Before you apply
What should I apply for: a sponsorship or a donation?
Donations are financial contributions to a charitable organization motivated by a desire to benefit the community, and without expectation of a return on investment.
Sponsorships are strategic partnerships negotiated with an organization or event holder that secure funding for the organization or event—in exchange for the sponsor’s access to audiences or involvement in specific initiatives that help the sponsor to achieve its brand and/or business objectives.
Eligibility criteria
Timelines
To ensure a successful relationship with our sponsored properties and help manage the expectations of our sponsorship applicants, ATB has different submission windows based on the value of your application.
Please read the following timeline descriptions to determine when to apply for sponsorship:
Applications for $5,000 and under must be submitted a minimum of 90 days before the start of your proposed activities. This will allow our ATB sponsorship team the proper time to review your proposal with the appropriate teams to determine if your event is eligible for funding.
Applications over $5,000 must be submitted a minimum 6 months before the start of your proposed activities. This will allow our ATB sponsorship team the proper time to review your proposal with the appropriate teams, and plan and budget to support your activities. We will review these applications on a quarterly basis and be in touch approximately six months prior to the start of your event to provide our thoughts.
To be eligible for a sponsorship from ATB, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Be in good financial standing and have a good reputation in their community.
- Be able to articulate the benefits of their application to Albertans and Alberta’s communities.
- Connect their application to one of our focus areas (Arts & Culture, Community & Social Development, Sports & Wellness, Business Markets & Agriculture).
- Applications must demonstrate an event’s, initiative’s or organization’s commitment to inclusion, diversity and equitable representation for all Albertans.
- Applications must demonstrate an event’s, initiative’s or organization’s commitment to providing event environments that are safe, secure and respectful for all Albertans.
ATB does not provide funding for:
- Organizations, events or initiatives based outside of Alberta
- Building or facility naming rights
- Fundraising events
- Advocacy groups or lobbying organizations
- Political initiatives, events or organizations
- Religious initiatives, events or organizations
- Amateur sports teams
- Private clubs funded through membership fees
- Competition fees
- Facility capital costs
- Film, video, television or book productions
- Mass mailings or solicitation activities
- Travel expenses
- School-affiliated orchestras, bands, choirs, drama groups, yearbooks, class parties or class/team projects
- Pageants
- Advertising activities
Do you support a culture of belonging?
ATB recognizes the value in our diversity and is committed to raising the level of inclusion, diversity and equity in our communities to be representative of all Albertans. We’re interested in understanding how your event, initiative or organization is committed to uplifting and making belonging possible for all Albertans. Here are some of the questions you’ll need to answer within your application:
- If you are requesting funding for an event, have you considered how to make the event accessible for Albertans with physical disabilities or socioeconomic barriers?
- Please indicate whether or not the demographics represented by your vendors, speakers and/or venue selection include historically underrepresented groups such as women, Black people, Indigenous people, people of colour, people with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ and gender diverse people.
- Does your organization prioritize the needs of historically underserved communities? (For example, rural communities, communities with disabilities, people of colour, etc.)
- Does your organization stay educated on current diversity, equity and inclusion theories and practices?
Do you support safer spaces?
ATB recognizes that not all places can be safe for 100 per cent of people, 100 per cent of the time. However, we remain committed to ensuring Albertans feel safe, secure and respected in our sponsored event environments, whether they are participating as spectators, volunteers, vendors or organizers. We’re interested in understanding how your event, initiative or organization is committed to uplifting and making safety possible for all Albertans. Should your event or organization be considered for an ATB sponsorship, you will be asked:
- Does your event or organization have a code of conduct?
- How will people participating in your event or initiative be kept safer?
Ready to apply?