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.
Grants programs identify their specific criteria. They include areas such as:
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.
The Cultural Festivals Funding Program provides financial support to recurring cultural festivals whose programming supports community-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 occur in the public realm and be free to the public or offered at a nominal fee (less than $5 per person).
Learn more about Cultural Festivals Funding Program.
The Cultural Hotspot is an annual arts program that celebrates Toronto’s outside-the-core communities. Funding of up to $22,000 is provided to high impact and innovative project proposals that foster community engagement. Cultural Hotspot is delivered in collaboration with local arts and community organizations and provides valuable opportunities for youth job placement and mentorship through workshops, art activations and events.
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.
The Special Events Stabilization Initiative is a one-time funding program that provides financial relief to local special event organizers who have been hard hit by rising costs, especially those related to health, safety and security of the general public and event attendees. These costs include police paid duty officers, paramedic services, liability insurance, private security and other public safety measures.
Learn more about the Special Events Stabilization Initiative.
StreetARToronto (StART) is a suite of programs designed specifically for streets and public spaces. Since 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.
The Youth Cultural Incubators Stabilization Initiative (YCISI) focuses on enhancing the growth, capacity and long-term sustainability of Toronto’s small and mid-sized youth-serving or youth-led arts organizations. Established in 2019 as a three-year pilot, YCISI provided support to six organizations: HXOUSE, Manifesto, Nia Centre for the Arts, RISE, The Remix Project and Unity. In the next phase, nine mentee organizations will be supported by up to nine mentor organizations to focus on capacity-building and sustainability.
The Cultural Organization Operating Partnership (COOP) program was created by City Council in May 2023. The program provides operating support to not-for-profit cultural organizations with strong operational and governance links to the City of Toronto.
Under the COOP program, the City develops individual, customized partnership and funding agreements for each recipient with criteria and objectives that reflect the organization’s unique role in the cultural ecosystem. Examples of criteria include providing year-round, accessible public programming; ensuring diversity and representation in programming and administrative leadership; supporting cultural tourism; or providing affordable spaces for other artists or arts organizations. Recipients of funding through the COOP program are not eligible to receive funding from Toronto Arts Council programs.
| Organization | Grant |
|---|---|
| Art Gallery of Ontario | $594,000 |
| The Bentway | $180,000 |
| Canada’s National Ballet School | $200,000 |
| Harbourfront Centre | $1,315,500 |
| MOCA Toronto | $321,313 |
| Toronto Biennial of Art | $150,000 |
| Toronto International Film Festival Inc. | $1,165,842 |
Local Arts Service Organizations (LASOs) support the City of Toronto’s Culture Connects: An Action Plan for Culture in Toronto and the Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy, providing responsive programming and services in underserved geographic areas outside the core. They provide inclusive and affordable opportunities for community members to engage with arts and culture programming and events. As service organizations, the LASOs provide artists and organizations with learning, professional development, exhibition, performance and employment opportunities, as well as project support. The LASOs operate from an inclusive, anti-oppressive framework and are committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion. There are six LASOs receiving municipal funding:
LASOs are important building blocks for healthy and cohesive communities providing hubs for community arts programs, services and engagement. 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 collaborate and seek partnerships with wide-ranging organizations, utilizing existing resources and talent in Toronto to design, develop, facilitate and implement relevant arts services and programs.
| Organization | Funding Allocation |
|---|---|
| Arts Etobicoke | $425,906 |
| Lakeshore Arts | $305,966 |
| Scarborough Arts | $310,374 |
| UrbanArts Community Arts | $329,330 |
| East End Arts | $226,010 |
| North York Arts | $299,908 |
| Total | $1,897,494 |