$59,000 awarded to 15 recipients in second 2024 round of Windsor’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Fund (ACHF)

Published

Local artists and creators submitted forty-six applications in the second round of Arts, Culture and Heritage Fund (ACHF) funding for 2024. This included thirty-six applications from individuals and ten applications from organizations. Of these, fifteen projects – nine grants to individuals, and six grants to organizations – will receive support for arts, culture and heritage projects in the community. 

The funding requests totalled about $204,000. With $59,000 available in this round, the competition was high, and the jury had to make difficult decisions. The jury was pleased to see eighteen of the total submissions in this round come from first-time applicants, and excited to be able to select seven of those to receive funding. The jury selected a strong mix of projects across genres including the visual arts, the performing arts, film, music, literary arts and storytelling; and some important projects supporting diversity, inclusivity, heritage and the celebration of humanity in the city of Windsor.

The ACHF, approved by City Council, awards grants to individuals and cultural organizations to help stimulate creative and economic growth. Each project could be funded to a maximum of $5,000 in a given round. $118,000 in project funding is available each year, administered through two rounds of $59,000 each. In 2022, City Council approved a recommendation to increase funding by $30,800 to a total of $118,000 annually, which represents a 35% increase in funding to the program.

Since the launch of this program in 2014, and including this current round:

  • 954 applications have been submitted for consideration for funding;
  • 468 individual projects have received funding;
  • $1,068,000 has been awarded in project funding to local arts, culture and heritage initiatives benefitting our community, including funding for:
    • 33 community arts-based programs and initiatives,
    • 77 visual arts projects and initiatives,
    • 64 literary arts projects and initiatives,
    • 82 performing arts projects and initiatives,
    • 121 musical arts projects and initiatives,
    • 60 film arts projects and initiatives, and
    • 31 heritage and culture projects and initiatives.

The City extends congratulations to the following 2024 Round 2 recipients:

Nicole Baillargeon. $5,000. Liminal City (working title). Funding for artist fees, exhibition fees, and production costs for a visual arts exhibition. 

Allison Nelson. $5,000. The Creative Community Experience: Devised Performance. Funding for artist fees for a theatrical production created by artists with cognitive disabilities. 

Victoria Abboud. $5,000. Transplanting Cedars: Migration Stories from Lebanese Elders. Funding for artist fees, and project recording and documentation costs to create a collection of oral history stories and a corresponding book.

Chantelle Vallée. $5,000. Dare to Win. Funding for artist fees for creation of a book that celebrates women in sport.

Maggie Denys. $5,000. Women in Sport. Funding for artist fees for pre-production and production of a locally created documentary.

Black Kids in Action. $4,800. The Journey. Funding for artist fees, venue rental, costumes, and props for a Black History Month theatrical production. 

Arts Collective Theatre - ACT. $4,800. The Price of Freedom. Funding for artist fees, production costs, and venue rental to create and present an original stage play.

Shane Chiasson. $4,500. Tabs of Hope. Funding for artist fees and production costs for a documentary on the history of 1990s and 2000s pop tab drives. 

Michael J. Krym. $4,000. End Hear. Funding for artist fees and pre-production costs for creation of a short film.

Adam Bergamin. $3,025. Regency Cabaret. Funding for artist fees, costumes, props, and accessories for a drag project for seniors.

Windsor Feminist Theatre. $3,000. #Noexcuse Monologue Project. Funding for artist fees and production costs for a stage show of monologues for the United Nations (UN) International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. 

Kaitlyn Karns. $2,875. The Broadway Bunch 2024. Funding for artist fees, transcription fees, supplies, and venue costs for a musical theatrical show in Downtown Windsor. 

MusicFest Windsor. $2,500. MusicFest Windsor 2024-2025. Funding for production costs associated with a youth music festival. 

Windsor Classic Chorale. $2,500. Windsor Choral Festival. Funding for artist fees, music fees, and production costs for an annual festival featuring choral singers. 

Bangladesh-Canada Association of Windsor-Essex. $2,000. Boishakhi 1432 – Celebration of Bangla New Year. Funding for artist fees, supplies, and production costs for a multi-genre cultural festival.

Opportunity for Sponsors, Donors, Community-Builders with the ACHF:

As the ACHF program continues to evolve, the City offers two possible opportunities for partnership between sponsors, donors, and community builders in connection with the ACHF grant program to help support arts, culture and heritage in Windsor.

Those who wish to register as a Patron will be provided with information on funded ACHF projects that are seeking additional funding support to realize their project goals and increase community impact. City staff will facilitate a meeting between interested parties to see what possibilities exist. 

Those who wish to register to become an ACHF Partner will have the opportunity to donate funds to the ACHF funding stream, which will increase available funding in a given round, thus increasing opportunities for additional creators and projects to receive funding. The ACHF Jury will adjudicate all funding requests, and City staff will work with ACHF Partners to determine the best fit for donations in any given round. 

Those wishing to take advantage of these unique opportunities to direct support to Windsor’s arts, culture and heritage creative community, are asked to reach out to culturalaffairs@citywindsor.ca to begin the conversation.

Quotes:

“For the third year in a row, $118,000 has been awarded to individuals and organizations through the City’s ACHF program, helping us to build on Windsor’s proud history of investment in our creative community. The results of the program speak for themselves, with over $1 million in funding awarded to over four hundred and sixty innovative projects since the program launched. The ACHF program is one of many components of Council’s overall significant investment in arts, culture and heritage in Windsor. On behalf of City Council, congratulations to the funding recipients in this round. Thank you for the work that you do in our community. Thanks, also, to our volunteer jurors for evaluating the applications and being of service. We look forward to seeing these new projects come to life in Windsor!” - Mayor Drew Dilkens

“This has been a great year for the ACHF, with many large community gatherings and unique projects happening throughout the year with support through this program. We remain grateful for Council’s ongoing support and investment into this important initiative. We are thankful to our volunteer jurors who step up and have the difficult job of evaluating applications and directing funding to help us support arts, culture and heritage projects in Windsor. It is wonderful to see many new applicants continuing to come forward, increasing submissions from Windsor’s diverse multicultural communities, and innovative multi-phase projects contributing to our vibrant community. We are so very excited to see this latest batch of projects come to fruition.” - Michelle Staadegaard, Manager of Culture & Events, City of Windsor 

Further details on the program guidelines and objectives, application process, eligibility requirements, success stories from previous recipients, and deadline dates for funding rounds as available are posted at www.ACHFWindsor.ca online.

To learn more about arts, culture and heritage services at the City of Windsor, visit www.CityWindsor.ca or contact 311. 

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