Back to All Grants Playwrights program Grants for individuals to support the creation of theatrical plays. Application Deadline June 16, 2025 Grant Category Discipline Apply Guidelines Reach out to a Grant Manager Sarah Miller-Garvin Interim Program Manager, Theatre 416-392-6802 x 205 sarahmg@torontoartscouncil.org WHAT DOES THIS PROGRAM SUPPORT? Toronto Arts Council’s Playwrights Program provides support to playwrights for the writing of theatrical plays.The program provides two levels of support. The following fixed amounts are available:LEVEL ONE: $4,000 – for new or emerging playwrights with little or no prior history of production.LEVEL TWO: $8,000 – for mid-career or senior playwrights who have written at least one work for the stage which has been professionally produced or presented as part of a theatre season or at a theatre festival THIS PROGRAM DOES NOT FUND: Projects that have been completed prior to the announcement of results. Toronto Arts Council does not fund retroactively. Academic work or work towards a graduate degree; film or television scripts; publishing; translation; production costs associated with mounting a stage production; tuition fees. Projects that have been funded once in this program. Playwrights who receive a grant may not reapply to continue or finish the same project. when can the project happen? The Project Start Date must be after you receive the notification of results. While it is understood that works in progress will have begun before the submission deadline, the period of time covered by this grant must commence after September 30. All projects must be completed within two years of the date that the Notification Letter was issued. WHO CAN APPLY? To be eligible for this funding, an applicant must:1 be Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents or have an application pending for Permanent Resident status or be a Protected Person (approved refugee claimant) and, if requested, be able to provide documentation to verify this. be residents of the City of Toronto for at least one year prior to the application deadline. Temporary absences of up to 12 months may be considered, subject to written explanation and special permission; please contact the Program Manager. A Post Office Box address can’t be used to meet the residency requirement. Undergraduate students cannot apply. Professional artists pursuing graduate studies may not apply for work related to their program of study. A letter from the graduate program director specifying that the project is not related to the graduate student’s program of studies must be submitted with the application. Writing projects in languages other than English or French are accepted if the writing sample is accompanied by an accurate English translation. An applicant must have started writing the play for which funding is requested. A sample of writing from the proposed project is required for this application. Applicants may submit an application to either the Playwrights or the Writers program, but not to both. Applicants may apply for funding for only one project per deadline. Applicants may receive a grant through TAC’s Playwrights or Writers Program only once every two years. Those who received a grant in 2024 are not eligible to apply in 2025 but may reapply in 2026. Collaborative proposals (involving a co-applicant) are eligible. For these proposals, one of the applicants must identify a principal applicant. Co-applicants are subject to the same eligibility criteria as single, individual applicant and must be involved equally in creation of the work. If the application is successful, the grant payment will be payable to the principal applicant, as listed in the application. Similarly, a T4A slip will be issued to the principal applicant. Additional Information How do I apply? Applicants register and submit the application on TAC Grants Online. Applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 pm on the deadline dates. 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. The Playwrights Program assessment process is blind, meaning peer assessors are not given access to applicant names and resumes. To maintain anonymity, applicants must not identify themselves in the project description and support material sections of the application. Failure to comply may result in disqualification. TAC Accessibility Grant 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. 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. 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.) The Playwrights Program is a Discipline program. Applicants may receive a maximum of one Discipline grant per calendar year. Applicants may not apply for more than one Discipline grant at a time. However, we offer other types of granting opportunities through our Strategic Category, and you may be eligible to apply to one of these programs. Please note: if you apply for a Playwrights Program 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 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.