Secure your 2024 Membership before February 15th!
It’s time to raise the collective voice of Canada’s arts & culture sector in federal arts advocacy.
Why now?
The time is critical. A post-pandemic shift and precarious economy. Expiring public relief and recovery funding. Equitable and accessible funding distribution. An upcoming federal election.
Let’s renew our collective voice and commitment with a regularly engaged membership and conversations about the federal arts policy agenda.
Let’s ensure that anyone who wants to participate in collective advocacy for the arts sector, can do so, and that the Coalition truly represents the diversity of our arts organizations and cultural workers.
What is advocacy?
Advocacy is the action taken to represent our sector to the government, and ensure that policies, funding, and political decision-making reflects the needs on-the-ground. Without advocacy and participation in policy development activities (such as the federal budget cycle, regular meetings with politicians and bureaucrats, participation in consultations, and educating the government on the sector’s reality), we risk being swept away by irrelevant policy changes, instead of proactively informing and empowering policy.
What is the Canadian Arts Coalition?
The Canadian Arts Coalition is a collaborative, non-partisan movement. Through our membership, we are an alliance of arts services organizations, arts organizations, individuals and champions from across the country who represent arts & culture in federal advocacy.
We are united in the belief that the future of our citizens, their towns and cities, and the nation itself depends on a rich, vibrant, and diverse arts and heritage community.
The Coalition originally assembled in 2005. We were successful in advocating for the doubling of the Canada Council for the Arts’ budget in 2016 and have continued to advocate for increases to programs of Canadian Heritage and, since 2020, for COVID relief and recovery funds. We continue to advocate on national, sector-wide policy issues to this date.
The Coalition is informed and guided by our network of volunteers and members who are supported by paid government relations staff to engage the sector regularly and strategically coordinate our advocacy efforts.
The Coalition is currently organized by a volunteer Steering Committee which will be open to new members in early-2024, and our activities are coordinated by our strategic partners, PAA Advisory | Conseils.
What does a year in advocacy look like?
In addition to an annual Arts Day on the Hill (where Coalition members get together to advocate to politicians in Ottawa), we work with the regular Government budget-life cycle and commit to holding regular convenings with the arts sector to inform policy asks and positions, data and storytelling.
The Coalition’s ability to coordinate effective and representative sector advocacy efforts is a direct result of the investment of time and money from the membership.
What does your membership investment get you?
Membership in the Coalition ensures that all sizes of organization, artistic disciplines, and regions are represented in umbrella advocacy efforts to benefit the broader arts and culture sector
The Coalition membership intends to represent the diversity of the sector and, your participation increases that representation and the voices shared in Ottawa.
- Your membership investment is the direct and primary reason that the Canadian Arts Coalition exists and can remain consistent in its efforts.
- Your membership gives you the first opportunity to attend Arts Day on the Hill, participate in focused sector-policy discussions, have access to advocacy training, and have the option to volunteer on the Coalition’s governance and decision-making committees.
- Your membership is an investment that helps the Coalition push beyond relying on volunteer labour on the day-to-day coordination, and allows us to hire professional government relations staff in Ottawa to regularly monitor arts policy announcements, convene the sector in policy discussions on a regular basis, and support volunteer member committees where needed.
- Your membership will give you access to up-to-date information on federal policy issues, consultations, funding opportunities, and webinars with government officials.
Membership is now open!
Join the growing list of confirmed members for our 2024 year and ensure that the sector is accurately represented in the Coalition’s efforts:
Annual Membership Fees
Your membership is a commitment to the continuance of collective, umbrella advocacy for the Canadian arts and culture sector.
In an effort to make the Coalition accessible to all, membership contributions are scaled by organizational operating budget size and individuals to balance the sustainability of the coalition and the viability of equitable, continued membership.
Please fill in the membership form to start the process. Payments are made by e-transfer to our administrative partners at PAA, and held in trust for the Coalition.
If you require an alternative mode of payment or wish to set up an alternative payment structure, please email Elizabeth at elizabeth.seip@paainc.ca.
| MEMBERSHIP TYPE | ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION |
| Organizations $10M+ | $5,500 |
| Organizations $5M – $9.9M | $3,500 |
| Organizations $1M – $4.9M | $2,500 |
| Organizations $500,000 – $999,999 | $1,500 |
| Organizations $250,000 – $499,999 | $1,000 |
| Organizations under $250,000 | $750 |
| Individual Researchers and Cultural Entrepreneurs | $350 |
| Individual Artists | $75 |
| Undergraduate and Graduate Students | $50 |
