Accountability + Impact Report 2024
We are the city’s designated arts development authority, created to support and strengthen the arts to benefit all Calgarians.
We are proud to put public dollars to work in the interest of the public good. This means all public. We aspire to foster a resilient and sustainable arts sector that is safe and welcoming for all, regardless of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, language, citizenship, creed, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, economic status or physical or mental abilities.
We believe that infusing the lives of Calgarians with art has the power to build our city.
Our vision is a creative, connected Calgary through the arts where everyone is empowered to live a creative life.
To deliver on our mission, we are:
- An investor in artists, arts collectives, and arts organizations
- An arts champion, supporter and ambassador
- A connector, facilitator and collaborator
- A catalyst and opportunity-maker
Welcome to our 2024 Accountability and Impact Report
We thought we were living in interesting times before, but each year seems to come with higher highs and lower lows. In 2024 our city faced water restrictions, Green Line interruptions, and the effects of an escalating cost of living. Calgary Foundation’s quality of life report, Vital Signs, recounted a bleak outlook from Calgarians with a subtitle: Holding it Together. It reported how Calgarians are feeling nervous about their financial situation, they are stressed about housing, there is rising food insecurity, mental health is slipping, and they’re concerned about safety. Yet, there is hope in the arts: 72% believe a strong arts and culture scene is key to creating a vibrant city and 71% feel the arts help them appreciate other perspectives and cultures. This report acknowledged how important the arts are as a contributor to the quality of life and sense of community and connection experienced by Calgarians.
In 2024 we invested almost $15 million through 659 direct grants to arts organizations, individual artists and artist collectives in Calgary. These grant investments resulted in over 41,000 activities seen by over 5.3 million Calgarians, including almost 8,000 activities for youth.
We know the arts provide hope in good times and in bad, and we are thankful every day that our city council recognizes the value of the arts to improve the lives of Calgarians. Artists and the arts bring people together, share our stories, shape our identity, and create moments of joy and connection in a fractured world.
This report outline the work we undertook in 2024 to be good stewards of the public funds entrusted in us. We invest these funds in ways that make Calgary a better city in which to work, live and play.
In the fall of 2025, we will have a civic election resulting in a mix of new and returning councillors to lead our city through the next four years. We thank our civic leaders and have faith that they will continue to see and fund the importance role that artists and the arts play in making our lives better every day.
— Patti Pon, President & CEO, and Chima Nkemdirim, Board Chair
Read the full 2024 Accountability + Impact Report online at artsaction.ca.
Download the Calgary Arts Development Financial Statements for 2024 here.