Deadline: 14-Aug-2025
Entries are now open for the Toronto Arts Council’s Creative Enquiry Lab to support arts organizations and collectives to consider the creative possibilities unlocked using an exploratory design process alongside students in the Creative School’s Design Solutions Super Course at TMU.
The Super Course challenges students from different programs to work with external partners to conceive and brainstorm ideas using a design thinking process (a creative, user-focused way of solving problems.) The program provides arts organizations/collectives access to design thinking knowledge and the combined expertise of students from various academic backgrounds (transdisciplinary collaboration), to explore an organizational challenge and prototype solutions.
Successful proposals will articulate a challenge or pose a question pertaining to a current organizational problem or issue. The identified challenge may pertain to any aspect of operations including programming, administration, outreach, marketing, etc. Applications must acknowledge the relevance of their identified challenge to other members of their community, other arts organizations, or the arts sector. Organizational leadership (if different than project leads) must be actively involved in the project, attending, and participating when appropriate.
Goal
- The goal is to address a significant organizational challenge using design methodologies, to give students hands on experience and enhance arts organizational knowledge and skills. They are seeking to foster innovative ideas for the creation of new capacity within Toronto arts organizations and collectives.
Funding Information
- The grant amount is $15,000.
- Duration: The Creative Enquiry Lab funds an 8-month experience between January and August. The program is divided into two stages.
Eligibility Criteria
- To apply to this program, applicants must be either an incorporated non-profit arts organization or an unincorporated artist collective operating on a not-for-profit basis.
- Organizations and collectives must be located in the City of Toronto. A Post Office Box address cannot be used to meet this requirement. Organizations with a regional Toronto office must have operated in the City of Toronto for at least one year prior to the deadline.
- Collectives must have a bank account in the name of the collective.
- For collectives of two artists, both must be City of Toronto residents. For collectives of more than two artists, the majority of members must be City of Toronto residents.
- Artists must be professional. A professional artist is someone who has developed their skills through training and/or practice; is recognized as such by artists working in the same artistic tradition; actively practices their art; seeks payment for their work; and has a history of public presentation.
Ineligibility Criteria
- This program does not fund:
- Activities included in TAC operating grants
- Activities included in other TAC project grants
- Projects previous funded through another TAC grant
Assessment Criteria
- The grant review panel evaluates all eligible applications in a comparative context and makes funding decisions based on the availability of funds, the program objectives, and the following assessment criteria:
- The capacity of the applicant and students to undertake the project.
- The potential of the project to benefit the applicant organization and the Toronto arts sector.
- The suitability of the project leads to the project.
For more information, visit Toronto Arts Council.