Arts & Culture Grants
City of Toronto grant programs are a strategic tool used to achieve the City’s social, economic and cultural goals. These funding programs represent a form of partnership with community based organizations that contribute significantly to the goals in relation to community capacity, equitable access, well being, diversity, civic participation and civic cohesion.
The majority of the City’s cultural grants are administered by the arm’s length Toronto Arts Council however, the City provides financial investments in culture via the programs below.
Grants programs identify their specific criteria. They include areas such as:
- Consistency with the City’s objectives – the activity or outcomes for which funds are sought must support one or more goals of the City of Toronto.
- Financial Need – the applicant must demonstrate that it does not otherwise have the resources to undertake the activity for which funds are sought.
- Not-for-Profit Status – the applicant must demonstrate that the activity for which funds are sought will be organized without financial gain for its members or directors.
Major Cultural Organizations
The City provides grants to not-for-profit organizations that play a major role in Toronto’s cultural economy.
Grants to Specialized Collections Museums
These museums with their unique collections are an important feature of Toronto’s cultural sector with the responsibility of interpreting, presenting, and preserving its heritage.
Local Arts Service Organizations
Local Arts Service Organizations (LASOs) support the City of Toronto’s strong neighbourhoods strategy in underserved areas. They provide inclusive opportunities for children and youth and participants from a broad demographic spectrum. There are six LASOs receiving municipal funding
Culture Build Investment Program
The Culture Build Investment Program provides matching funds to assist the City’s not-for-profit cultural sector with funding for state-of-good-repair and minor capital projects for their facilities.
StreetART Toronto
StART‘s mission is to revitalize and engage communities through street and mural art. StART provides up to $50,000 in funding for partnership projects.
The City provides grants to not-for-profit organizations which play a major role in Toronto’s cultural economy. In 2017, these organizations had a combined attendance of more than 10.5 million residents and visitors to the city, demonstrating significant impact on Toronto’s reputation as a global cultural destination.
Major Cultural Organizations demonstrate a consistent level of professional standards, artistic excellence, international achievement, a diverse funding base and board accountability. All recipients are subject to the City of Toronto’s Grants Policy.
In 2015, revisions were made to the Major Cultural Organizations program in order to increase the clarity and transparency of the program guidelines. The program changes established three program streams: Producers & Curators, Cultural Support & Infrastructure and Festivals and revised the eligibility and assessment criteria.
Grants to Major Cultural Organizations for 2018:
| Organization | Amount |
|---|---|
| Art Gallery of Ontario | $684,000 |
| Canada’s National Ballet School | $225,000 |
| Canadian Opera Company | $1,500,000 |
| Festival Management Committee (Toronto Caribbean Carnival) | $625,000 |
| Harbourfront Centre | $1,315,500 |
| National Ballet | $1,390,000 |
| Pride Toronto | $260,000 |
| Toronto Artscape Inc. | $415,000 |
| Toronto Festival of Arts, Culture and Creativity (Luminato) | $400,000 |
| Toronto International Film Festival Group | $1,195,735 |
| Toronto Symphony Orchestra | $1,220,000 |
| Total | $9,230235 |
Toronto’s multi-faceted museum sector gives meaning to our history, providing residents and visitors with the opportunity to discover the world through unique collections and accessible programming.
Grants to Specialized Collections Museums allocations for 2018:
| Organization | Amount |
|---|---|
| Design Exchange | $200,000 |
| Gardiner Museum | $158,370 |
| Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto (MOCA Toronto) | $324,478 |
| Total | $682,848 |
Local Arts Service Organizations (LASOs) support the City of Toronto’s Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy in underserved geographic areas as well as the 2018-2022 Economic Development and Culture Divisional Strategy of inclusion and equity in geographic areas outside the core. They provide inclusive and affordable opportunities for local residents, artists, and arts organizations, with a focus on underserved children, youth, and participants from a broad demographic spectrum. There are six LASOs receiving municipal funding:
The LASOs have been successful in reaching out to populations that otherwise would not have participated in the various arts opportunities they offer. LASOs are important building blocks for healthy and cohesive communities providing hubs for community arts programs. As anchor community arts organizations in Toronto, they promote the arts at the local level, making culture a part of the daily fabric of community living.
Each LASO is as unique as the community it serves, however, each organization shares the common goal of making a range of arts broadly accessible and affordable. To maximize impact, wherever possible, these organizations actively seek partnership opportunities amongst themselves and with wide-ranging partners, utilizing existing resources and talent in Toronto to design, develop, facilitate and implement relevant arts services and programs.
LASO grant allocations for 2018:
| Organization | Funding Allocation |
|---|---|
| Arts Etobicoke | $424,295 |
| Lakeshore Arts | $295,430 |
| Scarborough Arts | $260,000 |
| UrbanArts Community Arts | $295,435 |
| East End Arts | $171,000 |
| North York Arts | $259,240 |
| Total | $1,705,400 |
In 2018, the City of Toronto launched a new fund that supports partnerships and collaborations that create new opportunities and visibility for Indigenous-led arts and culture.
The aim of the fund is to spark new relationships between Indigenous artists, arts and culture leaders and professionals, and potential partners at both the grassroots and institutional levels.
Learn more about the Indigenous Arts & Culture Partnerships Fund.
StreetARToronto (StART) is a suite of programs designed specifically for streets and public spaces. Initiated in 2012 as an integral part of the City’s Graffiti Management Plan, StART has been successful in reducing graffiti vandalism and replacing it with vibrant, colourful, community-engaged street art. Learn more about our Partnership Grants Program.