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Ontario is committing $50 million in additional funding to the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) to support arts programs province-wide and across a wide range of disciplines and activities, including arts education, community arts, dance, literature, media arts, music, theatre, visual arts, as well as Indigenous and Francophone arts.
The provincial government agency provides grants and services to professional, Ontario-based artists and arts organizations. Funds will be distributed over the next four years, increasing provincial funding to the OAC to $80 million annually by 2020-21.
Funding will support OAC’s priority groups and allow the OAC to provide across-the-board increases to high-performing arts organizations, such as:
- Hot Docs International Documentary Festival in Toronto, which is North America’s largest documentary festival and conference
- The School of Dance in Ottawa, which trains and educates young dancers for professional careers and offers classes for all ages, from youth to seniors. The school also offers programs such as the DragonFly program for learners with Down Syndrome.
Notable projects that have been previously funded through OAC project programs include:
- Come from Away, the Tony-award winning musical now running on Broadway
- A Tribe Called Red’s Rez Tour, free shows highlighting Indigenous music across Ontario, specifically in First Nations communities