Following the special call for applications issued on January 16, 2025, the Conseil des arts de Montréal is investing $575,000 annually to fund 40 new arts organizations that will join the four-year operating grant cycle in progress.
Including the 296 organizations already admitted in July 2024, a total of 336 Montréal organizations will now enjoy stable and predictable funding through 2027. The CAM’s total investment for the entire cycle stands at $44,281,000.
One more step toward consolidating Montréal’s creative heart
These 40 organizations were previously receiving funding under the Two-Year Operating Grants Program, which has been eliminated. Nearly half of the organizations were created in the last 10 years, and this realignment reaffirms the CAM’s role in identifying arts organizations and its one-of-a-kind mission: supporting the emergence and establishment of arts organizations that, through their rich and diverse practices, help power the cultural ecosystem on the Island of Montréal, despite limited financial resources.
Despite the freeze on financial contributions for 2025 from the urban agglomeration of Montréal and the uncertainty surrounding its future budgets, the CAM is injecting an additional $575,000 per year until the end of the cycle in 2027 to support these 40 additional organizations.
Any significant increase in the Montréal agglomeration’s contribution to the Conseil’s budget will allow it to boost certain grants. In that event, the CAM will determine the increases on the basis of the evaluations carried out by juries of peers.
Applications were reviewed by committees made up of 83 artists and cultural workers active in the same discipline, tradition or artistic practice as the organizations being evaluated.
Consolidation and flexibility measures
The Conseil has implemented measures to ease the reporting requirements for organizations receiving operating grants.
Minimum funding threshold
The CAM has set a minimum grant threshold of $15,000 (or, in rare cases, $10,000).
Annual financial statements
Accounting requirements have been eased for organizations receiving less than $50,000 per year.
Final reports
Annual activity reports have been simplified for all organizations. We estimate that reporting time requirements have been cut by half. In addition, the deadline for submission is now six months after the end of the fiscal year, instead of four.
Overview of grants awarded
Results as of May 20, 2025
Number of organizations accepted: 40
Number of prequalified and eligible organizations that submitted an application: 43*
Acceptance rate: 93%
Annual amount invested for the 40 new organizations: $575,000
Amount of grants recommended by the evaluation committees but not awarded due to the CAM’s limited financial capacity: $376,500
Value of grants awarded over the total value of recommended grants: 60%
*Note that although they were not selected for four-year operating grants, two organizations did receive project-specific support.
General snapshot of four-year operating grants since July 2024
Total number of organizations supported: 336
Total amount invested: $44,281,000
List of subsidized organizations
100Lux
Architek Percussion
Association québécoise des marionnettistes A.Q.M.
Atelier La Coulée - Coopérative de solidarité - Sculpture. Métal. Soudure.
Berceurs du temps
Biennale d'art contemporain autochtone
CAPAS Inc.
Centre des musiciens du monde
Ciné-Quartier
Cinéma Public
Cirque Hors Piste
Compagnie Catherine Gaudet
Coopérative de solidarité Tënk Canada
Danse à la carte
DARE-DARE, Centre de diffusion d'art multidisciplinaire de Montréal
Diffusion le vrai monde?
Éditions Dent-de-lion
Ensemble Scholastica
Espace de la diversité
Festival des arts de ruelle
Festival Filministes
Fondation Guido Molinari
Hors Champ
Infinithéâtre
Je suis Julio - Le Radeau
La compagnie des autres
La maison des cultures nomades
La poésie partout
La Revue Moebius
Le Monastère
Les Rugissants
Les soeurs kif-kif
Livart
Maï(g)wenn et les Orteils
P.A.A.L. Partageons le monde
Pétrus
Publications Zinc
Système Kangourou
Tenon Mortaise, Théâtre multidisciplinaire
Théâtre des Petites Âmes
About the Four-Year Operating Grant Program
This program supports artistic research, creation, production and presentation and the implementation of activities and services that help improve working conditions for artists by providing stable and comprehensive assistance. Disbursed over a four-year period, this recurring financial assistance enables arts organizations to fulfill their mandate.
Contact us
The Conseil team is here to answer your questions. Feel free to schedule a telephone appointment with the cultural advisor responsible for your artistic discipline. Please note that members of the Conseil’s evaluation committees and board of directors are not authorized to comment on applications.
