A new initiative intended to boost arts programs in the province was recently unveiled in Yorkton. ArtsVest is a matching incentive and sponsorship training program, and has expanded outside of Ontario for the first time.
Laura Adlers, National Program Manager for Business for the Arts, explains that the program is about bringing arts and business together, and teaching art organizations ways they can get in touch with the business community and get sponsorships.
"What we do is we bring small to mid-size arts organizations together who have perhaps never approached corporate business or have not been successful. We give them a sponsorship workshop, we teach them how to do it, what works and what doesn't," Adlers says.
The workshops see business panels come in explain what they are looking for, and organizations also have the opportunity to pitch ideas to a "Dragon's Den" of business people, Adlers explains. There is also a pre-approval process, with applications being sought before January. Those organizations approved have six months to find a corporate sponsor, and ArtsVest will match the sponsorship dollars.
The goal of ArtsVest is to get community arts organizations and local businesses together to help fund initiatives, as this makes more sense for the smaller arts organizations.
"Quite often these smaller organizations are not a good fit for big corporate business, so it's as much about building relationships with the local print shop and the local bank as it could be perhaps about a slightly larger organization that supports arts and culture. It's about getting that local synergy so the arts can grow," Adlers says.
The program's expansion to Saskatchewan is funded by a grant from Heritage Canada, and Adlers explains that the response in the province has been very positive, with people excited about jumping on board with the program. The expansion to Saskatchewan is being funded by a $700,000 grant from Heritage Canada, which will fund the program at $350,000 per year for two years.
Those interested in learning more about the program or applying can visit www.artsvest.com.
