Craft Business Development Program: Revamping Your Existing Website or Building a New One

Amount:

$5,000

Type of Program:

Grants

Description:

The Centre's Craft Business Development Program supports the career growth of Unama'ki-Cape Breton makers, artists, and craft producers, helping them with costs associated with revamping the existing website or building a new one, i.e., e-commerce.

Comments on Funding:

1
Funding takes the form of non-repayable financial assistance of 75% of costs, up to $5,000 (inc. HST) for new website; and a non-repayable financial assistance of 75% of costs, up to $2,000 (inc. HST), for website upgrades.
2
The cost of the mentoring session is $200+hst. The Centre pays for 75% of that cost. Successful applicants are responsible for the remaining 25% ($50+hst).

When It Ends:

Ongoing

Deadline:

Rolling deadline

Eligibility:

Applicants must:

have a current Maker Membership (formerly called Juried Members) in good standing with Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design;
provide proof of current registration with the Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stocks Companies;
be craft producers based in Unama’ki-Cape Breton, Nova Scotia;
have not received funding from this program in the past 3 years;
contract an Unama’ki-Cape Breton based company for services;
agree to complete an Exit Survey after their project is completed;
Businesses owned or operated by Women, Mi’kmaq, IBPoC, 2SLGBTQIA+ and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Application Steps:

Step One: Pre-approval – Applicants must:

fill out the Business Profile for Craftspeople form and provide supporting documents that demonstrate the need for funding.

be assessed on need, ability to demonstrate market readiness and contributions to the aesthetic, material or cultural diversity of purchasable Unama’ki-Cape Breton craft products.

Step Two: Mentoring – Successful applicants must participate in a Mentoring session with Vibe Creative Group.

Step Three: Vendor Selection:

For website applications: at the end of the mentoring session, Vibe Creative Group provides a report (the Centre gets a copy, too) which must be used by the applicants to obtain estimates/quotes from at least two Unama’ki-Cape Breton based designers. (For consultancy applications: because these applications seek various professional services based on need, they will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.)

Applicants must submit these quotes to the Centre, along with an explanation detailing their preferred vendor.

The Centre will require them to sign a contract for the project. The contract outlines everyone’s responsibilities and specifies the total amount of funding that Centre will provide, along with timelines for the project and reporting requirements.

Website development must be carried out within the contract time frame, which is generally 3-6 months.

Documentation Needed:

Applicants must:

1
complete a Business Profile for Craftspeople form;
2
provide proof of current Nova Scotia Joint Stocks Registration;
3
submit quotes from at least two Unama’ki-Cape Breton based designers;
4
Optional but helpful: provide a hi-resolution images of their work; or illustrative images of the proposed project if appropriate to the application. Max total file size 100MB: can be compiled in a .doc/x/PDF or presentation, OR uploaded as individual image files.