St. Catharines doles out over $97,000 in arts funding

The actual first meeting of St. Catharines City Council on November 28 saw the arts community get a serious cash boost.

While the actual inaugural meeting of council on November 21 was a swearing-in ceremony at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, the past Monday night session was the first nut-and-bolts, let’s-get-to-business meeting held at City Hall.

As such, the arts community saw nine separate groups split a total of $97,584 in funding through the 2022 St. Catharines Cultural Investment Program (SCCIP). The approvals bring the total SCCIP funding allocated in 2022 to $400,000.

“SCCIP is an investment in the cultural vitality of the community, supporting the City’s creative cluster and the promotion of cultural activities, but also assisting the sector with sustainable support and funding,” said Carly Anderson, St. Catharine’s Culture Supervisor.

“It also serves a bridge, connecting our arts community with the community at large, whether it be events that allow residents to enjoy professional arts experiences, or applicants partnering with social service agencies to develop specialized programming that serves diverse communities.”

Successful applicants for these rounds of funding include:

• Arts Development Program: Aeris Körper Contemporary Dance, $3,000; Avanti Chamber Singers, $3,500; Port Dalhousie Beautification and Works Committee, $4,000; and Silver Spire United Church, $5,884.
• Culture Builds Community Program: Start Me Up Niagara, $9,000; and Willow Arts Community, $8,500.
• Sustaining – Festival Program: Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts, $19,700; The Norm Foster Theatre Festival, $27,500; and TD Niagara Jazz Festival, $16,500.

Details on the 2023 SCCIP funding programs, which includes six different program streams, will be announced in the new year.