The City of Toronto plays a vital role in supporting critical community services and arts and culture programs delivered through nonprofit organizations. The City advances its social, cultural, and economic goals, as well as Council-approved plans and strategies through its role as a significant funder of and partner with the community service and arts and culture sectors. City funding is essential to the vital work of these organizations with marginalized communities in neighbourhoods across Toronto.
Community Partnership and Investment Program (CPIP)
The City supports over 225 nonprofits and 238 resident-led projects to deliver social services that “strengthen equity, safety, and local leadership” through the Community Partnership and Investment Program (CPIP). CPIP provides funding for community non-profit organizations and resident-led initiatives and partnership development with funders and support for Indigenous-led and Black-led organizations. It serves Indigenous, Black, and equity-deserving residents and communities, under-resourced neighbourhoods, and community non-profit organizations.
The 2026 City budget identifies $33.4065 million for CPIP, including an inflationary increase of $782,900, or 2.5%. These funds are included in the City’s Social Development budget. (Good news! Earlier reports suggested the inflationary increase would be at a lower rate. SPT has since confirmed the increase is 2.5%—comparable to the rate being used across City-operated programs and the cultural grants program.)
Community Arts and Culture Programs
Investment in arts and culture has an incredibly positive impact on our city, neighbourhoods, and communities, providing important social, economic and cultural benefits for us all. In line with Council-approved plans, the City’s Economic Development and Culture budget includes an additional $2.6032 million to expand community arts and culture programs and support existing programs through an inflationary increase. These funding enhancements include:
- $2 Million to Continue Improving Access to Culture by Increasing Toronto Arts Council (TAC) Funding
City Council passed a plan to increase arts funding to TAC by $2 million annually for five years (2025-2029) for a total of $10 million. This commitment was made in response to:
- “Persistent underfunding of high-quality arts activities, especially those from equity-deserving communities.
- Limited public access to arts experiences in underserved neighbourhoods.
- Low funding rates for individual artists, particularly those facing systemic barriers.
- Rising operational costs and historical inequities affecting arts organizations.”
TAC programs receiving enhancements in 2026 include:
- “Newcomer & Refugee Mentorship Program ($300,000): Additional 20 newcomer artists funded; 80% increase in access to professional development and integration supports for newcomer and refugee artists.
- Open Door Program ($300,000): Increased capacity for transformative change and innovation in the community: Additional 6-10 projects focused on sector resilience & sustainability funded.
- Animating Programs (Parks, Historic Sites, Library) ($500,000): The funding will support 25 new projects, primarily led by artists from equity-deserving communities, increasing public access to arts experiences by 35% in underserved neighbourhoods.
- Individual Artist Grants (incl. Accessibility Grant) ($400,000): Expanded support for equity deserving artists; additional 30 grants funded through individual programs; providing an additional granting dollars to equity-deserving artists. Expanded support to those with accessibility needs, providing $100,000 more in granting dollars to artists.
- Arts Organization Grants ($500,000): Continue to address historical inequities for 25 clients in TAC Operating portfolio; stabilize and empower 25 vital and growing arts organizations form TAC’s Equity Priority Groups. Increase will make it possible for an addition 5-7 vital and growing arts organizations to receive operating funding in 2026.”
- $379,000 to Continue to Grow Cultural Programming through Local Arts Service Organizations (LASOs)
LASOs are “not-for-profit, community arts organizations that deliver responsive arts and culture programs, events and services at a local level in outside-the-core neighbourhoods across the city.” They “offer low-barrier, free and low-cost arts participation opportunities to communities and the public across the city. They also provide critical support and capacity-building opportunities to local artists and arts organizations.” Toronto has six official LASOs: Arts Etobicoke, Lakeshore Arts, Scarborough Arts, UrbanArts, East End Arts, and North York Arts.
According to the EDC Budget Notes: “LASO funding has not kept pace with inflation or with increased community needs and the growth in demand for programming and services in the six catchment areas.” In response to significant challenges facing these organizations, such as “loss of arts spaces, increased costs, and more precarious work for artists and cultural workers”, City Council has committed to an additional funding investment of $379,000 annually for five years (2025-2029).
“The additional funding will essentially increase funding to lower-funded LASOs with large service areas through continued re-balancing of the LASO funding, this will: (i) ensure they have service catchment areas at a level similar to the better funded LASOs, (ii) increase arts and cultural programming to more communities in NIAs, (iii) create equitable funding across Toronto’s wards.”
- $224,200 to Continue Improving Support for Culture by Providing an Inflationary Increase
The City’s Culture Connects: An Action Plan for Culture in Toronto proposed an annual inflationary increase for cultural grants “beginning in 2025 to help organizations across the city manage increasing costs of operations and production while continuing to offer programs, events and experiences for Torontonians across the city.”
This year’s 2.5% inflationary increase “will be applied to selected programs across EDC’s portfolio of cultural grants, focusing on programs that improve public access to culture but are not otherwise recommended to receive a budget increase in 2026 as part of the implementation of Culture Connects. This targeted inflationary increase will benefit 120+ organizations across the city and expand access to culture for residents.”
Programs recommended for the inflationary increase include:
- “Cultural Organization Operating Partnership (COOP), which provides operating support to not-for-profit cultural organizations
- Cultural Festivals Funding Program (CFFP), benefitting recurring community events in all wards across Toronto
- Cultural Hotspot, which provides a variety of funding opportunities fostering community programs through workshops
- Youth Cultural Incubators Stabilization Initiative, supporting new and growing youth-serving organizations
- Indigenous Arts and Culture Partnerships Fund, enabling Indigenous-led arts and cultural programming determined and guided by the community
- Toronto Significant Event Investment (TSEIP), which supports not-for-profit or charitable status organizations offering non-reoccurring (annually or within five years) events to the public”