$60M in advance funding to help stabilize backbone of arts sector as it faces COVID-19 crisis

Ottawa, March 30, 2020 – Today, the Canada Council for the Arts announced plans to provide approximately $60 million in advance funding, the equivalent of 35% of annual grants held by over 1,100 core funded organizations.

This is the latest in Council’s ongoing efforts to stabilize the sector by addressing the shortfalls that arts organizations are experiencing since the cancellation of public events and halting of arts programming became necessary to contain the spread of the virus.

“There is an urgent need to alleviate the financial pressure on those organizations that are the backbone of the arts sector in Canada,” said Director and CEO, Simon Brault.

By May 4, Council will issue advances enabling core funded organizations to: meet their immediate commitments, help ensure cash flow and address outstanding payments to the artists and cultural workers they employ.

The Canada Council for the Arts welcomes the measures recently announced by the federal government for businesses, employees and self-employed workers through the COVID-19 Economic Response Plan. All Canadian artists and arts organizations are being encouraged by Council to examine the full range of financial provisions available to them during this crisis. 

Anticipating the many challenges that creators, organizations and their stakeholders will face as a result of the effects of the pandemic in the days and weeks ahead, Council continues to work closely with Canadian Heritage. The development of support mechanisms that can be adapted to address the specifics of Canada’s arts ecosystem continues to be a priority.

If you have questions about the Council’s approach to supporting artists and arts organizations, please consult the COVID-19 Info update on canadacouncil.ca.