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Theatre Projects

Funding for professional theatre in Toronto

Offered by
Ontario Arts Council (OAC)
Official source: arts.on.ca

Source change captured

Funding available
$ 20,000
Up to 100% of project cost
Deadline
Unspecified
Location
Ontario, Canada
Who can apply
Professional theatre artists who are residents of Ontario
See full eligibility

Overview

Theatre Projects supports professional, non-profit theatre organizations and collectives in Toronto through four categories with maximum grants from $10,000 to $20,000. It funds rehearsal, production and presentation work, workshops, and special initiatives.

At a glance

Funding available

Maximum funding
$20,000
Maximum share of project costs
100%
Financing goals
  • Develop strategic partnerships
  • Increase social or community impact
  • Enhance an existing program
  • Attract or retain talent
  • Conduct research and development activities
  • Strengthen organizational capacity
  • Reach a new target audience
  • Raise awareness or mobilize a population

Eligible candidates

Location
  • Ontario
Eligible Industries
All industries
Annual revenue
All revenue ranges
Organisation size
All organization sizes
Audience
All groups
Legal structures
All legal structures

Receipt of requests is now closed

Get notified about updates to this grant.

Availability timeline

2026
Periods: 2

Latest changes

Project program dates and limits updated

OAC updated the project-program deadlines page and guide, moving the Indigenous Visual Artists’ Materials opening to October and revising the third-party recommender grant-count rule for the 2026–2027 program year.

See more

The Grant Program Deadlines and Important Dates page now shows the Indigenous Visual Artists’ Materials program opening in October instead of September. The closing date remains unchanged. The Guide to OAC Project Programs also updates the third-party recommender grant-count rule so it now refers to the 2026–2027 program year and the three-grant limit for 2026, and it points recipients to the public value and engagement requirements link.

Official source: arts.on.ca
October 11, 2026

Eligibility

Who is eligible?

  • Professional theatre artists who are residents of Ontario
  • Ad hoc groups and collectives composed of a majority of Ontario residents
  • Not-for-profit organizations based in Ontario that produce or present professional theatre
  • Organizations must have a head office in Ontario

Who is not eligible

  • Schools, tuition-funded training programs, curriculum-based programs, research projects, or projects for which the project leads are not based in Toronto
  • Projects focused solely on professional development
  • Organizations or collectives that receive Operating funding from TAC
  • Educational and religious institutions unless there is a clear separation in both programming and budget between their regular activities and their arts activities
  • Individuals

Eligible expenses

  • Artists fees
  • Production and technical fees
  • Marketing and outreach costs
  • Administrative costs and childcare costs
  • Accessibility costs for Deaf artists and artists with disabilities, including ASL interpretation, audio description, closed captioning, communications assistants, attendant care, support workers, and equipment rentals or other supports required to meet artists’ accessibility needs

Ineligible Costs and Activities

  • Projects that have been started or completed prior to the announcement of results
  • Schools, tuition-funded training programs, curriculum-based programs, research projects, or projects for which the project leads are not based in Toronto
  • Projects focused solely on professional development
  • Organizations or collectives that receive Operating funding from TAC
  • Educational and religious institutions unless there is a clear separation in both programming and budget between their regular activities and their arts activities

Activities funded

  • Creation, production and presentation of theatre works, including works conceived for digital platforms
  • Rehearsal, production and presentation of fully developed work
  • Rehearsal, production and presentation of a work in an established festival in Toronto
  • Development of work through workshops that include a reading or presentation
  • Special initiatives that develop and advance the practice of theatre in Toronto, including festivals, opportunities benefiting the theatre community, conferences, forums, and symposiums

How to apply

  • Register the Organization or Collective in TAC Grants Online
  • Submit the application on TAC Grants Online
  • Submit no later than 11:59 pm on the deadline dates
  • TAC does not accept applications by any other means of delivery
  • You will receive a confirmation email when the application is submitted; check your spam/junk mail folder if it does not arrive

Documents Needed

  • Project Description
  • Budget Information, including supplementary budget information with a breakdown of donated goods and services and projected Artistic Fees
  • Support Material, including script samples for script-based projects, audio or audio/visual material for musical projects, physical theatre and puppetry projects, and hybrid works using multimedia, plus up to six pages of printed support materials
  • Resumes for key artists and brief bios of other contributors

Selection criteria

  • Artistic merit
  • Contribution of the project to the development of theatre in Toronto
  • Contribution of the project to the development of the applicant
  • Public impact of the project, including the quality and effectiveness of the applicant’s outreach marketing and/or audience development strategies
  • Financial viability of the project and the ability of the applicants and participants to carry it out; where multiple well-assessed applications have equal merit and funds are insufficient, applications from applicants in Toronto Arts Council equity priority groups are prioritized

Processing and Agreement

  • Applications are reviewed competitively by a panel of peers from the professional theatre community in Toronto, and the panel's recommendations are approved by TAC Directors.
  • Decisions of the grant review panel are final.
  • Successful applicants receive a Letter of Understanding that must be signed and uploaded to TAC Grants Online before funding can be released.
  • Approved applicants must enter bank account information matching the Applicant Name on the Notification Letter and submit a signed Declaration of Compliance with Anti-Harassment/Discrimination Legislation and City Policy.
  • Recipients must file a final report online through TAC's granting portal, and grants may be used only for the purposes outlined in the application; changes to scale, activities or timeframe must be reported promptly because TAC may require full or partial repayment.

Additional information

  • The program is strongly committed to the development and performance of works by Canadian artists.
  • Potential applicants from equity-seeking communities are encouraged to discuss their eligibility with the Program Manager in advance of submitting an application.

Contacts

lgouveia@arts.on.ca
416-969-7432

Official sources

Theatre Projects

Program guide

Guide to OAC Project Programs

Other relevant PDF

OAC Geographic Regions Maps /
Add helloDarwin as a preferred source on Google

Frequently Asked Questions about the Theatre Projects Program

What is the Theatre Projects?

Theatre Projects supports professional, non-profit theatre organizations and collectives in Toronto through four categories with maximum grants from $10,000 to $20,000. It funds rehearsal, production and presentation work, workshops, and special initiatives.

How much funding can be received?

Theatre Projects Funds up to 100% of admissible expenses, capped at $20,000 per project.

Who is eligible for the Theatre Projects program?

To be eligible for the Theatre Projects program, you must: The applicant must be an incorporated non-profit organization or an unincorporated collective operating on a not-for-profit basis. The organization or collective must be located in the City of Toronto, and the project must take place in the City of Toronto. Collectives must follow the City of Toronto residency rules, and artists must be professional.

What expenses are eligible under Theatre Projects?

Artists fees Production and technical fees Marketing and outreach costs Administrative costs and childcare costs Accessibility costs for Deaf artists and artists with disabilities, including ASL interpretation, audio description, closed captioning, communications assistants, attendant care, support workers, and equipment rentals or other supports required to meet artists’ accessibility needs

Who can I contact for more information about the Theatre Projects?

You can contact Ontario Arts Council (OAC) by email at lgouveia@arts.on.ca or by phone at 416-969-7432.

Where is the Theatre Projects available?

The Theatre Projects program is available the province of Ontario.

Who are the financial supporters of the Theatre Projects?

Theatre Projects is funded by Ontario Arts Council (OAC), Government of Ontario