GATINEAU, February 1, 2022

The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the recovery of the arts and culture sector, which has been among the hardest hit sectors throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of renewed shutdowns and public health restrictions due to the emergence of the Omicron variant have been particularly severe for the live performance sector, negatively affecting the livelihoods of the artists, technicians and other skilled cultural workers who bring live performances to stages across the country. The Government continues to stand by these talented workers through these challenging times.

Today, the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced the launch of the Canada Performing Arts Workers Resilience Fund. This new temporary funding program will provide $60 million to help workers in the live performance sector. It will finance initiatives led and delivered by organizations in the sector to directly support independent and self-employed workers (gig workers) in the live performance sector.

The Canada Performing Arts Workers Resilience Fund will fund initiatives that:

• provide short-term financial assistance to those experiencing economic hardship and requiring emergency support; and/or
• provide workers with guidance, information, and professional development opportunities in areas such as financial management, mental health and well-being, and career transition.

By working with organizations that support the live performance sector, the Government of Canada will leverage industry expertise and capacity to best address the specific needs of its cultural workers and maximize the number of people who will benefit.

This funding opportunity is available to eligible applicants such as artist unions, guilds, associations, service organizations, benevolent foundations, or Indigenous organizations that are mandated to represent the interests of cultural workers in live performance occupations, including musicians, actors, directors, choreographers, designers and technicians.

Organizations receiving funding will be responsible for designing their own initiatives, which may include enhancements to existing programs and activities, as well as new initiatives that align with the funding program’s policy objective of directly supporting individuals.

This will provide much-needed relief to our hard-working live performance artists and cultural workers until we can get together again and experience amazing live performances in communities across the country.

Funding eligibility requirements are available on the Canada Performing Arts Workers Resilience Fund webpage. The deadline to apply is March 4, 2022.