The Booster Fund amplifies remuneration and access for artists and arts workers in existing creation, programming, training, outreach, or education activities and projects offered by performing arts organizations in Toronto.

The 2024 Booster Fund will offer grants of up to $30,000 to boost projects or activities planned for 2025, primarily through the lens of increased remuneration and access. The Booster Fund focuses on elements of existing projects and activities, not new projects or activities created in response to this funding opportunity. The project and activities need to have been included in existing plans for 2025 as of the 2024 Booster Fund application deadline.

The Booster Fund supports individuals who interact with the organization’s existing 2025 creation, programming, leadership development, training, outreach, or education projects or activities in one or more of the following four ways:

1. By increasing remuneration to project or activity participants or faculty;
2. By subsidizing the cost for participants to partake in projects or activities;
3. By increasing the pool of project or activity participants; or
4. By adding new elements to an existing activity or project if they bring additional value to the boosted experience (up to a maximum of 20% of the overall request).

The Booster Fund is not meant to support full-time staff. Eligible requests can include, for example, supporting the contracted creative team for a 2025 production or the participants of a training or professional development initiative.

Applicants to the Booster Fund must:

• be professional theatre, dance, music, or opera organizations or those working between and among these disciplines (including creation/production companies, festivals, professional training institutions, and service organizations);
• maintain a professional staff;
• be based in the City of Toronto (organizations who are located in the GTA may be considered if they have a significant presence in the City of Toronto);
• have a minimum of three years of organizational/production history; and
• have a current, valid charitable registration from the Canada Revenue Agency.

For 2024, applications to the Booster Fund will be accepted on or before:

2:00 pm ET, October 2, 2024

We are holding an in-person information session on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, from 2:00pm – 3:30pm at YWCA Toronto to review and answer questions about SEF and the Booster Fund.

Please register here by April 15 to attend the session. Limit two people per organization.