On February 10, Toronto City Council passed the 2026 City budget, which includes a $2 million increase to Toronto Arts Council’s base budget. We thank Mayor Chow and City Councillors for this vote of confidence in our work, and for affirming that investing in the arts is an investment in Toronto’s future.

This budget increase will directly address ongoing urgent priorities for the arts in Toronto:
– Operational stability for vital and growing arts organizations: New funding will support organizations managing rising costs so that they can keep their doors open to Toronto residents and offer decent work for Toronto artists.
– Increased resources for artists living and creating in Toronto: New funding will be invested in grants to individual artists, including mentorship grants to newcomer artists, grants to musicians, and grants to visual and media artists.
– More access to arts experiences in neighbourhoods across the city: New funding will increase opportunities for artists to share their work in public spaces such as parks, libraries, and historic sites.

At Toronto Arts, our vision of Toronto is a vibrant global city where life is creative, where artists thrive because they are valued, and where the arts inspire connected communities for all. City Council’s increase to our base budget this year brings us closer to this vision.

To those of you who contacted your representative at City Hall to tell them that public funding of the arts matters to you: thank you. We need your collaboration and are grateful for your support. As we head into an election later this year, we’ll be keeping a spotlight on the arts and counting on your continued engagement.

With these new funds landing soon, we can’t wait to roll up our sleeves and get started.

Warmly,

Kelly Langgard
Director & CEO
Toronto Arts Council & Foundation