CBAC Pilots New Funding For Business/Arts Partnerships

On May 9, 2002, The Council for Business and the Arts in Canada (CBAC) has announced a pilot programme designed to flow at least $100,000 in new funding to the arts by providing matching funds to those invested by business sponsors. The announcement was made by CBAC president and CEO, Sarah Iley during the presentation of the Mayors' Awards for Business and the Arts in Oakville.

The year-long project begins immediately in Oakville and provides cash incentives to arts organizations and businesses to create new partnerships.

The programme is designed to attract new businesses that have not yet supported the arts, while increasing the overall amount of business sponsorship. It will assist community-based arts groups to improve their organizational and financial capacity through the development of sustainable business partnerships. The pilot will also measure the effectiveness of the programme in one community as a potential model for future incentive programmes in other communities.

The Ontario government, through the Ministry of Culture is providing lead funding of more than $50,000 for the pilot programme. The government is committed to supporting strategic projects that help advance the arts, heritage and cultural industries sector in Ontario. The combination of Oakville's rich and diverse arts community and its strong corporate base made it a natural choice for this programme.

"I am very pleased to announce funding for this innovative programme," said Ontario Culture Minister David H. Tsubouchi. "It will encourage new partnerships between the private sector and Oakville's arts organizations, and will highlight the win-win results of corporate support of the arts."

The Town of Oakville, with a population of 147,000 about 40 km west of Toronto, was selected for the pilot's locale because it has a strong history of business support for the arts, celebrated for the past 13 years by the Mayor's Awards for Business in the Arts. Current, five-term mayor, Ann Mulvale, has championed these annual awards since their inception.

"Community-building partnerships, like the ones we honour through the Mayor's awards, are essential to maintaining the quality of life we share in Oakville. Tonight's announcement is a wonderful challenge to build on our success, and demonstrate how business and the arts can work creatively together for the good of the community," said Her Worship, Mayor Ann Mulvale.

Oakville has a broadly diverse array of arts organizations active in the town, many of which are mirrored in communities across Canada. Forty-six of these groups are members of the Oakville Arts Council and include public and private art galleries, a symphony orchestra, a performing arts centre, a children's choir as well as amateur drama and music groups, along with summer jazz and classics festival organizations.

The town is also home to 260 head offices ranging in scope and scale from the Ford Motor Company, TDL Group Ltd. (Tim Hortons), Zenon Environmental Inc., Goodrich Landing Gear to private money management firms.

The pilot programme is modeled on the highly successful British "New Partners" programme, run by the CBAC's UK counterpart, which has injected £140 million of new money into arts funding since its inception. This programme originated in 1984 during Baroness Thatcher's second term as British Prime Minister.

"Since it's inception in 1974, the CBAC has worked to make partnerships between business and the arts more effective by providing leadership in advocacy, research, promotion and education. Now we can add the power of direct economic benefit to our toolkit. To say the Council is excited about the prospects for this pilot would be an understatement; we are thrilled," said Sarah Iley, CBAC president and CEO.

The Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation and the federal Department of Canadian Heritage are also funders of this new initiative.