Application deadline: March 4, 2024
For questions about this program, contact Peter Kingstone, Program Manager, Visual/Media Arts.
Toronto Arts Council provides funding support to outstanding artists and arts organizations that contribute to the cultural life of the City of Toronto. 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 centres 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.
What does this program support?
The Visual and Media Arts Program provides Annual Operating support to professional1, non-profit, 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.
Visual and Media arts groups supported through this program include: artist-run and public galleries, distribution organizations, arts service organizations, production cooperatives, festivals, exhibition groups and artists’ or curatorial collectives.
Who can apply?
To be eligible for Annual Operating funding, an applicant must:
- be non-profit;
- be a professional1 Visual Arts or Media Arts organization that pays 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 visual or media arts 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.
Organizations must conduct their visual and media arts activities on an annual, ongoing basis either throughout the year or on a seasonal basis. A single project does not constitute annual or seasonal activity. Organizations, whose level of activity varies from season to season, in keeping with their mandate, must describe their multi-year creation and production cycle. Annual and biennial festivals that have completed a minimum of two editions are also eligible.
First-time Applicants
First-time applicants are organizations that did not receive an operating grant last year.
- First-time applicants must consult with the Visual/Media Arts 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. The next year first-time applicants may apply is:
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.
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