Arts & Culture Investment Program

Type
Grant
Topic(s)
Arts & Culture

Congratulations to the 2025 funding recipients!

The mandate of the Arts & Culture Investment Program (ACIP) is to promote and assist in the development of the arts in all its diversity for the enjoyment and benefit of all Barrie residents and visitors. The City of Barrie welcomes and encourages diversity of cultural and artistic expression and practice.  

The overall goal of the Arts & Culture Investment Program is to help strengthen Barrie’s arts and culture community through strategic investments in the work of not-for-profit creative organizations. Through this investment, the program provides Barrie residents and visitors to the area with the opportunity to enjoy and actively participate in arts and cultural activity while:

  • Strengthening the relevance, responsiveness, effectiveness and resilience of Barrie’s arts and culture sector, 
  • Supporting capacity building by arts organizations, 
  • Developing Barrie’s identity as an arts friendly city, and 
  • Enhancing Barrie’s social, economic, and cultural prosperity by supporting Council’s Strategic Priorities.

Eligible Arts & Culture Organizations

  • Performing Arts Organizations (includes theatre, dance and music)
  • Visual Arts Organizations
  • Arts Service Organizations
  • Literary Arts Organizations 
  • New Media Organizations 
  • Heritage Organizations

Funding Categories

The total amount of money dispersed through the Arts & Culture Investment Program is approved by City Council through the Economic & Creative Development Department’s annual budget.

2025 Funding Recipients

For 2025, the approved Arts and Culture Investment Program budget was $232,500, and 22 applications were received, requesting $381,448 in funding. Of those applications, 16 were successful in receiving funding.

Adjudication Panel

Arts & Culture Investment Program applications are adjudicated by a panel of individuals with significant expertise in the arts. City of Barrie staff ​​select five adjudicators (one local and four individuals from other municipalities) to participate in the jury process.

Individuals with extensive experience in the arts who are interested and able to serve as an objective adjudicator are invited to complete the Arts & Culture Investment Program Adjudicator Application. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

​Personal information collected as part of this application process is under the authority of the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c.25, as amended and will be used for the purpose of evaluating submissions for the Cultural Grant Program by the jury panel and City staff. When the process is complete, the names of the individuals that received funding, the amount they received and in which category - whether project or operating - will be made public.   

No other personal information will be released without the express written permission of the grant applicant. Questions about this collection should be directed to Amanda Dyke, 70 Collier Street, Barrie, Ontario L4M 4T5, (705) 739-4220 Ext. 4593.

Frequently Asked Question