Stream: for NEW festivals or events that have not been produced previously in Ontario and have not previously applied to Experience Ontario or any previous iteration of the program (rebranded or modified versions of existing events are not eligible)
- Only one application per organization, including affiliated organizations — only one organization in a group of affiliated organizations is eligible to apply
- Applicants who apply only for marketing funding are ineligible; submitted expenses must not be solely related to marketing or media buys
- Must cover at least 50% of total eligible project costs (grant covers up to 50%, max $125,000)
Provinces
Industries
Business Stage
Quick Assessment
Difficulty
Moderate
Competition
Moderate
First-Timer
Friendly
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to $125,000 (50% of costs)
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Provincial
- Co-Funding
- Up to 50% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Annual intake (April-March fiscal)
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Competition
Moderate
Deadline
Between Intakes
Approval
Moderate
Accessibility
--/5
Competition
--/5
Approval Rate
--%
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What's in this Playbook
Everything you need to win Experience Ontario
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 14 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 10-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- 8-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 6-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
$19 covers this one program. $39/mo covers every program, plus the workspace that walks you through each application.
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
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Insider TipSet up your My Ontario Account and complete TPON registration weeks before the application deadline — late registration has disqualified otherwise strong applications.
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Rejection Pitfalls 14
- Ineligible entity type (sole proprietorship, general partnership, limited partnership, government body) — note that Indigenous applicants qualify without incorporation
+13 more pitfalls
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Success Profile
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Evaluation Criteria
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Don’t lose this one to a preventable rejection
14 reasons applications get rejected, what winners look like, and exactly what reviewers score on
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Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
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8 steps
10 docs
Application Steps
1
Set up My Ontario Account Create a My Ontario Account at ontario.ca — required for secure TPON portal access. Allow several days for verification. Do not leave this to the last minute — late account setup has disqualified strong applications.
Required Documents 10
✓ CRA business number
✓ Incorporation documents, or evidence of being a legal entity established by or under legislation, or Indigenous applicant documentation (First Nation, Indigenous community, band or tribal council, Provincial Territorial Organization, Indigenous service provider, Indigenous education authority)
Eligible Expenses 6
Ineligible Expenses 8
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
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Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
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6 partners
Compatible Programs
RTO (Regional Tourism Organization) grants
Municipal tourism funding
Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund
Federal tourism programs (CanExport, Destination Canada initiatives)
Ontario Sport Hosting Program
Ontario Music Investment Fund
Combined Funding Potential
See your total funding potential
Clawback Risk
Medium Risk
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How Experience Ontario Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
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| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Experience Ontario | Up to $125,000 (50% of costs) | Moderate | Reimbursement | Annual intake... |
| Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund (OCAF) | Partially repayable investment | Hard | Advance Payment | Ongoing — two-stage... |
| SSHRC Partnerships | Up to $2.5M | Hard | Advance Payment | Partnership Grants:... |
| Canada Media Fund | up to $250K | Hard | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing (multiple... |
| Canada Council for the Arts Grants | Varies | Moderate | Milestone-Based | Multiple annual cycles.... |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about Experience Ontario
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Can sole proprietors apply?
No — sole proprietorships, general partnerships, limited partnerships and government bodies are ineligible. You must be a legal entity established by or under legislation, or federally or provincially incorporated. Indigenous applicants qualify by other routes: a First Nation, an Indigenous community, a regional or provincial organization representing First Nation, Metis, Inuit or urban Indigenous peoples, or an Indigenous service provider such as a band council, tribal council, Indigenous education authority or Provincial Territorial Organization.
Can a one-day festival apply?
No. Events must run over a minimum of two consecutive days with at least 5 hours of programming per day. One-day events are ineligible except those held on Canada Day, and non-consecutive day events are ineligible.
What's the realistic grant amount?
Most festivals receive $20,000–$55,000. $125,000 is only for large signature events (Tier 1, prior-year expenses over $1M). The Capacity Building Stream tops out at $10,000 and is for events NEW to Ontario — not for first-time applicants running an existing event.
When is the next application window?
Annual November–December intake for the next fiscal year (April–March). The Experience Ontario 2026 intake closed December 16, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. EST and no future date has been published. Expect the next intake around November 2026 and confirm at tpon.gov.on.ca/eo.
Do I need matching funds?
Yes — must cover at least 50% of total project costs. Grant covers up to 50% (max $125,000). For example, a $100,000 project requires $50,000 in matching funds.
Why do most applications get rejected?
Weak tourist draw (for the Established Event Stream, tourist attendance below 30% of overall attendance and under 5,000 tourists at any point in the previous three years), single-day or non-consecutive-day events, applying only for marketing funding, incomplete TPON registration, or vague programming details.
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Full Playbook: Experience Ontario
8 steps · 10 docs · reviewer insights