Arts & Culture Grants

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:

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:

Local Arts Service Organizations (LASOs) support the City of Toronto’s strong neighbourhoods strategy in underserved geographic areas. They provide inclusive opportunities for children and youth and participants from a broad demographic spectrum. There are six LASOs receiving municipal funding:

• Arts Etobicoke
• East End Arts
• Lakeshore Arts
• North York Arts
• Scarborough Arts
• UrbanArts

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:

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.

Applicants to the Culture Build Investment Program must meet the following eligibility criteria:

1. incorporated as a not-for-profit organization;
2. located in the City of Toronto;
3. have been in existence for a minimum of three years;
4.   own the facility or have at least five years remaining on their current lease at the time of applying to the program; and
5. are not City-owned facilities.

Funding for feasibility studies may be provided to those organizations that meet the existing eligibility criteria. The program does not support regular building maintenance costs and cost of purchasing or building a facility, and the maximum allocation available through the Culture Build Investment Program is $100,000.

In all cases, the City’s grant will not exceed 50 percent of total capital costs with matching funds coming from other levels of government, private sector and/or in-kind contributions.

Information about the Culture Build Investment Program is available by contacting Lori Martin at 416-392-5225 lmartin2@toronto.ca.

Culture Build Grant allocations for 2018:

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.