METRO Vancouver announced on Monday that it has awarded $300,000 in regional culture project grants to 54 local arts and culture organizations — the highest single-year grant award in the program’s history.
Through its annual grant program, Metro Vancouver helps organizations research and produce new cultural programs, reach new audiences and cover project staffing and administrative needs, up to a maximum of $10,000 per project grant.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the arts and culture sector, which prompted Metro Vancouver to use a portion of its provincial Safe Restart funding to make a one-time increase to this year’s grant fund, doubling it to $300,000.
“We saw record-setting demand for cultural grants in 2021, both in terms of the number of applications and how much funding was being requested,” said Sav Dhaliwal, Chair of the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors. “Being able to award an additional $150,000 will help promote employment within creative sectors and enhance exposure to some of the most vibrant and artistic minds in our region.”
This year, Metro Vancouver received 106 applications from organizations seeking a total of $768,011 in funding for proposed projects. By comparison, in 2020, 54 applicants sought $377,230 in funding and 29 organizations shared $140,000 in grants.
“This year, the pandemic continued to have disastrous impacts on the region’s arts and culture sector,” said Lisa Muri, Chair of Metro Vancouver’s Regional Culture Committee. “We are proud to support region‐serving arts and cultural organizations who have shown resilience and creativity as they safely recover from such a challenging time. I am excited to see the many innovative and intriguing projects that we have supported come to fruition.”
Grant recipients represent the cultural mosaic of the region, showcasing creativity across a broad range of disciplines and providing access for a wide range of audiences.
In addition to annual grants, Metro Vancouver administers MAXguide.org, a free online service for organizations and individuals to promote their local performances, exhibitions, events, venues and groups. You can sign up to Metro Vancouver’s mailing list to receive information about future culture grants and other notifications related to Metro Vancouver’s regional arts and culture.
2021 Culture Grant Recipients
| Arts Club Theatre Company | $10,000 |
| Arts Umbrella Association | $8,000 |
| Bill Reid Foundation (Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art) | $5,000 |
| Blueridge Chamber Music Society | $10,000 |
| Chinatown Today Society | $3,000 |
| Coquitlam Heritage Society | $5,000 |
| Dancers of Damelahamid Society | $5,000 |
| Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Society of Vancouver | $5,000 |
| East Vancouver Community Music School Society | $2,500 |
| Fort Langley Jazz and Arts Festival Society | $10,000 |
| Fraser Valley Gilbert and Sullivan Society of BC (Fraser Valley Musical Theatre) | $10,000 |
| Health Arts Society | $5,000 |
| Hellenic Canadian Congress of British Columbia | $5,000 |
| Italian Cultural Centre Society | $2,500 |
| Latincouver Cultural and Business Society | $10,000 |
| Little Mountain Gallery Community Arts Performance Association | $5,000 |
| Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows Arts Council (The ACT Arts Centre) | $5,000 |
| Maple Ridge Historical Society (Maple Ridge Museum) | $5,000 |
| Massey Theatre Society | $5,000 |
| Medusa Theatre Society | $3,500 |
| Monster Creative Productions Society | $5,000 |
| New Performance Works Society | $3,000 |
| Neworld Theatre Society | $5,000 |
| Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre | $5,000 |
| Peninsula Production Society | $3,000 |
| Presentation House Cultural Society (Presentation House Theatre) | $5,000 |
| Richmond Art Gallery Association | $4,000 |
| Richmond Arts Coalition | $5,000 |
| Richmond Gateway Theatre Society | $5,000 |
| Roedde House Preservation Society | $2,500 |
| Royal Academy of Bhangra Society | $10,000 |
| Sanjh Foundation | $8,000 |
| Satellite Video Exchange Society (VIVO Media Arts Centre) | $5,000 |
| Seismic Shift Arts Society (Dance House) | $5,000 |
| Shot of Scotch Dance Society | $5,000 |
| Some Assembly Arts Society (Some Assembly Theatre Company) | $5,000 |
| Still Moon Arts Society | $10,000 |
| Surrey City Orchestra Society | $5,000 |
| Theatre Terrific Society | $5,000 |
| Theatrix Youtheatre Society | $5,000 |
| United Scottish Cultural Society | $5,000 |
| Vancouver Art Gallery | $10,000 |
| Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre | $5,000 |
| Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society | $5,000 |
| Vancouver Cantonese Opera | $3,000 |
| Vancouver Comic Arts Association | $5,000 |
| Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra Society | $5,000 |
| Vancouver International Children’s Festival Society | $5,000 |
| Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre Society | $5,000 |
| Vancouver Men’s Chorus | $10,000 |
| Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra Society | $5,000 |
| Vancouver Society for Early Music (Early Music Vancouver) | $2,500 |
| Vancouver West Side Theatre Society (The Chutzpah! Festival and the Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre) | $5,000 |
| West Van Theatre Company | $4,500 |
| TOTAL | $300,000 |
