Indigenous Arts & Culture Fund

Incubation Stream

Incubation funding supports first-time initiatives, project research or pilot phases. This funding supports incubation or development activities that allow eligible applicants to apply for a larger amount through the Activation Stream at a later deadline.

Funding Available

Maximum grant is $10,000 per project.

Eligible Applicants

Open to Indigenous (Status and Non-Status First Nations, Inuit, Métis) people, including:

• Individual artists, arts and culture leaders and professionals
• Groups and collectives
• Non-profit Indigenous organizations

Eligible Activities

• Incubation or development phases of new initiatives for Indigenous arts and culture presentations, gatherings, creative collaborations and exchanges that have the potential for economic benefits, transformative impact and/or increased visibility.
• Short-term or pilot residency programs, including artistic, knowledge-sharing, business, creative, technical or skills-based development.
• Market research, impact studies, development of best practices and protocols that will support the advancement of Indigenous arts and culture.
• Documenting and sharing Indigenous perspectives, ways of life in an environment of mutual exchange and reciprocity.
• Conducting research into traditional or historical practices in the context of contemporary expressions of art and culture.

Examples of types of projects that may be funded in this stream:

• An emerging arts professional, such as a lighting, sound, or costume designer is brought on to support a live production and learn new skills
• An organization works with an Elder-in-Residence to share knowledge and expertise with staff and community members.
• A textile designer researches museum archives to gain inspiration and make new connections between traditional methodologies and contemporary practice
• An artist independently or through partnership with an educational institution explore new models for sharing Indigenous histories and cultures in the classroom.

How to Apply

Application deadline is October 3 at 3 p.m.

Apply Online

For questions about the fund, please email IndigenousCommunityGrants@Toronto.ca.

Activation Stream

Activation funding supports projects and initiatives that have the potential to spark lasting impact and opportunities for Indigenous-led arts and culture projects in Toronto. Priority is given to projects that demonstrate ongoing impact on the arts and culture landscape in Toronto.

Funding Available

Maximum grant is $30,000 per project.

In exceptional circumstances a larger amount may be considered. Please speak with the program officer if you consider your project and request exceptional.

Eligible

Open to Indigenous (Status and Non-Status First Nations, Inuit, Métis) people, including:

• Individual artists, arts and culture leaders and professionals
• Groups and collectives
• Non-profit Indigenous organizations.

Eligible activities include but are not limited to:

• Projects that create economic or market development opportunities for Indigenous artists, arts leaders and professionals, and Indigenous creative enterprises
• Knowledge sharing and exchange
• Arts and culture presentations, exhibitions, gatherings, creative collaborations that demonstrate clear economic benefits, transformative impact and/or new opportunities for visibility.

Examples of types of projects that may be funded in this stream:

• A new festival or event that supports Indigenous creative entrepreneurs is launched or enhanced.
• An artist-in-residence works with a performing arts institution to create a new engagement opportunity through a partnership that bridges new audiences or communities.
• An organization hosts an artist-in-residence to explore new technologies in their work and expertise is exchanged between the artist and staff.
• A Toronto-based Indigenous organization partners with a market researcher to track the impact of their work.

Not Eligible

• Students whose project or initiatives are related to their school work
• Non-residents of Toronto
• Organizations whose central office is located outside of Toronto
• For-profit organizations
• Groups, collectives or organizations that are non-Indigenous controlled (less than 50 per cent Indigenous board, executive staff and/or membership).

How to Apply

Application deadline is October 3 at 3 p.m.

Apply Online

Definitions

Indigenous

For the purpose of this program, Indigenous is defined as Status and Non-Status First Nations, Inuit or Métis people. This funding is open to Indigenous residents of the city of Toronto.

Groups and Collectives

Defined as consisting of more than two people, of whom at least 50 per cent are First Nations, Inuit or Métis and live in Toronto. The group or collective must have a bank account in the name of their name in order to receive funding from the City of Toronto in this program.

Non-profit Indigenous Organizations

Defined as an incorporated non-profit with 51 per cent of board members and key leadership staff (Executive Director, Finance Director, Artistic Director) who are First Nations, Inuit or Métis people.

Economic Benefits

May include creating access to paid work opportunities; promoting a field of practice where there is a lack of representation or opportunity for Indigenous people; creating opportunities for buyers or marketplace to access work; or building new audiences for Indigenous creative work.

Residencies

May include arts and culture creation and presentation; business and administration; technical skills development including for designers, production crew, and creative back-end roles; research and development; learning and exchange.

Culture

In this context, Culture refers to Indigenous ways of life, knowledge and worldviews, and includes artistic and cultural expressions that are traditional and/or contemporary.

Assessment Process & Notification

Assessment Process

Applications are assessed by a committee made up of Indigenous community members. The committee assesses projects based on the following criteria.

Readiness and sustainability

• Does the project meet the objectives of the fund?
• Is the project timely and well suited to the person, group or organization undertaking it?
• Is there a strong team working on, or supporting, the project?
• Does the project have the potential to serve as a model for future opportunities in the City?

Impact

• Will the project have a clear benefit to the participant/s or external audiences?
• Will there be short and long-term impact as a result of the project?
• Are there appropriate evaluation mechanisms?
• Have they articulated the economic benefits?

Viability

• Does the applicant have a track record of success that is relevant to this project?
• Have they demonstrated the skills and expertise to undertake this project?
• Is their timeline and workplan realistic?
• Is their budget appropriate to the project, with potential to scale if projected revenue is not achieved?

