St. Catharines Downtown Animation Matched Funding Program

The City of St. Catharines Downtown Animation Matched Funding Program aims to increase foot traffic and overall visits via events, popups, and placemaking. This program offers financial support to eligible stakeholders for initiatives focused on one of the three key priorities:

• Public Events (e.g., Festivals, concerts, retail and food markets)
• Vacant/underutilized space activation (e.g., events, installations, space beautification)
• Streetscape enhancements (e.g., greenspace, lighting, public/window art)

The City of St. Catharines will match dollar for dollar any funds that an applicant contributes to an approved project, up to a maximum funding amount of $10,000, with a minimum funding request of $5,000.

Before you apply

As you prepare to submit your application, please ensure the following:

• You've reviewed the detailed program guidelines and eligibility information
• You've downloaded and fully completed your Excel project template with all required details (complete each tab for budget information, metrics and project milestones)
• Reminder: all events must take place after May 30, but before December 26, 2026.

Event / Initiative Information

Please provide the following information on your event / initiative. As a reminder, events must take place after May 30, but before December 26, 2026. You will also need to have your project budget form ready to upload.

Funding Request

Please provide some financial information. An upload for the Excel sheet that includes budget information will be available near the end of the form. You must provide the information as requested on the Excel project template template document in addition to the questions below. 

Reminder: The City of St. Catharines will match dollar for dollar any funds that an applicant contributes to an approved project, up to a maximum funding amount of $10,000, with a minimum funding request of $5,000.

Project Details / Scope 

In the following text area, please describe the project in detail using the following key components of the funding criteria matrix:

• Tourist Attraction & Economic Impact: Drives visitation and visitor spending, supporting local businesses, employment, and overall economic growth.
• Activating Vacant or Underutilized Space: Re-animating or re-imagining spaces with activity or interactive and visually appealing installations.
• Regional or National Reach: Attracts audiences beyond the local market, expanding awareness and positioning the destination on a regional or national stage.
•  Partnerships & Collaborations: Strengthens collaboration among City, cultural, business, and community partners to maximize shared benefits and resources.
• Media Exposure & Social Media Impact: Generates earned media and social media engagement that amplifies reach, storytelling, and destination awareness.
• Scalability & Repeatability: Can be expanded or replicated in future years, supporting long-term growth and sustained tourism impact.
• Support for Local Art, Culture, and Agritourism: Showcases local artists, cultural assets, and agricultural experiences, celebrating the destination’s unique sense of place.
• Safety and Vibrancy: Contributes to enhancing safety and overall vibrancy of the downtown for all.
• Accessibility and Inclusion: Designed to be welcoming and accessible to diverse audiences, ensuring equitable participation and enjoyment.
• Sustainability & Destination Stewardship: Supports responsible tourism practices that protect community well-being, natural assets, and long-term destination vitality. Addition of greenspace and contribution to greening of downtown.

In the space below, outline your business / organization’s history of successfully managing projects that are of similar scale to your proposed project (or greater) in the past five years. Include examples of specific achievements such as event attendance (local vs out of region), portfolio of completed projects, marketing metrics, economic impact data, and other benefits to the St. Catharines community / Niagara Region. 

Partnership Program Details

Metrics and Key Performance Indicators

In the project Excel template, please complete the tabs for Metrics / Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), as well as the Project Milestones tab.

For Metrics / KPIs:

• Describe how key activities will help meet objectives and how success will be measured.
• Identify anticipated outputs and qualitative / quantitative performance indicators (e.g., visitor numbers, engagement metrics, economic impact, added greenspace, vacant space used/activated).

For Project Milestones, include an key activities and timelines.

Once those tabs have been completed, along with the Project Budget tab, please upload the file below.