Arts and culture in Barrie were a good investment for the city in 2024.
Last year, the city’s investment of $230,418 earned total revenue of almost $3.6 million, Amanda Dyke, the city’s cultural development officer, said in a recent memo to council.
The city’s investment helped result in other public-sector funding of $2,760,563, earned revenue of $707,546 and sponsorship revenue of $112,153 for a total of $3,580,262.
Several organizations saw 2024 as an opportunity to apply for project funding, from the arts and culture investment program, to bring new initiatives to fruition, Dyke said.
Projects that were rewarded for their innovative and creative ideas focused on the development of a free, collaborative community dance event, providing podcast training for Métis youth, presenting francophone arts performances and supported the levelling up of professionals in the visual arts in Barrie.
“Successful recipients must agree and accept the city’s conditions for funding that include commitments to spend the funding for the purposes for which it was awarded, standards for acknowledging the city as a funder,” Dyke said in the memo, “and restrictions on the kinds of expenditures the funding is to be utilized for.”
After experiencing an increase in other public sector funding from 2020 to 2022 to support recovery of the arts sector during the COVID pandemic, that revenue stream has declined.
Since 2020, sponsorship revenues have been lower than in pre-pandemic years, and feedback from the sector suggests that full pre-pandemic recovery is still ongoing.
Funding recipients have been able to leverage city grant monies to access other levels of government funding, earn ticket sales and other revenue and attract sponsorship dollars allowing for continued, successful operations. Program applicants complete statistical forms to provide data about the sector, including audience numbers and participants in professional development or educational programming.
Reports from 2024 indicate that almost 60,000 people were engaged in local programs and events supported by arts and culture investment funding.
For 2025, the approved arts and culture investment program (formerly cultural grants program) budget was $232,500, and 22 applications were received, requesting $381,448 in funding.
Of those applications, 16 were successful in receiving funding, for a $232,500 total.
Eight organizations are receiving operating funding this year, led by Talk Is Free Theatre at $60,000 and the Barrie Film Festival at $49,000.
Operating funding is to total $196,000 this year.
Eight other groups also received project funding, totalling $36,500.
Barrie Persian Association, Barrie Pride and the South Asian Association of Simcoe County were three of the groups receiving $5,000 this year.
Program funding decisions are made by an independent adjudication panel.
“They noted the amount of work being done across many genres and demographics in the community and the large audience engagement numbers demonstrated across applications,” Dyke said in the memo.