Mayor Announces $2 Million Boost for Downtown Arts

Released: January 15, 2025 at 10:30 a.m.

Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham has announced the proposed recipients of the Downtown Arts Capital Fund (DACF), a $2 million initiative designed to revitalize the downtown core and strengthen Winnipeg’s arts and culture sector

The DACF, introduced in the City’s 2024-2027 Multi-Year Budget, allocates $500,000 annually to support critical capital projects by Winnipeg’s premier downtown arts organizations. After a thorough review process, four organizations have been recommended to receive funding:

  • Royal Winnipeg Ballet: $87,500 in 2024 and $250,000 annually from 2025-2027 for the Campus Modernization and Expansion Plan.
  • Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Performing Arts Consortium of Winnipeg: $87,500 in 2024 and $250,000 annually from 2025-2027 for the Pantages Playhouse Theatre Capital Renovation Project.
  • Manitoba Opera: $25,000 in 2024 to upgrade computer systems and ticketing technology.
  • Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre: $300,000 in 2024 for the Community Safety and Accessibility Project.

“These investments in Winnipeg’s longstanding arts organizations are also a commitment to the future of our downtown,” said Mayor Gillingham. “The Downtown Arts Capital Fund ensures these institutions can continue to connect our community and contribute to the economic health and revitalization of our downtown.”

The DACF was established to support organizations with more than 40 years of presence in Downtown Winnipeg. It complements other recent investments in the arts, like the $5 million the City provided to the Quamjuq project at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

“As an organization with over 85 years of history in downtown Winnipeg, we are grateful to the City of Winnipeg’s Downtown Arts Capital Fund for the acknowledgement of the role we, and the organizations fortunate enough to receive this funding, all play in creating a vibrant downtown community,” says Elena Tupyseva, Executive Director, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet. “We plan to  focus this capital investment on refurbishing our main floor Founder’s Studio. This fits our longer term strategic plans to make our Graham Avenue studio spaces more active and accessible by offering more reasons to visit us to experience the joy of dance in the heart of our city.”

All grants are subject to final approval by City Council.

 

For more information, please contact: 
Caitlin MacGregor
Communications Officer
Office of the Mayor, City of Winnipeg 
cmacgregor@winnipeg.ca / 204-583-5238

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