Call for Proposals: Creative Communities Program (Canada)

TAC is committed to artistic excellence, innovation, and accessibility, and supports a wide spectrum of artistic endeavour and a range of activity that makes the City of Toronto one of the leading cultural centers in Canada. Through its support, TAC cultivates a richer engagement between artists and audiences and reflects the City of Toronto through the diversity of artists, arts communities and audiences that it serves.

Art practiced at a community level creates a powerful sense of inclusion, understanding, and the possibility of self-expression among participants. It can involve one or more art practices, such as music, dance, theatre, visual arts, and storytelling. The collaborative involvement of professional artists with community members is a necessary component.

TAC contributes to the development of community arts in Toronto by supporting community-engaged arts activity that demonstrates vision and excellence. In addition to funding professional arts organizations and community groups engaged in community arts activities, TAC recognizes the vital contribution emerging arts organizations make to the cultural life of Toronto and provides funding opportunities to assist these groups to access professional artistic leadership.

Eligible Activities

• Community Engaged Arts: This program funds professional arts organizations that bring artists and communities together to do creative and participatory work. The engagement can be through programs such as:
  • storefront and neighbourhood-based arts centers
  • artist residencies
  • collaborative creation and presentation/exhibition of artwork
  • workshops and mentoring
  • exploration of community issues through art
  • sustaining of traditional, culturally-based art forms.
• Arts Service Organizations: This program funds professional arts organization that supports the work of professional artists working at a community level. This can include:
  • organizations that provide booking/promotional services to professional artists working in schools, parks, libraries and community centers
  • multidisciplinary arts organizations that serve and support artist-members
  • organizations whose primary purpose is to support the professional practice of community arts.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for Annual Operating funding, an applicant must:
  • be non-profit;
  • have professional artistic leadership and pay appropriate professional fees to artists;
  • be located in the City of Toronto and have a significant portion of its activities occurring within the City;
  • have a history of sustained creative communities activity over the two years prior to this application;
  • have received a minimum of two project grants through TAC’s Arts Discipline or Strategic programs;
  • have a viable administrative structure;
  • have sound financial management;
  • submit verification of financial results of the last completed fiscal year:
    • for requests over $30,000, audited financial statements are required;
    • for requests of $30,000 or less, if annual operating revenues are $100,000 or more, a review engagement is required, (or, if available, audited financial statements);
    • for requests of $30,000 or less, if annual operating revenues are under $100,000, unaudited financial statements that include a balance sheet and a statement of income and expenses is required, (or, if available, audited financial statements or a review engagement);
  • demonstrate a range of revenue sources on an annual basis, including earned, government and private sector revenues;
  • be governed by a Board of Directors or other body responsible for the organization.
• First-Time applicants:
  • First-time applicants are organizations that did not receive an operating grant last year:
    • First-time applicants must consult with the Creative Communities Program Manager before submitting an operating grant application.
    • Additional eligibility requirement: First-time applicants must have at least $75,000 in total revenues for the last completed year, and in projected revenues for the current and request years.
    • First-time applicants to the Annual Operating program may only apply in the first year of a multi-year cycle.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Schools, tuition-funded training programs and curriculum-based programs are not eligible to apply to this program.

For more information, visit Toronto Arts Council.