These critical Council-approved investments continue to provide support to organizations who embody Culture|Shift’s key directions, and contribute significantly towards advancing Cultural Equity, Accessibility, Reconciliation, and Decolonization goals.
Mayor Kennedy Stewart
Yesterday afternoon, Council approved $6,104,505 in operating grants to 149 cultural non-profits, including seven new groups receiving this type of funding for the first time. This investment was informed and guided by community input, and uplifts the contributions of a strong network of arts and culture organizations located in Vancouver on the shared unceded and traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Funding highlights
- Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration External website, opens in new tab received their first operating grant from us to elevate South Asian youth culture through their annual 5X Festival, virtual residencies, pop-up dance performances, and ongoing engagement with the community through weekly newsletters.
- WePress External website, opens in new tab received an operating grant to build community capacity and resilience through art-making offering printmaking workshops, providing access to equipment and art supplies, arts facilitation, and with a focus on people from equity-denied communities in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
- Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance Established External website, opens in new tab received an operating grant to increase the appreciation of the arts by providing programs, conferences, and workshops, and resources related to theatre and advancing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in the sector. They achieve this through activities like co-hosting a national symposium on EDI, digital learning for underrepresented artists, and research in support of healthy and safe workplaces.
These grants align with our key civic policy and strategic directions, such as Culture|Shift, the COVID-19 Economic and Business Recovery program, the Reconciliation framework, and the Equity Framework PDF file (553 KB).
Review the full grant report, including the complete list of grantees PDF file (173 KB)
We invest close to $14M in grants to local arts and culture non-profit organizations each year to support operations, major and small capital projects, and capital planning.
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Mayor Kennedy Stewart
“Despite the sector-wide challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, cultural organizations who received core funding today continue to excel in advancing the City’s goals of contributing to a diverse and vibrant community, and amplifying the voices of creative people, while allowing each of us to see ourselves reflected in our shared stories,” said Mayor Kennedy Stewart. “These critical Council-approved investments continue to provide support to organizations who embody Culture|Shift’s key directions, and contribute significantly towards advancing Cultural Equity, Accessibility, Reconciliation, and Decolonization goals.”