WHAT DOES THIS PROGRAM SUPPORT?

The Animating Toronto Parks grants program provides funding to professional artists, arts organizations, artist collectives, and non-profit organizations to create and present free arts programming in selected Toronto parks located in Etobicoke, East York, York, North York and Scarborough. For the purposes of this program, “arts programming” may include the presentation of dance, literary arts, music, theatre, visual and media arts, community-engaged arts, Indigenous arts, and other fields of artistic practice. Community consultation and/or engagement is a requirement of the program.

The maximum grant in this program is $25,000. Grants awarded may be less than the full amount requested. Applicants are not required to secure other sources of funding. The payment of artists’ fees is a requirement of this program.

Grant recipients will be provided with:

• funding toward artist fees and production elements
• access to the park space (permit dates subject to approval by TAC and Parks & Recreation)
• coverage under the TAC’s liability insurance
• information regarding additional requirements (emergency action plan, waste and recycling diversion plan, etc.) or additional permits (noise exemption, building permit, etc.)
• an introduction to City of Toronto P&R permit staff, Park People, and local community/parks groups
• support under Toronto Arts Foundation’s Arts in the Parks initiative, including marketing, promotion, inclusion on the artsintheparksto.org website, wayfinding signage, onsite volunteers, assistance with local community outreach, and other support. Participation in Arts in the Parks is a requirement of the program.

Program Partners:

• Toronto Arts Foundation (Arts in the Parks) 
• City of Toronto Parks & Recreation
• Park People 

when can the project happen?

All funded programming will take place in the city parks in summer 2027.  

WHO CAN APPLY?

• 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.¹
• 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. ²

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 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.
• Organizations and collectives must be located in the City of Toronto. A Post Office Box address cannot be used to meet this requirement.

parks list

The following is a list of parks that have been pre-approved by City of Toronto Parks & Recreation for this program.  

NOTE: List of available parks is subject to change; an alternative park may be assigned for your project. 

Go here to check out a map of all park locations.

Starting in 2026, an applicant can pick “Other” on the park list. The park must be located in Toronto, outside of the downtown core. Assignment of a park outside of the designated park list cannot be guaranteed, but will be considered if compelling rationale is included, such as ongoing work in a local park. An applicant must be prepared to adapt programming to an alternative park, if funded.

REcurring Funding

In 2026 TAC is piloting a recurring funding opportunity for applicants to Animating Toronto Parks. The opportunity will provide a grant for three consecutive years: for project delivery in 2027, 2028 and 2029. Applicants approved for three years of recurring funding will be notified in 2026. The grant amounts will be released annually upon submitting interim reporting.   

To be considered for recurring three-year funding, the applicants must:   

• have received the ATP grant at least three times, with at least one approved grant in the past three years;  

• be committed to continue working in a park as described in the application (or similar) for the next three years.   

Meeting eligibility criteria does not guarantee receiving recurring funding; a one-time grant may be awarded, or none. Please see the program guidelines for more details. 

you will need a special events permit

Any activity in a City park (including rehearsals) will require a permit from Parks & Recreation (P&R). Park permits are all subject to approval by P&R, taking into consideration existing permits and limitations on some parks.

Please review the Program Guidelines for more information about Special Events Permits. In summary:

• Animating Toronto Parks grant recipients need to apply for a Special Events Permit, however, Special Events Permit fees will be waived.
• Fees for permits required for any additional activity will not be covered under this program.
• Other Toronto Arts Council grant recipients participating in the Arts in the Parks program may be eligible for reimbursement of park permit fees.

APPLICATION SUPPORT

• Watch the information session below   

• Review the guidelines   

• Attend one or more thematic office hours with the program manager. All sessions will take place on zoom; please register at the links below to attend. These will be informal sessions with minimal presentation, led by participants’ questions. To make the most of your time, please review the guidelines before joining. Past applicants and recipients are encouraged to attend to share their experience; but the primary goal is to support new applicants.    

Is This Program for Me? + Application Form  

Attend to find out about eligibility and project fit; feasibility; practicalities of working in a public park. We will also look at the application form and establish exactly what each section is all about.   

Monday, April 20, 12–1pm: Register  

Tuesday, May 5, 10–11am: Register      

Budget! Budget! Budget!   

Attend to demystify the budget table; learn to draft a supplementary budget and to format it in a way that peer reviewers can easily understand. (These sessions are for applicants to both the Animating Historic Sites and Animating Toronto Parks programs).  

Thursday, May 7, 10–11am: Register  

Wednesday, May 13, 12–1pm: Register   

Recurring Funding Explained  

We’ll talk about the new recurring funding opportunity within the program and exactly how it works. This hour is primarily for the applicants who are eligible for this measure and want to find out more.   

Monday, April 20, 2–3pm: Register  

Wednesday, May 6, 10–11am: Register  

• Reach out to program manager for 1:1 support  

• First-time applicants can have their application draft reviewed by the program manager if requested at least 2 weeks in advance of the deadline. 

Information sessions

Watch this video recording of an information session that took place on October 24, 2022:

Additional Information

How do I apply?

Applicants 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 Accessibility Grant that 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. 

Starting in 2026, the TAC Accessibility Grant will allow grant recipients to apply for an Accessibility Grant at any time during their project. The Accessibility Grant will be available to grant recipients as a separate application in 2026.

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 Toronto Parks is a Strategic program.  

Applicants may receive a maximum of one Strategic 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 Toronto Parks 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.

Animating Toronto Parks Exception: If you received an Animating Toronto Parks grant for activities happening in summer 2026, you can still apply in this round for activities in summer 2027.

About Our Grants

1. Not-for-profit organizations that are not arts-based may only apply to undertake projects that involve the artistic leadership of professional artists.
2. 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.