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Shoshana Wasser

Associate Director of Public Affairs and Communications
416-969-7434
Toll-free in Ontario: 1-800-387-0058

OAC Launches Arts Response Initiative

August 11, 2020


The Ontario Arts Council's (OAC) new $1.6 million Arts Response Initiative (ARI) will help Ontario artists and arts organizations respond to challenges posed by the pandemic. Program details and applications are now available here.

 

What will the Arts Response Initiative support?

This one-time initiative will support activities and expenses focused on research, training and planning for ways to adapt artistic practices and activities in response to the COVID-19 context. OAC’s project programs continue to support arts creation, production, presentation or dissemination and arts engagement activities, many with expanded eligibility related to COVID-19.

 

To develop the ARI, OAC hosted a series of informal conversations with artists and arts administrators which reinforced that the impact of COVID-19 is uneven across arts sectors, communities and regions in this province. As a result, projects that support members of OAC’s designated priority groups and that demonstrate support to diverse artists and arts communities will be given precedence.

 

Funding

The budget for this initiative comes from within OAC’s annual base budget. Funds have been redirected from temporarily suspended programs supporting activities that are limited due to COVID-19. These include Market Development Travel Assistance, Market Development Projects and the Chalmers Arts Fellowships (a private endowment managed by OAC).

 

Who can apply for this funding?

Individuals

Deadline: October 20, 2020
  • This category supports activities and expenses that assist individual Ontario-based professional artists to work in the context of COVID-19. This can include activities and expenses that assist artists in the short to long-term.
  • Innovative projects to develop new ways of creating, producing, presenting or developing markets that are outside the parameters of existing OAC granting programs.
  • Projects that support an individual artist’s ability to adapt to a changing environment for their practice.
  • Set grant amount of $4,000.

If you have specific questions about applying for funding through this category, please contact:

 

Zhe Gu
Program Officer
zgu@arts.on.ca

 

Elizabeth Braoudakis
Program Administrator
lbraoudakis@arts.on.ca

 

Ad Hoc Groups, Collectives and Organizations

Deadline: November 3, 2020
  • This category supports activities and expenses that assist Ontario-based groups, collectives and professional arts organizations to work in the context of COVID-19. This may include elements that assist them in the short to long-term.
  • Innovative projects to develop new ways of creating, producing, presenting or developing markets that are outside the parameters of existing OAC granting programs.
  • Projects that have the potential to transform the artistic or operational aspects of an ad hoc group/collective or organization
  • Applicants can apply for up to $15,000.

If you have specific questions about applying for funding through this category, please contact:

 

Maura Broadhurst
Program Officer
mbroadhurst@arts.on.ca

 

Elizabeth Braoudakis
Program Administrator
lbraoudakis@arts.on.ca

 

Organizational Partnerships

Deadline: November 3, 2020
  • This category supports activities and expenses that assist Ontario-based professional arts organizations to work in the context of COVID-19. This may include elements that assist them in the short to long-term.
  • Partnerships to develop collaborative ways of creating, producing, presenting or developing markets that are outside the parameters of existing OAC granting programs.
  • Projects that have the potential to transform artistic or operational aspects of the organizations involved and develop new sector-level models.
  • Applicants can apply for up to $30,000.

If you have specific questions about applying for funding through this category, please contact:

 

Maura Broadhurst
Program Officer
mbroadhurst@arts.on.ca

 

Elizabeth Braoudakis
Program Administrator
lbraoudakis@arts.on.ca

 

How will applications be assessed?

Applications will be reviewed through OAC’s standard peer assessment process.


Assessment will consider both practical and innovative approaches to create new and effective ways of working. It will also give precedence to projects that address OAC priority groups and the values of equity and accessibility.