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News Releases - 2009

Canada Council for the Arts invested $158 million in 689 communities in 2008-09

Ottawa, October 13, 2009 Over $158 million was awarded to more than 4,400 artists and arts organizations in all regions of the country last year, the Canada Council for the Arts announced today in its
2008-09 Annual Report.

Over $144 million was awarded in the form of grants, as well as
$3.5 million in prizes and fellowships and $9.9 million in payments to writers, translators and illustrators under the Public Lending Right program, which compensates authors for the availability of their books in Canadian public libraries. 

The Annual Report also highlighted other results for the past year:

  • 2,280 grants were awarded to 2,097 individual artists, while 3,888 grants went to 2,305 arts organizations, including theatre, dance and opera companies, orchestras, art galleries and artist‑run centres, film cooperatives and book publishers.
  • 805 artists and arts professionals from 192 different Canadian communities sat on
    Canada Council peer assessment committees, which evaluate grant applications.
  • More than 16,500 Canadian authors received payments through the Public Lending Right Commission – an increase of more than 500 authors over last year.
  • Nearly 200 Canadian artists and scholars received Canada Council prizes or fellowships.
  • More than 1,000 literary readings in 117 communities took place thanks to Canada Council funding.
  • The annual investment by the Canada Council in the arts was $5.47 per Canadian in 2008-09.
Read the Annual Report, detailed profiles of Canada Council funding by province or territory, the searchable grants listing and the list of peer assessment committee members. 

For more information:

Grace Thrasher
Communications Manager
1-800-263-5588 or
613-566-4414, ext. 5145
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Carole Breton
Communications Officer
1-800-263-5588 or
613-566-4414, ext. 4523
email Email this contact