Black Arts Projects

Who is eligible?

• Black-led, Black-focused, and Black-serving not-for-profit arts organizations based in Toronto
• Black artist collectives (two or more Black artists working together on a non-profit basis)
• Individual Black professional artists residing in Toronto

Who is not eligible

• Non-Black-led, non-Black-focused, and non-Black-serving organizations or collectives.
• For-profit businesses and organizations.
• Organizations and collectives that already receive Operating funding from the Toronto Arts Council (TAC).
• Schools that are part of Ontario’s public or private education system.
• Educational and religious institutions, unless arts activities are clearly separate from their regular activities and budgets.

Eligible expenses

• Artistic, production, and administrative fees and costs, including venue, publicity, marketing, and outreach.
• Fees paid to collaborators, mentors, and creative resources.
• Studio costs, materials, and essential production elements.
• Rental of space or software for research and interviews, as well as access to support materials such as archives.
• Costs for visiting sites of significance.
• Exhibition, presentation, and installation expenses, including rehearsal and production costs.
• Dissemination costs, including promotional materials and outreach activities.

Eligible geographic areas

• City of Toronto

• Artistic merit of the project.
• Contribution of the project to the development of the applicant.
• Financial viability and the ability of the applicant and participants to carry out the project.
• For presentation projects: public impact, including the quality and effectiveness of publicity, marketing, outreach, and audience development strategies.
• Contribution of the project to the development of the Black arts community (for presentation projects).

• Step 1: Register on TAC Grants Online
  • Create an account on the Toronto Arts Council (TAC) Grants Online platform at https://tac.smartsimple.ca.
• Step 2: Prepare Application Materials
  • Write your Artistic Statement, detailing your inspiration, influences, creative process, achievements, and how Black artists and communities are involved in your project.
  • Develop your Project Description, including project goals, phase, work plan, outreach and access plan (if applicable), and list of project contributors with bios.
  • If including mentorship, identify the mentor(s), provide bios, outline goals, rationale, and a work plan for the mentorship components.
  • Complete the Budget Information, listing all revenues and expenses associated with the project.
  • Gather and upload Support Materials such as audio-visual works, press clippings, or letters of support in the required locations of the online application.
• Step 3: Complete Accessibility Requests (If Applicable)
  • If the project involves Deaf artists or artists with disabilities, complete the Accessibility Expenses section to apply for additional accessibility costs.
  • If you need application assistance due to a disability, request Application Accessibility Support by contacting your Program Manager at least six weeks before the deadline.
• Step 4: Submit Application
  • Submit your completed application via TAC Grants Online before 11:59 pm on the date specified in the program guidelines.
  • Ensure all required components and support materials are included before final submission, as applications are only accepted through the online portal.
• Step 5: Confirmation of Submission
  • Receive a confirmation email upon successful submission of your application.
  • If you do not receive the email, check your spam or junk mail folder.
  • Access your application at any time in your Application History on TAC Grants Online.
• Step 6: Notification of Results
  • Wait for notification; results are typically issued 3 to 4 months after application submission.
  • Log into TAC Grants Online to view the status and results once notified by email.

• Applicants will receive notification of results approximately 3 to 4 months after the submission date.
• Grant recipients are required to submit a final report through the TAC's online granting portal.
• Support material such as audio-visual files or written documents should be uploaded via the TAC application portal; Google Drive submissions are not accepted.
• Questions and application answers may be submitted in written, audio, or video format, subject to length restrictions.