Place des Arts offers bursaries on an ongoing basis to students who wish to take classes or lessons at Place des Arts but may not be able to afford the full fees. Bursaries are available for most Place des Arts programs and open to individuals of all ages (including adults). Approved bursaries may cover 30% to 80% of the program fee, depending on the level of demonstrated financial need. To apply for a bursary, please carefully read the following bursary guidelines and fill out the bursary application form below.

Eligibility

Place des Arts offers bursaries on a year-round basis to individuals who wish to participate in our programs but may require financial assistance to cover program fees.  Applicants must demonstrate financial need, which refers to an individual or household’s inability to pay full program fees due to current financial circumstances.

Financial need may include, but is not limited to:

• Limited or fixed household income that restricts the ability to pay for program fees
• Unemployment or recent loss of income
• Single-parent or caregiving responsibilities that limit financial resources
• Other significant financial obligations that affect the ability to pay program fees
• For existing Place des Arts students: sudden unexpected financial hardship (see Emergency Funding section below)

Bursary awards are subject to the availability of funds. If the number of applications exceed available funds, some applications may not be funded or deferred to the next calendar year.

Individuals or households may apply for bursary support for more than one program; however, the total number of bursaries or total bursary amount awarded per household may be limited per calendar year to ensure fair access for all participants.

Bursaries are for individuals only and cannot be awarded to businesses, trusts, or other organizations. In addition, any program fees being billed to or paid for by third party funding organizations or programs are not eligible.

Existing Place des Arts students applying for a bursary must have no outstanding fees on their account to be eligible.

Applicants who are unable to demonstrate financial need are not eligible for assistance.

Application Process

• Applications for individuals 17-years-old and younger must be initiated by the parent or guardian of the child. Please submit one application form per child.
• Applications must be submitted at least six (6) weeks prior to the start date of the program for session classes. Bursary applications for Sep-Jun classes or private lessons may be submitted at any time during the season.
• Once a bursary has been approved, the recipient will be contacted to register for their selected program. If not already in place, a customer account will be created as part of this process.
• Place des Arts reserves the right to verify all aspects of the applicant’s financial circumstances, including other possible resources, and request further financial information if required.
• Applications will be assessed by authorized staff and approved by the Executive Director.
• Exceptions to the bursary application process and guidelines require approval by the Executive Director.
• All personal and financial information submitted as part of the bursary application will be kept confidential and used solely for the purpose of assessing eligibility and administering the bursary.

Demonstrating Financial Need

Applicants are asked to provide information that demonstrates their financial need. As part of the application, proof of income for all adult household members will be required.

Acceptable documentation includes:

• Most recent Notice of Assessment for each adult contributing to the household
• Most recent Income Assistance statements
• Most recent Disability Benefits documentation
• Most recent Employment Insurance statements
• Most recent Income Tax Return {line 433} where income is based on the total combined income of the household

For the purposes of determining bursary eligibility and the scale of support available, household income may be assessed against benchmarks, such as the Market Basket Measure (MBM) for the Lower Mainland, adjusted for household size.

Emergency Funding for Current Place des Arts students

In cases of emergency situations or sudden changes in financial circumstance that negatively impacts the student’s ability to continue their studies at Place des Arts, existing students may provide a written explanation of their current financial situation in place of formal documentation. Place des Arts reserves the right to request proof of financial need at a later date.

Bursary Applicant Notification

All applicants will be notified via email of the status of their application within two weeks of the submission date.

Bursary Distribution

Approved bursary funds are applied as a credit to the recipient’s customer account to reduce program fees.  Bursaries have no cash value and are not refundable. If the recipient has already registered for and paid the program fee in full, the bursary cannot be applied retroactively.

Bursaries cannot be retroactively applied to any program with a start date prior to approval of the bursary, or to private lessons that have already occurred.

To apply for a bursary, please fill out the form below.