Region pausing support for Arts Fund, launching one-year partnership to continue community-based arts
Repost from the Region of Waterloo
For immediate release | February 21, 2024
Waterloo Region – Acting on incidents of harassment of Regional staff and governance concerns related to the Fund’s administration, the Region will pause financial and administrative support for the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund and complete a third-party review of the funding model. The goal of the review will be to make recommendations to the Region on the future funding model for the Arts Fund to ensure ease for local artists and value for local residents.
The Region of Waterloo Arts Fund is an independent organization governed by a volunteer board, funded and supported by the Region of Waterloo. The Fund has a long and successful history of providing support for artists and arts organizations across Waterloo Region. Over the past 20 years, the Region has invested $5.5 million through the Fund.
To support artists in the interim, the Region is launching a one-year partnership with Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF) to support local artists and streamline arts funding. While completing a review of the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund model, the Region will invest $350,000 administered by WRCF to support local arts organizations and artists.
The new partnership will see WRCF collect, review and administer grant applications for 2024 as part of the Foundation’s annual Arts Grant Fund, with the Region providing funding to the recommended organizations and artists.
“We are incredibly grateful to Waterloo Region Community Foundation for making sure arts organizations and artists continue to receive funding this year while we complete a review of the Arts Fund,” said Michael Harris, Chair, Administration and Finance, Region of Waterloo. “We are absolutely committed to continuing to support local artists and want to see them receive support. It is unfortunate that we have been forced to take a pause of our support for the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund. The review is an opportunity to look at the model and governance so we can improve this going forward for artists and for the community.”
WRCF will add a stream for individual artists to its existing arts fund and set up a second Arts Grants Fund Committee comprised of local members of the arts community to review applications received from individual artists and collectives for funding from the Region of Waterloo. This process will be established to ensure local artists are able to receive financial support for their projects this year. Details on the application process will be shared later this spring in partnership with the Foundation. All existing grants will be paid as per their current agreement.
“WRCF launched an Arts Grants Fund in 2020 to support small to medium sized arts organizations and collectives,” said Eric Avner, President & CEO, Waterloo Region Community Foundation. “It continues to be a grant stream administered by our team, with reviews conducted by diverse volunteers from Waterloo Region’s arts community. We want to ensure funds continue to be directed to arts organizations in our region, and we are committed to extending support to individual artists for 2024 while the Region of Waterloo reviews how they will provide assistance for the longer term.”
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For more information, please contact:
Lynsey Slupeiks
Manager, Corporate Communications
Region of Waterloo
lsupleiks@regionofwaterloo.ca
Lynne Short
Vice President
Waterloo Region Community Foundation
lynne@wrcf.ca
