The Oakville Arts Council (OAC) receives the majority of our funding through Grants and Foundations.
Our most significant contribution comes from the Town of Oakville - representing 38% of our income. In 2008, the Town increased support to the Oakville Arts Council by 50% and we created our first 3-year memorandum of understanding.
Also in 2008, the OAC secured a 3-year Ontario Trillium Foundation grant to purchase 2 MAC computers and the Adobe Creative Suite software for a “Communications Hub”, as well as the creation of the printed Guide to the Arts.
We continue to receive operational funding from the Ontario Arts Council through a Community and Multidisciplinary Arts Organizations grant. This operational support helps assist the OAC in producing arts services to the public and to sustain a healthy arts community.
Every summer, we benefit from the Canada Summer Jobs program through the Government of Canada. Canada Summer Jobs is an initiative that provides funding to help employers create summer job opportunities for students. It is designed to focus on local priorities, while achieving tangible results for both students and their communities.
Endowments
The Oakville Arts Council established our Ontario Arts Endowment Fund at the Ontario Arts Foundation (OAF) under the terms of the Arts Endowment Fund Program (AEF). The AEF is a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Culture administered by the OAF. The OAC receives investment income from our endowment to be used for operations.
The Oakville Arts Council is the beneficiary of the Oakville Arts Endowment Fund of the Oakville Community Foundation. The endowment fund was established in 1997 with a $25,000 capital contribution from the Town of Oakville. The OAC receives investment income from the Oakville Arts Endowment Fund to be used for operations.