What does this program support?

The Visual and Media Arts Program provides Multi-Year Operating support to professional¹, nonprofit, visual and media arts organizations engaged in the exhibition and distribution of contemporary visual and media artworks, support of the production of visual and media artworks and other activities that contribute to the development of visual and media arts, artists and audiences in Toronto. The City of Toronto supports this program through a funding allocation approved annually by Toronto City Council. In 2024, this program is open to Arts Service Organizations that meet the eligibility requirements.

Who can apply?

To be eligible for Multi-Year Operating funding, an applicant must:

• be non-profit
• be located in the City of Toronto and have a significant portion of its activities occurring within the City
• have been in operation for at least four years
• have received Annual Operating funding through TAC’s Visual/Media Arts program for at least the two past years.
• have a demonstrated record of regular, ongoing programming
• have professional artistic leadership
• have a viable administrative structure
• be governed by a Board of Directors or other body responsible for the organization
• have stable artistic, organizational and board leadership with plans in place for any transition
• have sound financial management and balanced budgets over time
• 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);
• receive significant support on an annual basis from other levels of government and/or the public and/or the private sector

First-time Applicants

First-time applicants to the Multi-Year Operating program (i.e. organizations that did not receive multi-year funding last year) must consult with Visual/Media Arts Program Manager Peter Kingstone prior to completing an application form to ensure that they are eligible to apply.

Can I Apply to Other TAC Grants?

Organizations may receive only one grant per calendar year through the Visual/Media Arts program and may not apply to other TAC discipline programs. However, TAC offers other types of granting opportunities through its Strategic Initiatives envelope, and operating grant recipients may be eligible to apply to one of these programs. Please consult TAC’s website for other granting opportunities. Operating grant recipients may receive a maximum of one additional grant per calendar year and must submit a final report on that project before applying to another program in the Strategic Initiatives envelope.

^[1] TAC recognizes that due to systemic barriers within the broader arts community (e.g. limited mainstream presentation opportunities for artists from equity-seeking communities) that some flexibility may be required in interpreting eligibility criteria to take into account equivalent professional experience and contexts. Potential applicants from equity-seeking communities are encouraged to discuss their eligibility with the program manager in advance of submitting an application.

• Full Program Guidelines for 2024 (PDF)

• Apply

• View past recipients