Black Arts Projects
$20,000
Grant
Description:
The Black Arts Projects Program provides support to individual artists, artist collectives of 2 or more Black artists working on a non-profit basis and incorporated non-profit Toronto Black arts organizations.
The City of Toronto supports this program through a funding allocation approved annually by Toronto City Council.
TAC recognizes the need to respond to barriers that Black arts communities face due to anti-Black racism. The program seeks to address these barriers by providing pathways to sustainable support to Toronto’s Black-led arts organizations serving Black artists. 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.
Comments on Funding:
1. Creation & Development
Maximum grant in this category is $10,000
Maximum grant in this category including a mentorship component is $15,000
2. Presentation
Maximum grant in this category is $15,000;
Maximum grant in this category including a mentorship component is $20,000;
October 1, 2025
Eligibility:
Applicants must be:
1. individual artists
a. must identify as a Black professional artist
a. must be Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents or have an application pending
for Permanent Resident status or be a Protected Person (approved refugee claimant) and, if
requested, be able to provide documentation to verify this.
c.must have been a resident of the City of Toronto for at least one year prior to the deadline, and live and work in Toronto for at least 8 months a year. A Post Office Box address cannot be used to meet the residency requirement. Note: Temporary absences of up to one year may be considered, subject to written explanation and special permission. Please contact the
Program Manager.
d. Professional artists who are pursuing a graduate degree may not apply for work related to their
thesis. Note: A letter from the graduate program director confirming that the project is not related
to the graduate student’s thesis may be required. Please contact the Program Manager.
2. artist collectives of 2 or more Black artists working on a non-profit basis and incorporated non-profit Toronto Black arts organizations.
a. Organizations and collectives must be incorporated non-profit organizations or unincorporated
collectives which operate on a non-profit basis2. A collective is defined as two or more artists
working together under a group name, either on a single project (ad hoc) or on an ongoing basis.
For collectives of two artists, both must be City of Toronto residents and Black. For collectives of
more than two artists, the majority of members must be City of Toronto residents and Black.
b. Organizations must be Black-led, Black-focused, and Black-serving, including a majority of Black
members on its leadership team, including Board of Directors, Board Executive, and
management.
c. Organizations and collectives must be located in the City of Toronto. A Post Office Box address
cannot be used to meet this requirement.
Application Steps:
Applicants must register and submit the application on TAC Grants Online (https://tac.smartsimple.ca).
Documentation Needed:
Applicants must submit:
1. Artistic Statement from the lead artist(s) of the project.
2. Project Description covers: Project Goal, Project Phase (if applicable), Work Plan, Outreach &
Access Plan (if applicable), and Project Contributors.
3. Mentorship component (if applicable), requires the following:
a. Identifying mentor(s) for your project (must be determined prior to application)
b. Mentor(s) artists’ bio including name, artistic history and contribution
c. Rationale for mentorship including how mentorship will support your development as an
artist, collective or organization
d. Identifying goals for the mentorship relationship
e. A work plan for how you plan on working with your mentor(s) including a list of planned
activities (optional)
4. Budget Information
5. Support Material
Other Things to Note:
About the author
Maurice