Download a selection of statistics demonstrating the impact of Ontario’s arts sector, including the reach of public funding of the arts through the Ontario Arts Council. This one-page PDF document is suitable for use as a handout or leave-behind.
OAC Funding Facts 2020-2021
- $78.6 million
Total OAC grants1
- 3,488
Total number of grants awarded by OAC
- 12,056
Total number of grant applications submitted to OAC
- 1,312
Number of OAC grants to arts organizations
- $68.2 million
Total in OAC grants to organizations
- 2,176
Number of OAC grants to individual artists
- $10.4 million
Total in OAC grants to individual artists
- $5.34
Total public support to the arts through OAC per Ontarian2
- 51,364
Total number of public arts activities offered by OAC’s annually funded arts organizations*
- 24.7 million
Total public attendance at arts events offered by OAC’s annually funded arts organizations*
- 81,418
Total number of arts education activities for people of all ages presented by OAC’s annually funded arts organizations*
- 4.7 million
Total number of participants of all ages in arts education activities offered by OAC’s annually funded arts organizations*
- 2.0 million
Total number of these 4.7 million arts education participants who are children or youth*
- 44,751
Number of artists employed by OAC’s annually funded arts organizations*
- 60,047
Total number of people who volunteered at OAC’s annually funded arts organizations*
- 1.7 million
Number of hours worked by volunteers at OAC’s annually funded arts organizations*
- 206
Total number of Ontario communities where resident artists and arts organizations received OAC grants
Sources:
All data cited are most recent available.
Unless otherwise noted, the source for all figures is OAC’s grants database for the year 2020-2021.
1 The 2020-21 grant figures include the Arts Recovery Support Fund, a one-time investment of $25 million from the Government of Ontario.
2 Based on Ontario population of 14,734,014 as of July 2020 (Source: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0005-01)
* Reflects actual data for 2018-2019 for 485 organizations from 2020-2021 OAC operating applications/CADAC