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 2025 Booster Fund will offer grants of up to $30,000 to boost projects or activities planned to take place in 2026, 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 2026 as of the 2025 Booster Fund application deadline. It is important to note that the Booster Fund is not designed to replace lost funding from other sources. Also, it is not an opportunity for an organization to meet industry standards when it comes to minimum recommended remuneration; rather than making a poor situation acceptable, we are focusing on making a good situation better.

The Booster Fund supports artists and arts workers who interact with your organization’s existing 2026 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 increasing the pool of project or activity participants;
3. By subsidizing the cost for participants to partake in projects or activities; 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 total request for the current elements that are being boosted).

The Booster Fund is not meant to support full-time staff. Eligible requests can include, for example, supporting the contracted creative team for a 2026 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.

NEW: Organizations that have previously received two Booster Fund grants are not eligible to apply in 2025.

For the 2025 Booster Fund, applications must be submitted by:
October 2, 2025, 2:00pm ET

Watch the 2025 Booster Fund webinar.