Released on October 29, 2013
artsVest™ Program Encourages Local Business Investment in the Arts
Business for the Arts, Canada’s only national charitable organization of business members who support the arts, announced today the list of artsVest™ participants in Saskatchewan for 2013-2014. artsVest™ Saskatchewan is a sponsorship training and matching incentive program developed by Business for the Arts and delivered in Saskatchewan with funding from Canadian Heritage and the Government of Saskatchewan's Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport.
artsVest™ Saskatchewan assists small to medium-sized arts and culture organizations in the development of new and mutually-beneficial partnerships with local businesses through matching incentives and free sponsorship workshops. Following a jury process and a review of 41 applications, 32 organizations have been pre-approved for funding. In Regina, 10 applicants received pre-approval for their plans, in Saskatoon 11, and in the Districts 11. For a complete list of organizations, please visit www.businessforthearts.org/media-room/.
“The artsVest™ Saskatchewan model is one that both business and cultural organizations are buying into in a big way,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Kevin Doherty said. “The pilot was so successful, we renewed the program for another two years. There is an enthusiasm in this province based on our growing economy, sense of optimism and quality of life and the artsVest™ partnership model fits very well with this new spirit.”
“We are delighted to welcome these 32 arts and culture organizations as part of the artsVest™ program renewal in Saskatchewan and look forward to celebrating the results,” Business for the Arts President and CEO Nichole Anderson said. “The success of the program in the province is a tremendous indicator of business support and interest in partnering with the local arts community.”
In the second year of the pilot program, business participation increased by more than 10 per cent from year one, for a two-year total of 421 business partnerships being established in Saskatchewan. The two-year pilot program resulted in more than $2.4 million of financial support for the arts and culture sector and brought money into local economies. In May, artsVest™ Saskatchewan was extended for another two years with renewed federal and provincial funding.
Also operating in Ontario, British Columbia and most recently Nova Scotia, the goals of artsVest™ are to leverage public sector dollars to build partnerships with the arts community; stimulate new business investment in the arts; train arts and cultural organizations to approach the business sector with a partnership plan; activate municipal cultural plans and build local cultural assets; and showcase what is possible when business invests in the arts. Since the introduction of the program in Ontario in 2002 to 2013, 1,571 businesses have partnered with 465 cultural organizations through artsVest™ – 968 of these businesses were first-time sponsors of the arts. A total of $2.92 million in matching funds generated more than $6 million in private sector sponsorship resulting in an influx of more than $9 million to the cultural economy. For more information on the program, visit www.artsVest.com.
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For more information, contact:
Sean St. George
Parks, Culture and Sport
Regina
Phone: 306-787-9087
Email: sean.st.george@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-526-8635
Christine Amendola
Business for the Arts
Phone: 416-869-3016 ext, 230
Email: c_amendola@businessforthearts.org