The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) is our province’s primary funding body for the arts. Since 1963, we’ve helped artists and arts organizations to realize their creative visions, build careers and audiences, and bring arts activity to communities of all sizes across Ontario.
The arts are essential to the health and prosperity of our communities, and the impact of the arts is profound, touching every corner of our lives. The arts inspire us, challenge us, and connect us in ways that are both deeply personal and remarkably universal. Not to mention, arts activities can be engaging, entertaining – and just plain fun!
The government’s long-term investment through OAC has had an invaluable impact on Ontario – fostering economic opportunities, social connection, mental health, community well-being and cultural tourism across the province. By investing in the arts, we are also investing in the continued vitality and well-being of our communities.
OAC’s role goes beyond being Ontario’s primary funding body for the arts by:
- offering granting programs that support professional artists and arts organizations across Ontario with grants awarded through rigorous, transparent peer assessment processes;
- providing advisory services that offer resources to help artists develop their careers;
- showcasing the value and impact of the arts to policymakers and the public; and
- conducting research studies on the impact and needs of the arts sector.
Our mandate
To foster the creation and production of art for the benefit of all Ontarians.
Our vision
OAC leads the way for all Ontarians to access and embrace the arts as vital to life, the economy, and community.
Our values
- Mission-driven: We are committed to our mandate, ensuring our actions align with the needs of Ontarians and the arts sector. We recognize the arts as vital to the lives of Ontarians.
- Adaptability: We achieve our goals by partnering and collaborating to serve the evolving needs of Ontario’s arts community and public.
- Accountability: We prioritize effectiveness, clear communication, and responsible decision-making while delivering exemplary professional service.
- Equity, diversity, accessibility & inclusion: We remain committed to ensuring all artists and communities can fully participate in the arts. We promote artistic expression across Ontario’s diverse demographics, and are committed to equitable access to funding, resources, and opportunities.
- Regional representation: We are committed to artists and communities across all regions of Ontario.
Our history
In 1962, several visionary Ontarians approached John Robarts, Premier of Ontario, with the idea of establishing a provincial arts council. This group, led by Arthur Gelber, represented the fledgling arts infrastructure that existed then in Ontario. On April 26, 1963, Bill 162 – the legislation setting up the arts council – was given its final reading in the Ontario Legislature, creating the Ontario Arts Council (OAC).
Ontarians, through their elected officials, had decided that the arts were important to their lives and deserved support through public funding. It was the beginning of a system that, with the assistance of other municipal, provincial, and federal funders, has enabled Ontario to flourish as an artistically rich and creative province.