For me, the questions on those applications are very different from those when applying for something from the Canada Council for the Arts, where you're speaking to a jury of peers. I've gotten this advice from program officers there. You just want to nerd out about the thing you want to make. Canadian Heritage is a lot more about corporate speak, which I am not used to, as an indie artist. I think I benefited from a funding organization in Saskatchewan called Creative Saskatchewan, which was a huge stepping stone for me because it allows us to apply for things like marketing costs, which are so important in these big festivals.
Those applications are a bit of a barrier. I'm somebody who's very good at math, at doing a budget and at knowing how to talk to those forms because of Creative Sask. I don't know whether other artists would be able to answer effectively and get that funding.