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:
Local Arts Service Organizations (LASOs) support the City of Toronto’s strong neighbourhoods strategy in under-served areas. They provide inclusive opportunities for children and youth and participants from a broad demographic spectrum. There are six LASOs receiving municipal funding.
The City of Toronto recognizes the importance of cultural festivals to the cultural, social, and economic life of the city. The Cultural Festivals Funding Program (CFFP) has been designed to support the development of the festival sector in a manner that is accessible, transparent and accountable.
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.
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.
| Organization | Funding Allocation |
|---|---|
| Arts Etobicoke | $407,936 |
| Lakeshore Arts | $293,057 |
| Scarborough Arts | $297,279 |
| UrbanArts Community Arts | $315,435 |
| East End Arts | $216,453 |
| North York Arts | $287,240 |
| Total | $1,817,400 |
The Cultural Festivals Funding Program (CFFP) has been designed to support the development of the festival sector in a manner that is accessible, transparent and accountable. The CFFP will advance the City’s access, equity and inclusion goals, including reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
The program provides financial support to recurring cultural festivals whose programming supports city-building, focuses on engaging with the people of Toronto, serves Toronto residents across the city, and promotes opportunities for emerging artists, Indigenous artists, and artists from other groups. A significant programming component must be free to the public.
The decision to fund all or part of an applicant’s request will depend on the festival’s alignment with City of Toronto’s current strategic priorities, assessment criteria and overall demand for funds in the program.
For the purpose of this program, a “cultural festival” is defined as a concentrated collection of arts and cultural activities with a common theme, presented over a minimum of a one-day period and no longer than one month. A festival may be devoted to one or more artistic discipline and be produced annually or once every two years. The cultural festival is primarily free to the public, takes place in the public realm, has general appeal and a public profile.
Cultural festival programming includes performing arts, visual arts, literary arts, interdisciplinary arts, craft, design and expressions of cultural identity.
The public realm is defined as the publicly owned places and spaces that belong to and are accessible by everyone. These can include municipal streets, lanes, squares, plazas, sidewalks, trails, parks, open spaces, waterfronts and conservation areas.
“Indigenous-led organizations” are broadly defined as organizations with a mandate to serve Indigenous communities, operate under Indigenous governance models, have executive and senior management who identify as Indigenous, are primarily staffed by Indigenous community members and/or follow an Indigenous service model.
“Equity deserving groups” include women, racialized groups, people with disabilities, immigrants and refugees, undocumented individuals, 2SLGBTQ+ people, people of low income and other groups the City identifies as historically underrepresented.
Funding is available through three program funding streams:
To be eligible, applicants must have a head office in the City of Toronto (except for Band Councils, Tribal Councils or other Indigenous governments) and/or be one of the following:
More detail is available in the downloadable program guidelines.
Eligible organizations must submit their application on the City of Toronto’s Grants, Rebates and Incentives portal. More detail is available in the downloadable TGRIP User Guide. Please read and then register and set up your account.
Applications closed on October 14, 2022.
Please note that an organization can receive only one grant from the Cultural Festival Funding Program per calendar year.
If you would like more information, please email CFFP@toronto.ca.
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.
In October 2019, City Council directed staff to redesign the City’s cultural grant programs with the intention of developing more accessible, competitive programs, and achieving a greater impact for equity-deserving communities (see Council’s decision). Specifically, Council requested that staff create a new funding stream for cultural festivals, and develop an alternative approach to operating funding to replace the former Major Cultural Organizations and Grants to Specialized Collections Museums programs. The Cultural Festivals Funding Program was launched in 2022. Staff will report to Council with recommended changes to operating funding arrangements in 2023.