COVID-19: Support for culture, heritage and sport sectors

The Government of Canada is investing $50 million in 2022-2023 to provide additional targeted support measure to compensate Canadian arts, culture, and heritage organizations for revenue losses due to public health restrictions and capacity limits, and the hesitancy of audiences to return to in-person activities due to COVID-19.

June 27, 2022 announcement: Targeted recovery support for Canadian arts, culture and heritage organizations to help welcome back audiences and boost revenues

More information about the CACRP funding delivery components:

• Museum Assistance Program
• Canada Music Fund
• Canada Arts Presentation Fund

The Support for Booksellers sub-component of the Canada Book Fund helps Canadian booksellers increase their ability to sell books online, in order to strengthen the sustainability of their operations in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic.

November 9, 2022 announcement: Booksellers across Canada receive funding to help expand their online book sales

The Short-Term Compensation Fund for Canadian audiovisual productions (STCF), administered by Telefilm Canada, provides a temporary measure to help minimize the consequences of the lack of insurance coverage for filming interruptions and the abandonment of productions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the sector of audiovisual production.

The STCF is extended until March 31, 2023 and is budgeted at up to $150 million dollars.

The Community Sport for All Initiative component of the Sport Support Program will provide $80 million over two years to support organized sport at the community level to help Canadians and communities recover from the impacts of COVID-19.

The call to submit applications is now closed.

Learn more about this initiative to support community sport projects for equity-deserving groups.

The Canada Performing Arts Workers Resilience Fund is a new $60 million temporary funding program to help workers in the live performance sector. It will fund initiatives led and delivered by organizations in the sector to directly support independent and self-employed workers (gig workers) in the live performance sector.

Learn more about this additional Support for Cultural Workers in the Live Performing Arts Sector.

May 2, 2022 announcement: Four independent organizations will provide COVID-19 transitional support to self-employed cultural workers in the live performing arts sector

October 14, 2022 announcement: Resilience Fund: 59 new projects will help self-employed cultural workers in the live performance sector

In Budget 2021, the Government of Canada committed $1.9 billion to help support the arts, culture, heritage and sport sectors. This continued support for Arts, Culture, Heritage and sports sectors will help ensure recovery and growth, and help create good, middle-class jobs in these sectors.

Learn more about the distribution of Recovery and Reopening Funds for the Arts, Culture, Heritage, and Sport Sectors and the Major Festivals and Events Support Initiative.

We conducted a survey to determine whether these recovery and reopening funds achieved their main objectives in:

• providing additional relief to arts, culture, heritage and sport organizations that are still struggling with operational viability due to the pandemic;
• helping organizations build organizational resilience and pursue business innovation and transformation, including contributing to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion, and environmental sustainability activities;
• supporting organizations and projects that deliver in-person experiences and events that draw visitors to our communities.

Here are the results from the first wave of the Recovery and Recovery Funds for Arts, Culture, Heritage and Sport Sectors Recipient Survey. The results from the first wave show responses from recipients in the 2021-2022 fiscal year. The second wave for 2022-2023 recipients will follow in late Summer 2023.

• National Culture Summit: The Future of Arts, Culture and Heritage in Canada

On May 10, 2021, the Department of Canadian Heritage invited Canadian artists and content creators to share their story by participating in the Canadian Artists and Content Creators Economic Survey. The purpose of this survey is to help create an updated portrait of the artistic and creative community in Canada. This data gathering is important to help ensure policies and programs continue to be responsive to the sector’s reality. Consult the Canadian Artists and Content Creators Economic Survey Report.

We conducted a survey to determine whether this emergency support fund achieved its main objectives in helping organizations maintain jobs, and support business continuity. Here are the results from the Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage and Sport Organizations Recipient Survey.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada has been meeting with people working in the culture, heritage and sport sectors across the country to understand how the Government of Canada can best support them through this challenging time. In the fall of 2020, a series of town halls and roundtables engaged nearly 4,000 individuals and organizations and received close to 1,000 written submissions. Participants had an opportunity to share their views about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on their sectors. They also discussed ideas for a relaunch that will be more fair, inclusive and green. These conversations will help us build towards a stronger and more equitable recovery for Canadians.

Summaries of roundtable discussions

• Roundtables on the Future of Libraries and Archives – November 27 and December 2, 2020
• English-Language and Live Performance Sector Roundtable - September 2, 2020
• Visual and Digital/Multimedia Arts, Museums, and Heritage Institutions Sectors Roundtable - September 3, 2020
• French-Language Live Performance Sector Roundtable - September 8, 2020
• Music Sector Roundtable - September 10, 2020
• Green Recovery Roundtable - September 11, 2020
• Broadcasting Sector Roundtable - September 17, 2020
• Film and Television Industry Roundtable - September 18, 2020
• Anti-Racism and Equity Roundtable – September 24, 2020
• Publishing Sector Roundtable - September 25, 2020
• Roundtable on Accessibility and the Participation of People with Disabilities in Arts, Culture and Sport – October 1, 2020
• Roundtable on Advancing Equity for Women, Non-Binary People and LGBTQ2+ Communities - October 5, 2020
• Journalism Sector Roundtable - October 5, 2020
• Recreational Sport Roundtable - October 7, 2020
• Indigenous Sport Roundtable - October 7, 2020
• High Performance Sport Roundtable – October 8, 2020