Toronto, April 15, 2026 – The Ontario Arts Foundation announced today that $ 5.0 million in endowment income was paid to 255 arts organizations across the Province of Ontario. This represents income earned on endowments created by arts organizations and funded jointly by the private sector and the government through two matching programs: the Arts Endowment Fund, and the Canada Cultural Investment Fund, Endowment Incentives component.
“While the exceptional market gains of previous years allowed us to bolster payouts, we are cautious of the shifting investment landscape.” says Anthony Graham, Board Chair, Ontario Arts Foundation. “2025 and early 2026 has introduced significant global market uncertainty, yet our commitment to long-term investment oversight remains firm as we work to protect the stability of the payouts our arts organizations depend on.”
The Arts Endowment Fund (AEF) is a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming and administered by the Ontario Arts Foundation. Under the AEF Program, money raised for endowment was matched, dollar for dollar, up to a predetermined maximum. Each year organizations receive income that is unrestricted for programs and operations. The Province of Ontario committed $60 million in matching funds between 1998 and 2008. Since inception, over $136 million in income has been paid from the endowment funds to Ontario arts organizations, and the market value of all endowments now exceeds $173 million.
The Canada Cultural Investment Fund – Endowment Incentives component is a program of the Department of Canadian Heritage that provides matching funds of up to one dollar for every dollar raised privately for endowment – both the matching funds and the private donations are to be held in perpetuity. Since its inception in 2001-2002, the Ontario Arts Foundation has received $10.8 million in matching grants under this program to benefit the endowment funds of 44 professional arts organizations, which together with $15.5 million in contributions from private donors result in a growing source of income that can be used by the beneficiary arts organizations for their operating budgets or special projects. The Endowment Incentives component has provided a total of $400 million in matching grants, leveraging private sector donations of $574 million, for a total of $974 million invested in 107 public charitable foundations and benefitting the long-term financial health of 317 professional arts organizations across Canada.
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For information, please contact:
Bruce Bennett, Executive Director, Ontario Arts Foundation
Tel: (416) 969-7413 bbennett@oafdn.ca
Established in 1991, the Ontario Arts Foundation (OAF) is passionately committed to building long-term support for the arts in Ontario. In 2024-2025, the OAF paid $4.8 million in endowment income and $540,000 in awards and scholarships.
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