City of Toronto Arts and Culture Grants

January to June 1998

The Economic Development Committee received the report (August, 1998) from Anne Collins, President, Toronto Arts Council and requested that it be forwarded to City Council for information.

The Economic Development Committee reports, for the information of Council, having referred the following Recommendation No. 103 of the Toronto Transition Team to the Commissioner of Economic Development, Culture and Tourism with a request that he submit a report to the Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team and that the Special Committee forward its recommendation in this respect to the Economic Development Committee for consideration and subsequent submission to City Council:

"Council should establish a new city-wide Toronto Arts Council as an arm's length funding and peer review body to administer grants to arts and cultural organizations, according to policy guidelines established by Council."

The Committee submits the following report (August, 1998) from Anne Collins, President, Toronto Arts Council:

(Report, titled "City of Toronto Arts and Culture Grants, January to June, 1998",

dated August, 1998, addressed to the Economic Development Committee, from

Anne Collins, President, Toronto Arts Council)

Table Of Contents

Introduction

1998 Grants: January to June

Economic Analysis

Loan Fund

Method of Grants Evaluation

Statement of Revenues, Expenses & Program Balances - Second Quarter

Grant lists:Project Grants - March 16, 1998 deadline

Operating Grants - March 16, 1998 deadline

1998 Appeals list

Project Grants:March 16, 1998 deadline

Operating Grants:March 16, 1998 deadline

Cultural Facilities Support Grants

Grants Rescinded

Board of Directors

Committees

Introduction:

This report, covering the first six months in 1998 (January 1 to June 30), describes the economic impact of the City's financial investment in the arts community and the impressive array of new work, creativity and community animation which resulted.

Jurisdiction:

At its meeting held on January 2, 6, 8, and 9, 1998, City Council approved the final report of the Transition Team on an interim basis. In doing so it approved Recommendation 103 which provides that for 1998, the Toronto Arts Council will continue to allocate grants within its former area of jurisdiction, which is the former City of Toronto.

Budget:

At its meeting held on May 13-14, 1998, City Council approved that a Cultural Grants budget in the amount of $7,285,118.00 be assigned to the Toronto Arts Council for the allocation of Cultural grants in the former City of Toronto. This amount combines the 1997 TAC budget with the portion of the former Metro Toronto cultural grants budget for which Toronto Arts Council has jurisdiction in 1998.

A budget of $557,154.00 (7.1 percent of total budget) was approved for TAC grants management and administrative costs.

1998 Grants: January To June:

Toronto Arts Council's overall goal is the continued encouragement of diversity and innovation in professional and community-based arts and culture expressions.

ApplicationsReceivedGrantsAwarded

Organizations/Collectives:

March 16th deadline

Dance 30$ 760,27229$ 657,245

Festivals/Urban Arts27$ 894,98527$ 781,650

Literary 5$ 40,600 5$ 38,600

Music54$1,186,38154$1,085,325

Theatre 70$2,749,41765$2,531,825

Visual Arts 22$ 720,11520$ 627,353

Film & Video10$ 369,588 9$ 301,510

Total 218$6,721,358209$6,023,508

Cultural Facilities: 7$ 102,715 7$ 100,000

Total Grants/Awards225$6,824,073216$6,123,508

Economic Analysis:

During the first half of 1998, small and medium-sized arts organizations received City of Toronto cultural grants totalling $6,123,508.00. In 1997, with a similar amount of City funding, these sectors of the non-profit arts community generated additional cash flows of $58,726,080.00:

City of Toronto Arts and Culture Grants$ 6,123,5089.5%

which leveraged the following additional revenues:

Other Government$16,857,55226%

Self-Generated$24,774,25938.2%

Donations and Corporate Sponsorships$17,094,26926.3%

TAC funded organizations are part of a much larger non-profit sector in the City of Toronto which had a total 1996/97 cash flow of $211 million and a national economic impact of $800 million resulting in a local economic impact of $600 million.

Loan Fund:

Toronto Arts Council administers a Loan Fund which provides short-term bridge financing to arts organizations. The Loan Fund, which made 8 loans totalling $69,000.00 in the first half of 1998 through a rotating fund of $178,472.00, is a program which puts the City of Toronto in the vanguard with respect to its support of the arts. Toronto is one of only three North American cities and the only Canadian city to provide this much needed and very appreciated service to its arts community.

Method Of Grants Evaluation:

Grants to Organizations:

TAC's grants review process has been modified for 1998, as approved by City Council at its February 4, 5, 6, 1998 meeting, in keeping with the review processes for all City grants programs. TAC staff, in consultation with TAC's arts discipline committees, identified those organizations applying to the March 16, 1998 deadline that had a history of stable municipal funding and whose applications demonstrated consistency of programming, and administrative and fiscal management. These applications were reviewed by staff who prepared a written report on each applicant for the respective arts discipline committee. These organizations were recommended to receive allocations equal to their combined 1997 municipal funding. All other applications underwent the regular review process: that is they were reviewed by TAC staff for adherence to eligibility criteria and correct submission of budgetary, program and operational information, divided into their respective disciplines and sent for further review to one of the Theatre, Music, Dance, Visual Arts/Film & Video, Festivals/Urban Arts or Literary Committees.

Committees are chaired by members of the TAC board; collectively they represent a broad spectrum of artistic and cultural practices. All committee members are volunteers with extensive professional experience in their fields and are selected through a process of consultation with the arts community. All grants are approved by TAC's Board of Directors (Board and Committee members are listed on pages 32-33.)

Appeals are available: 1) to any group to whom a grant was not recommended; and 2) to any group whose recommended 1998 grant level is less than their 1997 grant level, assuming their 1998 request is equal to or greater than their 1997 grant. (Appeals results are listed on page 8.)

Grants to Individuals:

The Choreographers, Composers, Visual Artists and Writers programs are adjudicated by a representative independent jury of professional artists working within the respective discipline. Jury members are selected by members of the appropriate Toronto Arts Council arts discipline committee.

As with grants to organizations, applications are reviewed by Toronto Arts Council staff for adherence to eligibility criteria and correct submission of budgetary, program and applicant information and are then forwarded to the appropriate adjudication body for review and recommendation. All grants are approved by TAC's Board of Directors.

_______

The Economic Development Committee reports, for the information of Council, having received an overhead presentation on the City of Toronto Arts and Culture Grants, January to June, 1998, by Anne Collins, President, Toronto Arts Council.

(A copy of the aforementioned presentation is on file in the office of the City Clerk.)

The following persons appeared before the Economic Development Committee in connection with the foregoing matter:

-Mr. Kim Tomczak, Vice-President, Toronto Arts Council;

-Ms. Yvonne Chiu, Board Member, Toronto Arts Council;

-Mr. Greg Cromwell, Board Member, Toronto Arts Council; and

-Mr. Tom Hendry, Q.C.

(A copy of the 1998 Project Grants, 1998 Operating Grants and list of Committee members, which was appended to the foregoing report, was forwarded to all Members of Council with the agenda of the Economic Development Committee for its meeting on September 18, 1998, and a copy thereof is on file in the office of the City Clerk.)