Seven-figure funding provided to explore the civic impacts of arts

Author Sharlene Gandhi

A $2.5 million grant through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) will advance research on the community impacts of arts and culture. 

The project, called The Arts Impact Partnership (TAIP): Understanding the Arts’ Civic Impact in the Data-Driven Economy, has been provided funding that will stretch over seven years.

The partnership grant effort was led by academics at York University and the Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as non-profits Mass Culture and Skills for Change. More than 70 individuals and institutions, primarily universities and arts and culture organizations, are co-applicants, collaborators and partners on this research, including a few from the U.K., U.S., and Australia.

This is part of a wider $1.3 billion funding announcement dedicated to research programs, including those in the social sciences and humanities, health research, and natural sciences and engineering. 

Research by CanadaHelps and Ipsos found that people who engage with arts and culture are more likely to have better wellbeing. However, the arts sector remains one of the most underfunded in the country, with many festivals and music education programs shutting their doors. 

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  • Sharlene Gandhi is the Future of Good editorial fellow on digital transformation.

    Sharlene has been reporting on responsible business, environmental sustainability and technology in the UK and Canada since 2018. She has worked with various organizations during this time, including the Stanford Social Innovation Review, the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster University, AIGA Eye on Design, Social Enterprise UK and Nature is a Human Right. Sharlene moved to Toronto in early 2023 to join the Future of Good team, where she has been reporting at the intersections of technology, data and social purpose work. Her reporting has spanned several subject areas, including AI policy, cybersecurity, ethical data collection, and technology partnerships between the private, public and third sectors.

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