Item - 2015.ED6.7

The Economic Development Committee recommends that:

1. City Council receive the report (September 1, 2015) from the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture for information.

Cultural grants have been disbursed by the municipal order of government in Toronto since 1957. In 2014, the total amount of funding disbursed through cultural grants was $27,819,150. This report reviews the investments made, the challenges and long-term goals in measuring impact and outcomes; and the importance of continued data collection and analysis to ensure strong, evidence-based policy for the City's cultural funding programs. All City cultural grant programs comply with the City of Toronto Community Grants Policy ensuring that funded organizations are Toronto-based, consistent with City goals, comply with the City's commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Human Rights, and meet program standards and performance measures. Results of all funding decisions are transparent and available to the public online.

The objectives of these investments are to increase access and participation, to support the development of new artists and arts forms, to promote the visibility of culture to the community and private sector supporters, and to help build culture into the fabric of everyday life in Toronto.  The priorities of the new funding to cultural grant programs were to fund arts activity outside the downtown core, increase opportunities for young and emerging artists, develop partnerships to increase the impact of the funding, increase opportunities for youth and community arts activities, increase the capacity for small and medium-sized professional arts organizations, improve cultural facilities, and foster greater collaboration between the cultural sector and other organizations with social and economic development mandates.

A review of funding decisions and resulting activities indicate that the new grant funding has had direct impact on the ability of Toronto's cultural sector to pursue the objectives above. While it is too early to report on long-term outcomes, program outputs indicate greater attendance and participation has been achieved, more cultural activity is being funded outside the downtown core, new and emerging artists have been funded in greater numbers than before, small and medium sized organizations have increased their fundraising capacity, and new collaborations have been supported with the new funding.