Grants and Awards

We provide project and operating grants to:

• Arts and cultural groups and other members of creative industries.
• Public libraries, community museums, heritage organizations and historical societies. Three museum advisors, one conservation advisor and one historical resources consultant offer specialized advisory services to these grant recipients and other Ontario museums and heritage groups. Their services include site visits, training workshops and printed material such as a Museum Notes series.
• Tourism associations, economic development corporations, municipalities, festivals and events, tourism businesses and organizations interested in undertaking tourism-related initiatives which support industry development and increased visitation.

Grant opportunities

2021 Reconnect Festival and Event Program

The Reconnect Festival and Event Program offers non-capital funding for events in Ontario that:

• Provide safe experiences that encourage people to rediscover the beauty and diversity of all that Ontario communities have to offer, virtually or in-person when it is safe to do so
• Draw attendees, whether in-person or virtually, through innovative programming, and provide positive economic impact for the local community, the region and the province
• Provide job opportunities for Ontarians, particularly in the tourism, culture and entertainment sectors
• Increase Ontario’s profile through media and/or broadcast exposure to instill interest in future travel to the province once it is safe to do so again.

View the list of Successful Applicants for 2021 Reconnect and Celebrate Ontario Blockbuster

Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Support Grant

The Ontario Tourism and Travel Small Business Support Grant provides one-time payments of $10,000 to $20,000 to eligible small businesses in the tourism and travel sector. The grant was announced in the 2021 Ontario Budget.

Recipients will be able to use the support in whatever way makes the most sense for their business. For example, some businesses could use the support to pay employee wages, while others will use it to invest in their recovery.

Celebrate Ontario Blockbuster

The Celebrate Ontario Blockbuster program supports costs related to hosting:

• Major one-time events in Ontario
• Events that do not recur annually or biennially in Ontario
• National or international events in Ontario

Community Museum Operating and Pay Equity Grants

Community Museum Operating and Pay Equity Grants

This ministry provides annual operating grants to approximately 170 community museums. These museums contribute to their communities' economic well-being as employers and tourist attractions, attracting over 3,100,000 visitors per year. This support strengthens their role in their communities as custodians and interpreters of the province's irreplaceable heritage collections. Museums that receive this support are required to meet the criteria established in Regulation 877, "Grants for Museums" under the Ontario Heritage Act and this ministry's Standards for Community Museums in Ontario.

The Heritage Organization Development Grant (HODG)

The Heritage Organization Development Grant (HODG) provides annual operating support to historical societies, museums and other heritage associations, located throughout the province, that promote public awareness of Ontario's rich and diverse heritage. Organizations that receive this support are required to meet the criteria established in Regulation 879, "Grants to Incorporated Historical Societies and Associations” under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Ontario Amateur Sport Fund

The Ontario Amateur Sport Fund will lead to greater support for PSO/MSOs to strengthen athlete programming, identify clear athlete performance targets, develop a stronger talent identification system, and operationalize strategic plans for their organizations. The Ontario Amateur Sport Fund will pave the way for Ontarians to have access to a best-in-class amateur sport system from the playground to the podium.

Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund

The Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund helps not-for-profit organizations cover the marketing and promotional costs of their new attraction or special event.

Ontario’s Sport Hosting Program

Game ON – The Ontario Government’s Sport Plan

Ontario’s Sport Hosting Program is part of Game ON – The Ontario Government’s Sport Plan to help more Ontarians participate and excel in sport. The Sport Hosting Program provides funding to help applicants deliver national and international amateur single-sport events.

Provincial Heritage Organization Grants

Provincial Heritage Organization Grants - This ministry provides annual operating support to the 12 Ontario Provincial Heritage Organizations. They are umbrella organizations for the major types of heritage activities across the province, representing disciplines such as archaeology, genealogy, architecture, history, archives, and museums.

Public Library Operating, Pay Equity, and First Nation Salary Supplement Grants Program

Public Library Operating, Pay Equity, and First Nation Salary Supplement Grants Program

Library operating grants are statutory under the Public Libraries Act. This funding goes to public library boards and First Nations libraries as well as municipalities, local service boards or First Nations that establish a contract for library service with a neighbouring public library board.

Safe Cycling Education Fund (SCEF)

The Safe Cycling Education Fund (SCEF) provides funding to deliver safe cycling education initiatives to support the implementation of #CycleON: Ontario's Cycling Strategy. Promoting safe cycling in communities across Ontario will help to promote active lifestyles and work to promote cycling as a healthy mode of transportation for all purposes.

Tourism Economic Development and Recovery Fund (TEDRF)

The Tourism Economic Development and Recovery Fund (TEDRF) is an application based, cost-sharing program designed to provide non capital funding to projects that either:

• Encourage the development of innovative new tourism products
• Support tourism investment
• Build the capacity of Ontario’s tourism industry

The program also supports innovative tourism recovery projects aimed at increasing tourism within Ontario to address the reduction in global travel as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19).

View the list of Tourism Economic Development and Recovery Fund 2020 recipients

Learn more about our General Ministry Service Standards.

Awards

This ministry is also responsible for a number of awards programs:

• Public Library Services Awards
• Premier's Awards for Excellence in the Arts
• Ontario Sport Awards