City of Kingston Arts Fund 2026 Operating and Festival Grant Recipients Announced
The Kingston Arts Council (KAC) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 City of Kingston Arts Fund (CKAF) Festival Grants and Operating Grants, and the distribution of $567,170 in funding to established and emerging arts festivals and arts organizations.
This represents the first round of applications to the new CKAF Festival Grant stream and updated Operating Grant stream, introduced earlier this year in alignment with the new CKAF Framework approved by City Council in November 2025. The Framework also includes an updated Project Grant stream and new Creation & Development Grant stream, with applications launching on 20 August 2026 and through which a total of $171,201 in funding is available for distribution.
The CKAF supports a vibrant, inclusive, and resilient arts sector through municipal investments that increase access and inclusivity; support Kingston artists; foster creativity and community engagement; build capacity and resiliency; and encourage collaboration and partnerships. For further information regarding the 2026 City of Kingston Arts Fund, please review the Report from the Kingston Arts Council on the City of Kingston Arts Fund 2026 Festival Grants and Operating Grants - Administration Overview and Grant Allocations included in the City Staff Report Number 26-136.
Operating Grants
Operating Grants support the operations, programs, and/or services of a wide range of non-profit arts organizations (professional, semi-professional, and emerging) in Kingston. Operating Grants range from $10,000–$65,000.
For more information, visit: artskingston.ca/ckaf-operating
2026 Operating Grant Recipients
Agnes Etherington Art Centre | $ 55,000
Cantabile Choirs of Kingston | $ 40,000
Centre culturel Frontenac | $ 16,000
Cultivate Art Commons | $ 56,763
Kingston Symphony Association | $ 60,000
Melos Choir & Period Instruments | $ 15,000
Single Thread Theatre Company | $ 10,000
Theatre Kingston | $ 35,000
Union Gallery | $ 21,000
Festival Grants
Festival Grants support the production, presentation, and operations of arts festivals that have a city-wide impact. This program has two categories, based on years of operation and festival history: Established Festivals and Emerging Festivals. Festival Grants range from $10,000–$55,000 for Established Festivals and $10,000–$20,000 for Emerging Festivals, and are awarded to support festivals occurring between September 2026 – December 2027.
For more information, visit: artskingston.ca/ckaf-festivals
2026 Festival Grant Recipients
Compton Park Music Festival | $ 17,050
Dia de los Muertos Kingston Community Celebration of Life | $ 10,000
Ground UP Dance Festival | $ 17,050
The Kick & Push Festival | $ 40,000
Kingston Canadian Film Festival | $ 46,000
Kingston WritersFest | $ 45,000
Reelout Queer Film Festival | $ 32,807
Skeleton Park Arts Festival | $ 40,000
Spring Reverb | $ 10,500
About the City of Kingston Arts Fund
The City of Kingston Arts Fund (CKAF) provides grants to local arts organizations, artists, and collectives to foster creativity at all levels and enrich how Kingston residents experience and engage with the arts. CKAF is administered by the Kingston Arts Council (KAC) on behalf of the City of Kingston. Since its inception in 2007, CKAF has provided a mechanism for the City of Kingston to invest in the arts, accounting for over $10.3 million invested to date.
In 2025, the City of Kingston completed a review of the CKAF to determine how it can continue to best support the arts in Kingston. The new CKAF Framework was developed in response to the CKAF Review, and in 2026 the KAC will launch four grant streams: Operating Grants, Festival Grants, Project Grants and Creation & Development Grants.
CKAF is an investment in Kingston’s cultural capital that aims to foster cultural vitality, increase the capacity of the arts community to create and produce artistic work, engage residents and enhance our city’s cultural economy, and promote financial stability and sustainability.
CKAF Grant Streams
Project
Grants
(Applications open 20 August 2026)
Creation & Development Grants
(Coming soon! Applications open 20 August 2026)
CKAF News
Kingston City Council approves $100,000 one-time additional investment into City of Kingston Arts Fund (CKAF)
Kingston City Council voted to amend the 2026 City Budget to include a one-time increased investment to the City of Kingston Arts Fund (CKAF) in the amount of $100,000.
The $100,000 investment will be added to the CKAF 2026 allocation and distributed directly into our local arts sector through CKAF grants. In combination with the base investment of $612,790 and returned funds and interest from previous years, this brings the total funding available through CKAF 2026 grants to over $738,000 — an increase of 20% from 2025.
The amendment, moved by Councillor Ridge and seconded by Councillor Amos, with support from Councillor Cinanni and Councillor Chaves, was approved unanimously at the conclusion of the City Council Budget Meeting on Tuesday, January 20th. The one-time investment is allocated from the Working Fund Reserve, meaning there is no effect on tax rates for Kingston residents.
“The City of Kingston has a strong history of supporting the arts and culture sector, to the benefit of our civic identity, local economy, and community wellbeing,” says Nicole Daniels, Executive Director of the Kingston Arts Council.
“The caliber and volume of creative experiences Kingston has to offer are essential to residents' quality of life and at the heart of Kingston’s identity. In the face of looming threats to the arts sector at the provincial and national level, this investment is an important step in sustaining the industry — the organizations, the festivals, and the artists who make Kingston a great place to live and to visit. Amidst a challenging economic landscape and with the pressures the City continues to face to maintain services and respond to community needs, we are deeply grateful for this support.”
With the conclusion of the CKAF Review and the approval of the new CKAF Framework in 2025, this investment in 2026 will help ensure that CKAF is accessible and inclusive, supports Kingston artists, increases opportunity for arts programming and community engagement, helps build capacity and resiliency of arts organizations, and encourages collaboration and partnerships.
For nineteen years, CKAF has bolstered and sustained Kingston's arts industry — at this exciting moment in the program's history, we are positioned to lead with more accessible, forward-thinking, and supportive granting practices, to the benefit of all Kingstonians. The 2026 funding investment will enable us to launch four grant streams in 2026: Operating Grants, Festival Grants, Project Grants, and Creation & Development Grants.
