Ontario Arts Operating Fund

Who can apply

To apply, an arts organization must:

1. be an Ontario not-for-profit corporation, a federal not-for-profit corporation or a for-profit publisher
2. have its primary business address in Ontario
3. pay professional fees or provide services to professional artists
4. be led by professional personnel
5. have completed at least two years of sustained, regular, ongoing programming in Ontario as of the application date
6. have a range of revenue sources, such as private and government
7. be governed by a board of directors or an advisory body solely responsible for the organization
8. have community support and involvement demonstrated through one or more of the following:

• membership
• fundraising
• volunteer involvement

9. have proof of sound administrative and financial management, including evidence of planning, risk management and succession strategies
10. be registered through CADAC (Canadian Arts Database / Données sur les arts au Canada)
11. submit verification of financial results of the last completed fiscal year, according to the grant request amount (new applicants) or most recent grant (returning applicants):

• over $50,000: audited financial statements (required)
• $25,001 to $50 000: review engagement (or, if available, audited financial statements)
• $25,000 and under: unaudited financial statements (or, if available, audited financial statements or review engagement)

12. meet any additional eligibility requirements specific to its category

Note: Arts organizations that operate within a multi-purpose institution (such as a library, university or municipality) must demonstrate their independence by providing a separate board or advisory list and financial statements.

Important: Applicants must meet all eligibility criteria at the time they submit the application. Exception: Financial statements can usually be submitted after the deadline (see Financial Statements in the Guide to OAC Operating Grants).

New applicants:

1. are organizations that wish to apply to the program without having received an OAC operating grant the previous year
2. may only apply in year 1 of the funding cycle for the program category most applicable to their mandate and activities
3. must contact the program officer to discuss eligibility and suitability at least two months before the deadline
4. must have at least $100,000 in total revenues for the last completed year, and in projected revenues for the current and request years

Organizations may receive only one grant from this program per fiscal year.

Category-specific eligibility criteria:

1. Francophone Organizations: Applicants must be Francophone, operate primarily in French, actively support the vitality of Ontario’s Francophone artistic community, and submit their application in French.
2. Literature Organizations: Book and magazine publishers must pay contributor fees, regular royalties, or both, and fulfill contractual obligations related to copyright payments. Magazine publishers must be significantly devoted to the publication of original fiction, poetry, or critical commentary on the arts, culture and society. In each of their two most recent fiscal years:

• magazine publishers must have published at least two issues (print or online) or posted original content online at least 40 times
• book publishers must have published at least two eligible books, and at least 50% of published titles must have been Canadian-authored and written by authors who are neither shareholders nor owners of the publishing firm

3. Media Arts Organizations: Applicants must pay artists according to fee standards set by the Canadian Artists Representation/Le Front des artistes canadiens (CARFAC) or the Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA).
4. Multi and Inter-Arts Organizations: Applicants must have a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary mandate. It may specifically refer to two or more artistic disciplines, or to a broader range of disciplines within a multi or interdisciplinary context.
5. Visual Arts Organizations: Applicants must pay artists according to fee standards set by the Canadian Artists Representation/Le Front des artistes canadiens (CARFAC) or the Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA). They must primarily engage and support contemporary visual artists or arts workers.
6. non-arts organizations
7. municipalities, colleges and universities
8. school boards, schools administered by a First Nation and Indigenous administered schools
9. First Nations
10. other ineligible organization types (see Category-specific eligibility criteria)
11. Literature Organizations: Publishers that charge for editorial services such as editing, design and printing are not eligible. Titles devoted to reportage, political advocacy, religion, spirituality, self-help, or the promotion of commercial enterprises are ineligible. Scholarly magazines and journals, publications directed primarily at an organization’s membership (such as newsletters), and publications that lack financial and editorial independence are also ineligible.
12. Media Arts Organizations: Organizations primarily working in the commercial media industry are ineligible.
13. Music Organizations: For-profit music publishers are ineligible.

Who can't apply

• The following organizations may not apply: