St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival & Thousand Islands Playhouse to Receive Support through the Community Building Fund

Operating grants to benefit 648 organizations across the province

LEEDS & GRENVILLE ― The Ontario government is providing more than $46 million to support 648 non-profit tourism, culture, sport, and recreation organizations through the Community Building Fund’s Operating stream, including $42,000 for the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival in historic downtown Prescott and $244,300 for the Thousand Islands Playhouse in Gananoque. The funding will be used to help them recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and deliver much-needed programs and services in our community.

“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our government has been committed to supporting those struggling the most,” said Minister MacLeod. “The Community Building Fund was designed with this in mind – to enhance the quality of life for Ontarians and support local jobs. These grants will help non-profit organizations across Ontario sustain operations – providing funding so they can adapt to the pressures of the pandemic and continue to deliver programming that is critical to the economic and social well-being of communities across the province.”

The Community Building Fund launched earlier this year as a part of the 2020 Budget, Ontario’s Action Plan: Protect, Support, Recover and is administered by the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) through two streams: Operating and Capital. The Operating stream closed on June 1, 2021, and is providing organizations across the province with funding support for:

  • Essential expenditures, such as staff salaries and fixed operational costs, including utilities, rent, lease, telephone, and communication lines/services.
  • Equipment costs, programs, services, and adapting to public health measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as equipment for changing technology, health and safety, and personal protective equipment.
  • Innovation, digital and mobile web/virtual costs for the delivery of products and experiences.

“As we know, the heritage, sport, tourism and culture industries were among the first hit, and the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and I am proud that our government is supporting their recovery though this Community Building Fund,” said Steve Clark, MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes. “Organizations like the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival and Thousand Islands Playhouse are so important for community engagement, and they allow citizens to experience all that their area has to offer.”

“Like all theatre companies, we have struggled in this pandemic, and we were forced to cancel our last two seasons,” said Jo-Anne Beckstead, St. Lawrence Shakespeare Theatre’s Board Chair. “This grant will provide a vital boost to our organization, enabling us to continue to achieve the highest possible standards of artistic excellence as we work toward our 20th anniversary in 2022. We are very grateful to the Ontario Government and Trillium Foundation for their commitment to the arts during this time.”

“This funding has given us the opportunity to think differently and offer our plays in a hybrid format, both live in person and online,” said Brett Christopher, Managing Artistic Director for the Thousand Islands Playhouse. “OTF’s commitment will also allow us to reopen fully in 2022 with confidence, ensuring that we can once again bring back our full workforce and play an integral role in the region’s economy.”. 

QUICK FACTS

  • Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, working to build healthy and vibrant communities across Ontario through investments of local grants to non-profit organizations. Its programs support the arts, culture, heritage, sports and recreation, human and social services, and environment sectors across the province.
  • otf.ca.
  • otf.ca.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

2021 Budget – Ontario’s Action Plan: Protecting People’s Health and Our Economy

News Release: Ontario Supports Tourism, Culture, Sport and Recreation Organizations

Visit Ontario’s website to learn more about how the province continues to protect Ontarians from COVID-19.

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For more information, contact:

Doug Brewer:

MPP Steve Clark’s Office

Office: (613) 342-9522

Cell: (613) 246-4278