VICTORIA – The CRD Arts Commission has awarded annual operating grants to 22 arts organizations in the region. Grant recipients will receive $589,850 this year. When combined with multi-year grants, operating grant funding will total $2,306,270 benefiting 32 organizations for 2023. Project grant funding through Equity Grants, IDEA Grants, Incubator Grants and Project Grants will be distributed through the spring.
“Operating funding recognizes the extraordinary contributions these organizations make to the whole region every day – artistically and economically,” says Marianne Alto, the Chair of the Arts Commission.
Operating Grants enable long-term planning by arts organizations through stable funding and can be used for programming and administrative expenses. In 2022, these grants accounted for approximately 8 per cent of revenues for recipients. Victoria BC Ska and Reggae Society will join the program this year as a new operating grant recipient after presenting music programming in the region for over 22 years.
View the list of 2023 Arts & Culture Operating Grant recipients(PDF) and recipient descriptions (PDF).
The Arts Advisory Council, a group of citizen representative volunteers, adjudicate applications and provide funding recommendations to the Arts Commission. This year’s process applied the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion changes approved last year by the Arts Commission, resulting in more information about how applicants work to diversify programming, become more inclusive in their community engagement, as well as their approach to operations.
The approved grants meet the CRD’s mandate to support, promote and celebrate arts and culture. The CRD Arts & Culture Support Service is supported by Saanich, Victoria, Oak Bay, Esquimalt, View Royal, Highlands, Metchosin, Sooke and Southern Gulf Islands. Learn more at www.crd.bc.ca/arts.
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