black arts projects

Supports the creation, development, and presentation of arts projects by Black organizations, collectives and individuals working across all artistic disciplines. Also supports artistic development through mentorship.

What does this program support?

• The Black Arts Projects Program supports arts projects by Black artists, Black artist collectives (consisting of two or more Black artists), and Black-led, Black-focused and Black-serving non-profit organizations.1 For the purpose of this program, “Black” refers to African descendant people across the diaspora including but not limited to African Canadian, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, East African, West African, Southern and Central African, Afro-Arab, Afro Indigenous, etc. This funding program is intended to support the development, continuation, and flourishing of Black arts communities.
• TAC recognizes the need to respond to barriers that Black arts communities face due to anti-Black racism. The program is designed to increase access to, awareness of, and participation in Toronto Arts Council funding by Black artists, while amplifying the work of Black artists in the city and creating avenues for sustainable art practice.
• This program is multidisciplinary and recognizes a diversity of art practice, including new and emerging art forms, culturally relevant art practices, and multi/ interdisciplinary arts projects. Applicants can apply for projects that engage one or multiple arts disciplines. Applicants may apply in one of two categories described below:
• 1. Creation & Development: Supports full creation, partial creation, or completion of work-in-progress of an arts-based project at any stage and in any arts discipline. Project activities may include artistic creation in one or more stages of a project, including an arts education project (i.e., workshop(s)). This may also include OR solely focus on the beginning stage of research and development. The research and development stage may include testing an idea, developing processes, building scope, building collaborative relationships, gathering and organizing information, accessing, archiving or documenting knowledge. Applicants must clearly state in what stage is their project and for what part(s) of the project they are seeking funding.
• Open to individual artists and artist collectives
• Maximum grant in this category is $10,000
• Maximum grant in this category including a mentorship component is $15,000

2. Presentation: supports exhibition, presentation, and dissemination of work by Black artists in any arts discipline

• Open to individual artists, artist collectives and arts organizations (this component does not fund creation of works meant for presentation);
• Activities may include a series or one-off exhibition, festival, or presentation in one or more arts disciplines and/ dissemination of existing work;
• This component does not fund workshops and conferences;
• Maximum grant in this category is $15,000;
• Maximum grant in this category including a mentorship component is $20,000

Additional resources for project grant recipients include:

• i. Mentorship – mentorship for project grant recipients interested in connecting with artists that can support them in building or acquiring skill sets to develop their art practice. A mentorship option will be available in each project grant category and applicants will be asked to indicate which mentor(s) they would like to work with and provide rationale for the mentorship. An additional budget of up to $5000 is available as compensation for mentors and mentees.

Grant recipients will also receive information about additional supports such as Arts Career Development workshops and Black Futures Studios Co-Creation Lab as they become available:

• ii. Arts Career Development – drop-in workshops focused on growing and establishing art practice. Project grant recipients may request and select sessions that are of benefit to them.

All additional resources are optional. Arts career development workshops and Black Futures Studios co-creation lab may be accessed as needed. The mentorship component must be selected within the application. Please contact the Program Manager for more information about these supports.

When can the project happen?

• The Project Start Date must be a minimum of 4 months after the submission date
• All projects must be completed within two years of the date on the Notification Letter