A Message from the Director & CEO, Kelly Langgard 
Toronto Arts Council & Foundation 

Dear friends, 

At Toronto Arts, our Annual General Meetings are always a moment to reflect and celebrate. As we gathered on June 25 this year, a theme for the past year emerged: we’ve accomplished so much, and there’s still much to be done. 

In 2024, we marked Toronto Arts Council’s 50th anniversary, launched a refreshed Mayor’s Evening for the Arts, welcomed the City of Toronto’s new culture plan along with a commitment to increased funding over five years, and were awarded a $1 million TD Ready Challenge Grant to support newcomer artists―a powerful investment in Toronto’s future. 

We took the AGM as an opportunity to extend our gratitude to outgoing Toronto Arts Foundation board members Jesse Ryan and Sage Paul, and to welcome two new members to the Toronto Arts Council board: Umair Jaffar and Ann-Kim Lineus.  

We also unveiled our 2024 Annual Report, and we’re thrilled to be able to share a digital version with you now.  

In it, we shine a spotlight on a few of the many artists we fund and champion through grants and awards, demonstrate the value and impact of the arts in our communities, and show off our hard work building a better future for Toronto through the arts. 

Thanks to your support last year, the numbers tell a remarkable story: 

• $23.8 million in grants awarded to local artists, collectives, and organizations 

• 379 individual artists and 507 organizations supported 

• 268 first-time grant recipients, expanding who gets to be seen and heard 

• 295 free public events brought to life through Arts in the Parks, reaching more than 92,000 audience members in neighbourhoods across 18 wards 

And we’re just getting started.  

Already this year, we’ve given out hundreds of grants totalling more than $20.8 million, many of which were increased year-over-year as a result of the City’s increase to Toronto Arts Council’s budget as part of Toronto’s new 10-year culture plan. Among many actions, the plan includes a $10 million increase to our base budget over five years, beginning with a $2 million increase to the Council’s 2025 budget; and an annual inflationary increase, beginning with a 2.5% increase in 2025. We immediately increased funding to Black Arts, Indigenous Arts, and Newcomer and Refugee Artist programs, and directed more than $1.2M to operating grants, offering stability to vital arts organizations in uncertain times. 

We were also thrilled to launch the TOgether Through Art initiative with the support of Mayor Olivia Chow, bringing together arts organizations across the city to highlight activities focused on community well-being and social connection.  

We took time to celebrate the finalists and recipients of Toronto Arts Foundation Awards for their incredible accomplishments at the Mayor’s Arts Lunch, presented by Simons. 

And we rebranded our Council and Foundation websites with a fresh new look that reflects who we are: bold, creative, and accessible. More on our new brand will be revealed soon, bringing our two organizations into a future where we can better share the impact of our work, and the value of the arts to all Torontonians.  

Looking ahead, we have so many exciting projects on the horizon. In the fall, we’ll be launching our new Strategic Plan with a clear vision for the future of the arts in this city. And in November, we’ll be hosting the Mayor’s Evening for the Arts and (In) Bloom Gala, Toronto’s newest art party you won’t want to miss.  

This momentum can only happen with your support and involvement. Thank you for believing in the power of the arts—and in us. 

Warmly, 

Kelly