Snapshot: Arts Funding Programs

The Intermunicipal Comparative Framework: An inventory of local government support to cultural development; Snapshot: Arts Funding Programs

The Intermunicipal Comparative Framework Project is a means to inventory and understand the infrastructure, scope, and nature of local government involvement in cultural development across Canada. It creates the structure to capture the nature of local government involvement and investment in cultural development nationally. “Cultural development” is used here in an inclusive sense, and topics addressed in the project include arts, heritage, facilities, civic art collections, public art, funding, non-monetary support, and more.”

While municipal cultural grant programs are usually created and managed by municipal staff, some funding may be allocated or awarded to an independent non-profit organization in the community (e.g., a local arts council), which adjudicates and disburses the funds to local arts groups. Delegating the administration of program funds to these organizations has sometimes been a developmental stage for smaller communities, leading to a more formalized structure of local government arts programming supported by municipal staff. There are also examples of developing or using a sophisticated arm’s-length agency when funding major professional organizations in large urban centres. 38 municipalities responded to the Public Art section of the survey. Data years reflected in this report: 2003–2005