FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 08, 2024

ARTICIPATE ENDOWMENT FUND CELEBRATES $1 MILLION DISPERSAL MILESTONE:  15 YEARS OF SUPPORTING OTTAWA ARTISTS AND ARTS ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH PROJECT GRANTS 

Arts Network Ottawa is thrilled to announce that with the 2024 grant recipients of 11 projects and $25,000, the ARTicipate Endowment Fund has now dispersed a Fund total of $1,048,390 in 243 grants. 

The Endowment Fund, established in 2007 by Arts Network Ottawa in partnership with the City of Ottawa, supports artistic programming at the Shenkman Arts Centre, allowing artists and local arts organizations activate spaces through performance, presentation, exhibitions and the creation and development of new work.   

Early donations have evolved into tangible impact. ARTicipate celebrates established professional artists, supporting new voices and emerging creatives to build their portfolios and careers at the Shenkman Arts Centre.  

13 arts festivals; 60 visual arts exhibitions; 28 musical performances or concerts;  28 dance performances; 36 theatrical performances;  5 film/media projects; 2 literary arts projects  

The $1 million of interest earned through the endowment over the past 15 years has been distributed through innovative grant-funding models, adapting to changes in Ottawa’s creative landscape, including the COVID-19 lockdowns.  In addition to project funding, recipients benefit from access to space and resources at the Shenkman Arts Centre, and peer-to-peer mentorship support between project teams. The Fund also provides stability to resident arts partners through annual operating grants. 

“If it was not for ARTicipate and the support that I had received from ARTicipate, I would not have pursued a huge project like Navarūpa. It would not have been possible – the space and also the support, the technicians, the light support and sound and the audience. It was a huge moment in my life.”    

Stuti Mukherjee (2022 Grant Recipient)

Arts Network Ottawa remains dedicated to expanding the reach and impact of the fund. The more it grows, the more it gives – all donations to ARTicipate are invested in the Fund, sparking creativity and helping artists and community connect at the Shenkman Arts Centre now and in the future. With new donations to the Fund, we can hit the $2 million milestone even earlier! 

CONTACT US TO DONATE OR LEARN MORE 

The ARTicipate Endowment Fund has been made possible through the generosity of foundations, local businesses and individuals, and the Province of Ontario, whom we thank for their leadership and gratefully acknowledge on our Donor Wall.