WHAT DOES THIS PROGRAM SUPPORT?

The Animating Historic Sites program provides funding to professional artists, arts organizations and collectives working in any artistic discipline (i.e.: theatre, dance, music, visual arts, media arts, community-engaged arts, Indigenous arts, Black arts, disability arts, arts education, literary arts, etc.) to pursue time-limited projects involving site-specific research, development, creation, production, presentation, and programming that responds to or interprets the selected site or museum. This grant may cover up to 100% of project costs, including artist fees, equipment rental, materials, and other project costs.

The maximum grant amount is $30,000.

Grant recipients will have the opportunity to conduct artistic research, investigate the site and its exhibits and archives, explore its surrounding landscape, historical and environmental context, engage with the local community, and create new site-responsive work in collaboration with the site or museum. The recipients will deliver free site-specific programming following research and development, which may vary in scope depending on the project. Programming may include activities such as: exhibitions, installations, performances, concerts, screenings, readings, workshops, presentations of work in progress, community-engaged arts activities, and other arts programming. Permanent exhibitions and installations are not eligible. All funded projects will be produced by the grant recipient and hosted and supported by the partnering site.

WHEN CAN THE PROJECT HAPPEN?

All projects must be completed in the 2026 calendar year, and, in exceptional circumstances, no later than within two years of the date on the Notification Letter. The project cannot begin before the results are announced.

WHO CAN APPLY?

Eligibility includes:¹

This grants program is open to professional artists, not-for-profit arts organizations or artist collectives operating on a not-for-profit basis, and *not-for-profit organizations. (*not-for-profit organizations that are not arts-based may only apply to undertake projects that involve the artistic leadership of professional artists.)

A professional artist is someone who has developed their skills through training and/or practice; is recognized as such by artists working in the same artistic field; actively practices their art; seeks payment for their work; and has a history of public presentation or exhibition.

Eligibility for Individuals:

• Individuals must be Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents or have an application pending for Permanent Resident Status or be a Protected Person (approved refugee claimant). If requested, you must be able to provide documentation to verify this. Grant recipients must have a Social Insurance Number.
• Individuals must have been a resident of the City of Toronto for at least one year prior to the deadline, and live and work in Toronto for at least 8 months a year. A Post Office Box address cannot be used to meet the residency requirement.

Eligibility for Organizations and Collectives:

• Organizations and collectives must be located in the City of Toronto. A Post Office Box address cannot be used to meet this requirement.
• Organizations and collectives must be incorporated non-profit organizations or unincorporated collectives which operate on a non-profit basis. A collective is defined as two or more artists working together under a group name, either on a single project (ad hoc) or on an ongoing basis. For collectives of two artists, both must be City of Toronto residents. For collectives of more than two artists, the majority of members must be City of Toronto residents.
• Not-for-profit organizations that are not arts-based are eligible to apply to this grants program. Projects must include the collaborative involvement of professional artists with community members, as well as the payment of professional artist fees.

PARTICIPATING MUSEUMS & SITES

• Evergreen Brick Works

• Toronto History Museums:
  • Gibson House
  • Montgomery’s Inn
  • Scarborough Museum
  • Spadina Museum
  • Todmorden Mills
• The Village at Black Creek

Please review the site descriptions at the end of the program guidelines.

Site tours information and registration coming soon.

information session

An information session about this program is taking place online on Thursday, May 29, 1–2:30pm.

Register at tac-ahs-info-session.eventbrite.ca/.

Additional Information

How do I apply?

Applicants are required to register and submit the application, including the required support material, on TAC Grants Online. Applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 pm on the deadline date. TAC does not accept applications by any other means of delivery. You will receive a confirmation email when your application is submitted.  Check your spam/junk mail folder if it doesn’t arrive in your in-box.

TAC Accessibility Grant

Projects involving Deaf artists and artists with disabilities may apply for an additional TAC grant by completing the Accessibility Expenses section of the application and including the requisite information in their budget. A TAC Accessibility grant will provide up to a maximum of $5,000 towards accessibility costs for artists incurred during the project. Accessibility costs include but are not limited to: ASL interpretation, audio description, closed captioning, communications assistants, attendant care (including helpers for Elders), support workers and equipment rentals or other supports required to meet artists’ accessibility needs).

Application Accessibility Support

Applicants who are Deaf or have a disability and need support to complete their grant applications can apply for funds to cover the costs of assistance from Application Support Service Providers. Up to $500 is available per eligible applicant in each calendar year. Please contact your Grant Program Manager at least six weeks before the grant program deadline to determine eligibility, request application support funding, and to review the process for payment to be made to your Service Provider. Requests for application support require approval from the Grant Program Manager. Additional information here.

Can I apply to other TAC grants?

Toronto Arts Council has two Grant Categories:

1. Discipline (e.g.: discipline-specific project grants and operating grants in Theatre, Dance, Music, etc.)

2. Strategic (e.g.: Animating Toronto Parks, Artists in the Library, Animating Historic Sites, Artreach, Open Door, etc.)

Animating Historic Sites is a Strategic program.  

Applicants may receive a maximum of one Discipline grant per calendar year. Applicants may not apply for more than one Strategic grant at a time. However, we offer other types of granting opportunities through our Discipline Category, and you may be eligible to apply to one of these programs. Please note: if you apply for a Animating Historic Sites grant you cannot also apply to another TAC program for the same project. For more detail on our granting categories, go to our About Our Grants page.

About Our Grants

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.