Demand and Supply: The Region of Waterloo Arts Fund Lets the Arts Community Define What

Summary

A relatively new player in the area of grants to the arts in Ontario is the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund. While it is not unusual in its source of funding, its governance, or even the composition of its board, it has taken some unusual steps in deciding on its mission and its methods. In effect, it has allowed the applicants for the grants program to define what the program will be. As a result, over a little more than three years, the Arts Fund has channelled more than $450,000 in new money into the arts in general and the hands of individual artists in particular, often in areas and for projects that would not make the cut with other, more traditional funding sources.