Ottawa, November 17, 2006 - Artists and arts organizations in 510 different communities across Canada received more than $132 million in funding from the Canada Council for the Arts last year.
In its Annual Report for the 2005-06 fiscal year, which was released today, the Council reported that it awarded 5,780 grants with a total value of $120.5 million, as well as $2.6 million in endowed prizes and approximately $9 million Public Lending Right payments to nearly 15,000 Canadian authors.
The Canada Council is a federal Crown Corporation created by Parliament in 1957, with a mandate to "foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts." The Council will turn 50 on March 28, 2007, the anniversary of the adoption of the Canada Council Act.
"Looking back over 50 years, there is no doubt that sustained public investment in the arts has had a profound effect on our country, our communities and our lives," Canada Council Chair Karen Kain said in her introduction to the report. "The arts enrich our lives, promote learning, encourage multicultural interaction, create strong communities, bring us together, and promote us to the world."
While previous Annual Reports highlighted arts activities supported by the Council, the 2005-06 report focuses on the Council's objectives, strategies and performance, as well as governance issues and financial information. A companion volume to the Report, entitled The Arts: a part of us all, provides a glimpse of the year's arts activities and their impact on communities across Canada.
The full text of both documents, as well as more detailed information by province or territory and a searchable database of grants awarded in 2005-2006, is available on the Canada Council web site at www.canadacouncil.ca/aboutus/organization/annualreports.
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