Province putting more funding into the arts

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on January 24, 2025.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

The Alberta government has increased grant funding for the province’s artists.

The funding was announced in Calgary Thursday at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium by Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women Tanya Fir.

The government is increasing its funding to the Alberta Foundation for the Arts by $4.5 million annually for the next three years. Of the total of nearly $40 million in annual funding to be provided to the AFA by 2026, 90 per cent will go directly to artists and arts organizations.

During the current fiscal year, the province has provided $21.2 million in grant funding to 304 arts-based organizations and 422 artists and more funding is expected before the year is over.

The increased funding means the AFA has been able to increase the maximum eligible grant amount for individual artists to $18,000 from $15,000.

Fir told a press event the AFA helps ensure artists get the funding they need to pursue projects and careers in the arts and the UCP government is proud to provide ongoing supports to the AFA with its funding increases.

As of Dec. 31 of 2024, the province through the AFA has provided 726 grants totalling over $21 million which is a 40 per cent increase over the number of grants provided in 2023.

Fir said the funding was made possible “by our responsible approach to investing in the arts and this increased funding is already having a big impact on the Alberta arts landscape.”

That increased funding for the 2024-25 fiscal year, Fir added, is already being used to provide direct financial support to the province’s artists.

The funding has allowed the AFA to experience a nearly 40 per cent increase in the number of grants provided so far in the fiscal year compared to the same time period in 2023, Fir added.

And with the fiscal year not over yet, there will be more grant funding coming from the AFA in coming months.

“This means more Albertan artists are benefiting from provincial funding and putting their ideas and work and passion out into the world for all of us to enjoy. Supporting the arts not only increases the quality of life for Albertans but it also helps bolster our province’s expanding community,” said Fir with the arts sector each year contributing more than $1.2 billion in GDP. It also employs more than 17,000 Albertans.

Providing grant opportunities for arts groups and artists will “help encourage the talented arts workforce to stay in Alberta, share their talents and grow our creative and cultural industries. Funding the arts is crucial to our province’s success. When the arts are supported, Alberta’s communities thrive. When the arts are supported, the quality of life of Albertans increases” and that support also strengthens the economy, Fir added.

By 2026, arts funding in Alberta will reach historic levels, the minister added.

According to AFA board chair Cynthia Moore, the funding will allow the organization to support more artists this year while providing supports for arts groups.

Grant funding for the AFA is provided in three ways including operational grants to arts-based organizations which create and provide access to art experiences and generate job opportunities for cultural workers and artists.

Project grants are given to non-profits including schools to increase capacity and/or accessibility for arts-related activities.

And project grants and awards are provided to artists that support art production or creation, research, marketing or training and development, says the province.

The total provincial operating budget for the arts is $33.1 million which includes $30.1 million for the AFA. The province says that’s an increase of 18 per cent for the AFA since 2023.

Moore told media in her first year as AFA chair she’s been privileged to be exposed to the breadth and depth of Alberta’s arts communities.

The AFA recognizes how important individual artist voices are “and we are committed to amplifying them,” said Moore.

The AFA supports grants to artists for a variety of disciplines including dance, film, video, Indigenous arts, literary arts, music, theatre, visual arts and new media,” said Moore.

The AFA also provides scholarships for young people in arts training and it purchases art works through its acquisition by application program to add to its collection which is the largest collection of visual art by Alberta artists anywhere in the world, added Moore.

The collection has more than 9,500 artists by more than 1,700 artists.