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Ontario Arts Council (OAC)
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Contact

Maura Broadhurst

Officer
416-646-7467
Toll-free in Ontario: ​​​​​1-800-387-0058

Elizabeth Braoudakis

Program Administrator
416-969-7412
Toll-free in Ontario: ​​​1-800-387-0058

Arts Service Organizations: Operating

Until this program opens in Nova, the Ontario Arts Council’s online granting system, program information may change. This includes deadline dates and specific information on eligibility. Be sure to visit this page after the program opens in Nova, but before starting your application.

Purpose

The program supports the ongoing operations of not-for-profit, professional arts service organizations in Ontario. Arts service organizations may have provincial, national, regional or local mandates. There are five categories:

  • National Arts Service Organizations
  • Provincial Arts Service Organizations
  • Regional Arts Service Organizations
  • Local Arts Service Organizations
  • Community Arts Councils

Priorities

The program’s priorities are to support organizations that demonstrate a consistent commitment to:

  • providing high-quality services to professional artists, arts professionals or arts organizations in Ontario
  • providing services for members who are or who are mandated to support OAC priority groups: artists of colour, Deaf Artists and artists with disabilities, Francophone artists, Indigenous artists, new generation artists (18-30 year old), and artists living in regions outside Toronto

Deadline dates

March 14, 2024, 1 p.m. ET

  • In 2024, this program is in year 3 of a three-year cycle.
  • Applications are available in Nova about two months before the deadline.
  • Financial and statistical reports must be submitted through Canadian Arts Data / Données sur les arts au Canada (CADAC) before the deadline.
  • Grant notification will be available about five months after the deadline.
Important:
  • 2025 will be the next deadline open to new applicants to this program.
  • Potential new applicants (organizations that did not receive a grant from this program last year) must contact the program officer at least one month before the deadline to request approval to apply. This process will involve one or more discussions between OAC and the potential applicant to determine its eligibility to and fit with the program, what grant amount to request, and other particulars.

Recent changes

The application questions and evaluation rubric have been reworked to better align with OAC’s current strategic plan.

Eligible applicants

  • Ontario-based, not-for-profit corporations, or national not-for-profit corporations with the head office in Ontario
  • Organizations must have:
    • at least $75,000 in total revenues for the last fiscal year, and in projected revenues for the current and requested years (for applicants not currently receiving funding from this program)
    • at least two years of sustained, regular, ongoing programming, as of the application date. If your organization does not meet this requirement, consider applying for project funding
    • a range of revenue sources
    • an active board of directors/governing body
  • Arts Service Organizations must:
    • have a primary mandate to provide services to artists and/or arts organizations
    • serve professional artists, arts professionals and/or arts organizations
    • The arts professionals and arts organizations you serve must be eligible to apply to another OAC program
    • have at least one (full- or half-time) paid staff member. If your organization does not currently have any paid staff, a written plan proposing how the organization will move toward having paid staff within the next year or two is required

Read the Guide to OAC Operating Programs for more eligibility information.

Ineligible applicants

  • non-arts organizations
  • municipalities, colleges and/or universities

To apply

Complete and submit an application in Nova, OAC’s online grant application system. You will be able to apply online in Nova about two months before the deadline.


Before applying, you must:

Your completed application includes:

For information on how assessors rate applications see the Evaluation Rubric - Operating Programs.