Recognition Requirements for Project Grant Recipients

One of the four directions in OAC’s strategic plan Reset. Renew. Revitalize. is amplifying the impact, benefits and value of the arts. This includes demonstrating the broad impact of public arts funding. As OAC strives to increase the visibility of the impact of the arts in communities across Ontario, grant recipients play a key role in highlighting this impact to community leaders and elected officials.  

In order to achieve this, OAC has updated the funding recognition policy for all grant recipients awarded funding from April 1, 2023, onwards. (If you received a project grant before March 31, 2023, please refer to the previous recognition policy.) 
 

Recognition stages – for organizations and groups only

1. Before being notified of your application result: You may be contacted by a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in advance of receiving your official notification letter from OAC.
   1. If this happens, take the opportunity to begin building a relationship with the MPP, and be sure to acknowledge the importance of public arts funding. (For example, you can send them a note recognizing this, along with information about your upcoming events/projects.)
2. In the 20 business days following receipt of your notification letter from OAC: OAC requires that grant recipients observe a Communications Embargo Period. This means that organizations must not make any public/media announcements about their new grant during this period (unless it has been initiated by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport or another MPP, to give them the opportunity to be the first to announce it).
   1. During this period, your MPP might contact you about making an announcement. If this happens, you can communicate publicly about the funding after the announcement (even if 20 business days have not passed).
   2. You can also initiate contact with your MPP during this period, to begin working on the requirements outlined in the next section. 
3. 20 business days after receipt of your notification letter: You are required to proceed with all of the below.

Requirements for all project grant recipients (organizations, groups and individuals)

• Post on social media: After being notified that you have received OAC funding, post about this on all social media platforms that you or your organization regularly use in a professional context.
  • Both OAC and your local MPP should be tagged in these posts (unless OAC or the MPP doesn’t have a presence on that particular platform). You can find out who your MPP is using this website.
  • *NEW* Additionally, repost/reshare OAC’s Arts for All Ontarians video, which is pinned at the top of all of OAC’s social media feeds.  
• Use both OAC’s logo and the Government of Ontario logo. Both OAC and the provincial government’s logos must be used in all promotional/advertising materials (both print and digital), and in several other ways. Full instructions on where and how to use the logos are available on this web page: Logos.

Requirements only for project grant recipients that produce/participate in public events

• Send out an announcement: Contact media outlets in your community to let them know that you have received an arts grant. Include details of any public events supported by the funding you received, or places where your funded work will be presented.
• Recognize OAC funding: At any events where there will be formal remarks, announce that the event was produced with the support of a provincial arts grant. (If you are also recognizing other funders or private sector sponsors, spend an equal amount of time recognizing OAC funding.)
• *NEW* Show OAC’s promotional video: At any event where there’s a screen, play Arts for All Ontarians – OAC’s video highlighting the vibrancy and diversity of arts across the province. 
  • Download the video from Vimeo (recommended). 
  • Stream the video directly from YouTube. 
• Illustrate funding impact: Take the opportunity to speak about the importance of provincial arts funding – highlighting not only the funding itself, but the impact of the funding.
• Invite your MPP: The public presentation of your or your organization’s funded work can provide a great opportunity to connect with your MPP. Invite them to attend the event, and (if appropriate) offer them the opportunity to provide remarks.
  • Give the MPP’s office as much lead time as possible when offering opportunities. Also note that it may not be possible for MPPs outside the Greater Toronto Area to attend events in their constituencies on days when the legislature is sitting (full calendar available here).
  • If an MPP confirms attendance, please let your program officer know.
  • We understand that some events may not be suited to this kind of celebratory moment. In those cases, you can simply request a meeting with your MPP – see the Exceptions section for more information.
• After the event: Share video and/or images from the event on social media, and be sure to tag OAC and your local MPP.

Exceptions

• If your event is not suited to this kind of celebratory moment, you should instead request a meeting with your MPP to talk about the work that you do, and the impact that it has. 
  • Give the MPP’s office as much lead time as possible when requesting a meeting. Also note that it may not be possible for MPPs outside the Greater Toronto Area to meet in-person in their constituencies on days when the legislature is sitting (full calendar available here). 
• If the activity for which you or your organization has received OAC funding does not have a public presentation component, the only required recognition activities are those under the heading Requirements for all project grant recipients (organizations, groups and individuals).