Back to All Grants Visual/Media Arts Annual Operating Grants for organizations to support the exhibition, distribution and production of visual and media artworks and other activities that contribute to the development of visual and media arts, artists and audiences in Toronto. Application Deadline March 3, 2025 Grant Category Discipline Apply Guidelines Reach out to a Grant Manager Peter Kingstone Program Manager, Visual & Media Arts 416-392-6802 x 208 peter@torontoartscouncil.org What does this program support? The Visual and Media Arts Program provides Annual Operating support to professional, 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 this funding, an applicant must:1 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 $50,000, audited financial statements are required; for requests of $50,000 or less, a review engagement is required, (or, if available, audited financial statements); for requests of $25,000 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: Public Galleries 2025 Artist Run Centres & Media Festivals 2026 Service Organizations 2027 Additional Information 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.) Visual/Media Arts Annual Operating 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 Visual/Media Arts Annual Operating 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.