OMIF - Music Creation

• The Music Creation stream has two deadlines for the 2024-25 program year: May 2, 2024 and September 5, 2024. Recipients will have a flexible 12-month period to execute their activities, as is outlined by the examples below.

  Applicants may begin incurring expenses related to their activities no earlier than April 1, 2023 (for the May 2 deadline) or August 1, 2024 (for the September 5, 2024 deadline), and must commence their activity spending no later than 90 days following the date of funding approval. The 12-month activity window for recipients will commence on the date that the first expenditure is incurred for any activity within the application.

  The eligible activity window for the May 2 deadline is a maximum 12-month period between April 1, 2024 and August 31, 2025. The eligible activity window for the September 5 deadline is a maximum 12-month period between August 1, 2024 and January 15, 2026.

  Upon receiving a funding notification, recipients will have the opportunity to discuss their specific 12-month activity window with a Program Consultant prior to the execution of their agreement with Ontario Creates.

  
  

  For repeat applicants that have an existing Music Creation funding approval, the onus is on the applicant to demonstrate that the activities and costs being submitted for the new application do not overlap with activities supported by the previous application (if they are choosing an earlier start date for their 2024-25 activities than the end date for their 2023-24 approved activities). Ontario Creates reserves the right to request invoices and proofs of payment to verify the eligibility of expenses.

  Outlined below are examples to demonstrate the options available to applicants in terms of the starting and ending dates for their activities.

  
  

  EXAMPLE 1:

  
  

  Company A wants to start its eligible activity window on April 1, 2024. Company A must apply to the May 2, 2024 deadline (for activities taking place between April 1, 2024 and August 31, 2025). Company A understands that this decision to commence their eligible activity window as of April 1 is at their own risk, as there is no guarantee that their application (or the specific proposed activity) will receive funding when decisions are announced approximately 14 weeks after the May 2, 2024 deadline.

  Company A may commence incurring costs for the proposed activity as of April 1*, and will have a maximum time window of 12 months starting from the date the company commences their eligible activity window (i.e. April 1, 2024). Company A’s 12-month spending window would expire on March 31, 2025.

  
  

  EXAMPLE 2:

  
  

  Company B wants to start its eligible activity window on July 1, 2024. Company B must apply to the May 5, 2023 deadline (for activities taking place between April 1, 2023 and August 31, 2024).

  Company B understands that they will not receive notification regarding their application until approximately 14 weeks after the May 2 deadline (somewhere between late July and mid-August).

  Company B will have a maximum time window of 12 months starting from the date the company commences their eligible activity window* (i.e. July 1, 2024). Company B’s 12-month spending window would expire on June 30, 2025.

  
  

  EXAMPLE 3:

  
  

  Company C applies to the September5, 2024 deadline. As Company C has flexibility with respect to the starting timeframe for their activities, they choose to wait until receiving notification of whether or not their application has been approved before they commence their activities. Company C is informed in mid-December, 2023 (approximately 14 weeks after the September 5, 2024 deadline) that their application has been approved.

  Company C may choose a start date anytime up to 90 days following this funding notification to commence spending on their approved activities (which would take them to mid-March 2025), however, the latest date by which spending can be incurred is January 15, 2026. If Company C decided to not commence their spending until mid-March 2025, they would have a compressed eligible activity window that would end January 15, 2026.

  Activities for the 2024-25 program cycle must be completed with all expenses incurred and all deliverables provided by the applicant’s recipient’s final report date, and no later than September 30, 2025 (for recipients from the May 2, 2024 deadline) or February 15, 2026 (for recipients from the September 5, 2024 deadline).

  
  

  * Any activity spending incurred prior to funding approval is applicants’ risk, and a valid certificate of insurance must be in place as of the time of the expenditures.