Notification

Successful applicants will be required to submit:

• Letter of Agreement with the City of Toronto
• Memo of Understanding with Partner
• Declaration of Compliance with City’s Anti-Harassment/Discrimination Policy (to be signed by applicant and partner)

Successful applicants receive 90 per cent of the funding amount on completion of the required documents. The final 10 per cent is released on delivery of a final report on project completion.

Applicants have a maximum of two years from the notification date to complete their projects. Applicants cannot apply for the program again until a final report is submitted.

Past Successful Applicants

Allocations – 2023 Indigenous Arts and Culture Partnerships Fund

Recipient	Project	Amount
Quinn Hopkins	An Urban Indigenous Odyssey	$30,000
Artists of the Opera Missing (ATOM)	Missing	$30,000
Plutarco “Chico” Pacheco	Indigenous Community Percussion Project	$5,000
Jenn Forgie	Seven Pieces	$10,000
Michele Lonechild	Digging In Our Roots	$30,000
Star Nahwegahbo	From Weeds We Grow: Restoration of Relationship – Braiding Ourselves into Creation	$30,000
Sandra Laronde	“She Holds Up the Stars” for Stage with TSO	$30,000
Indigiqueer Earthwork TO	Bundle up	$30,000

 

Allocations – 2022 Indigenous Arts and Culture Partnerships Fund

Recipient	Project	Amount
Native Canadian Centre of Toronto	Indigenous Youth Art Exhibit	$10,000
Inuit Art Foundation	Up Front: Inuit Public Art at Onsite Gallery	$30,000
Dana Marlatt	Re:conciliation Project	$10,000
Indigenous Land Stewardship Circle	A Circle of Indigenous Land Stewardship: Restoring & Activating Earthwork, Ceremony, and Community Relationships in High Park	$30,000
Native Child and Family Services of Toronto (NCFST)	Seventh Fire Podcast	$30,000
2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations	Drum Building Arts Workshop	$10,000

 

Allocations – 2021 Indigenous Arts and Culture Partnerships Fund

Recipient	Project	Amount
Association for Native Development in the Performing and Visual Arts (ANDPVA)	Creation and Clan Story Workshops for Residential School Survivors in partnership with Council Fire	$30,000
Finding Our Power Together	Telling Our Stories Together	$30,000
Indigenous Fashion Arts	Indigenous Fashion Week 2022	$30,000
Native Earth Performing Arts Incorporated	Where The Blood Mixes and Kamloopa	$50,000
Red Sky Performance	Dancing with Purpose	$30,000
Ryerson University Student Pow Wow Planning Committee	Ryerson University Student Pow Wow	$30,000
First Nations House – Indigenous Student Services at the University of Toronto	From Community to Campus: Building Cultural Knowledge and Connection to Land and Community within a Post-Secondary Institution	$30,000
Sandra Laronde	She Holds up the Stars	$30,000
Signal Theatre	Greyeyes/ Vivier	$30,000
Vision Quest	Metis Nation of Canada (MNOT) beading workshops	$20,000

Allocations – 2020 Indigenous Arts and Culture Partnerships Fund

Recipient	Project	Amount
Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto	2020 Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto	$30,000
Ryerson Student Pow Wow Committee	2020 Ryerson University Student Pow Wow	$30,000
Talking Treaties Collective	Talking Treaties with Toronto Biennial of Art Toronto 2021	$30,000
Tkaronto Music Festival	2021 Tkaronto Music Festival	$30,000
Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre	3rd Indigenous Legacy Celebration – Virtual	$30,000
Robin Jacko (individual)	Growing Our Roots	$30,000
First Nations House – Indigenous Student Services at the University of Toronto	From Community to Campus: Building Cultural Knowledge and Connection to Land and Community within a Post-Secondary Institution	$30,000
Red Sky Performance	Mistatim	$25,000
Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance (IPAA)	Built for Survival: Indigenous Performing Arts pre and post COVID-19	$25,000
No More Silence	Disability Justice through Indigenous Ceremony and Sacred Practices	$20,000
Sister Circle Consulting	Digital Illustrations of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada – A Teaching Resource	$10,000
Native Child and Family Services of Toronto	Empowering Indigenous Youth Artist Entrepreneurs: NCFST and DAREarts Artist Educators’ Partnership	$10,000

Allocations – 2019 Indigenous Arts and Culture Partnerships Fund

Recipient	Project	Amount
Signal Theatre Inc.	Two Odysseys: Pimooteewin/Gallabartnit	$30,000
Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto	2019 Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto	$30,000
Ange Loft (individual)	Dish History Creative Suite and By These Presents: “Purchasing” Toronto Legacy	$30,000
Ryerson University Indigenous Student Pow Wow Committee	2019 Ryerson University Student Pow Wow	$30,000
imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival	Festival Village Marketing Campaign Mentorship	$30,000
Toronto and York Regional Metis Council	Metis Culture and Community	$10,000
The Deepening Knowledge Project – Ontario Institute for Studies in Education – University of Toronto	Indigenous Artist-in-Residence	$10,000
Ryan Rice (individual)	Placeholders Collective	$9,450

Allocations – 2018 Indigenous Arts and Culture Partnerships Fund

Recipient	Project	Amount
No More Silence	Two Odysseys: Pimooteewin/Gallabartnit	$30,000
Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance (IPAA)	Indigenous NOW	$30,000
Vance Banzo (individual)	Achimoh (tell a story!) Comedy Writing and Performance Workshop	$10,000
Vanessa Dion Fletcher (individual)	Artist-in-Residence Program at OCAD University	$10,000
Association for Native Development in the Performing and Visual Arts (ANDVPA)	Intelligent Engagement Network	$10,000
Renegade Radio	An Evening of Native Jazz 3	$10,000