Money
Formerly the Budgets section, this area covers everything from cash flow management to budgeting for your production. Find the financial resources you need to keep your projects on track.
Budgeting
A crucial part of any producer's job is managing the overall production budget. Indie producers need to take in many considerations beyond venue, artists fees, and tech. Insurance, playwright's royalties, accessibility costs, set transport, and publicity are just a few considerations that are often overlooked.
You will likely go through multiple drafts of a budget until you find one that will meet all the needs of your production and is also feasible.
This page breaks down the step-by-step process and nitty-gritty of budgeting. This gives you practical tools and techniques to create, track, and adjust budgets effectively. Whether you're managing personal finances or business expenses, this section provides the structure and strategies to keep your numbers in check.
Funding
If you are applying for grants in Canada, you have several different options depending on where you live. This page lists different funding opportunities for the arts provided through the federal government of Canada.
If you are an artist living or working in Canada, public funding for the arts is available to you through your provincial government depending on which province you reside in.
In addition to provincial and federal government grants, some municipalities have arts funding programs for residents of their community. You may want to look at their different programs when applying for grants. For example, the City of Toronto also has a funding body for the arts called the Toronto Arts Council (TAC), and artists from Toronto can apply for funding from the TAC in addition to the Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts.
Fundraising
A donation is a gift given without the expectation of reciprocity. But donations can be more than just revenue; they have the opportunity to be a continued relationship and a sign of support and community between yourself and the donor.
In essence, online fundraising is a way to raise a chunk of money to fund a larger project. It takes the risk off of one person and helps disperse the risk into tiny, bite-sized pieces. This approach greatly lowers risk, so “I need $3,000!” can become “I need $30 from 100 people” or "I need $5 from 600 people". Online fundraising disperses the total risk into a more manageable figure.
Fundraisers can take all different shapes. They can be large scale, or simple to execute. You can have many of attendees, or it can be an intimate gathering of people.
Taxes
GST (or Goods and Services Tax) is a tax that Canadians pay on most goods and services. Most provinces combined their GST and PST (Provincial Sales Tax) into what we call HST (Harmonized Sales Tax). Businesses or self-employed individuals who make more than $30,000 are required to charge GST/HST to their customers and report that to the CRA. However, you can recover the GST/HST that you paid on expenses related to your business.