Music in Kitchener

The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) provides grants to Ontario-based individual artists and arts professionals, ad hoc groups/collectives and organizations. Their streams include:

• Creating and Presenting
• Building Audiences and Markets
• Engaging Communities and Schools
• Developing Careers and Art Services

Website

Phone number: 416-961-1660 or 1-800-387-0058

Email address: reception@arts.on.ca

Grants and funds:

• Music Organizations: Operating (not festivals)
• Music Organizations: Operating (festivals only)
• Music Production and Presentation Projects
• Music Creation Projects
• Indigenous Arts Projects
• Music Recording Projects
• Music Creation Projects
• Music Production and Presentation Projects
• Indigenous Arts Projects
• Music Recording Projects

FACTOR provides financial support for musicians to create and record their compositions, market their recordings, tour in Canada and internationally, and more.

Website

Phone number: 416-696-2215

Email address: general.info@factor.ca

Grants and funds:

• Collective Initiatives Period 3
• Envelope Funding for Music Companies
• Showcase Production for Export-Ready Artists - Period 3 (Collective Initiatives)
• Collective Initiatives Period 4
• Showcase Production for Export-Ready Artists - Period 4 (Collective Initiatives)
• Juried Sound Recording (Album)
• Juried Sound Recording (Single/EP)
• Support for Eligible Music Companies
• Funding for National Service Organizations
• Juried Sound Recording (Album)
• Artist Development
• Showcase Production for Artists from Official Language Minority Communities (Collective Initiatives)
• Industry Events (Collective Initiatives)
• Sponsorship (of Events)
• Songwriter Development (guidelines)
• Live Performance
• Video

Ontario Creates Music Fund provides grants for the development of the music industry, music companies and live music production in Ontario. It appears individual artists are best supported through this fund by forming business entities related to booking, management, publishing and labels.

Website

Phone number: 416-314-6858

Email address: reception@ontariocreates.ca

Grants and funds:

• Music Creation - Activities between April 1, 2023 and August 31, 2024
• GLOBAL MARKET DEVELOPMENT FOR MUSIC MANAGERS
• Music Creation - Activities between August 1, 2023 and January 15, 2025
• Live Music
• Music Industry Initiatives
• AcceleratiON Program (Application Page)

Canada Council for the Arts serves artists working in many disciplines. Musicians can apply for grants supporting:

• professional development and career advancement
• circulation and touring

Website

Phone number: 1-800-263-5588 or 613-566-4414, ext. 5060

Email address: info@canadacouncil.ca

Grants and funds:

• Strategic Innovation Fund: Grow Grants
• Strategic Innovation Fund: Cultivate Grants
• Short Term Projects (Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples)
• Long Term Projects (Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples)
• Public Outreach: Project Grants (Arts Across Canada)
• Public Outreach: Composite Grants (Arts Across Canada)
• Concept to Realization: Composite Grants
• Indigenous Organizations
• Strategic Innovation Fund: Seed Grants
• Professional Development for Artists
• Circulation and Touring (Arts Across Canada)
• Circulation and Touring (Arts Abroad)
• Research & Creation
• Concept to Realization: Project Grants
• Professional Development for Arts Professionals (non-artistic)
• Travel (Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples)
• Travel (Arts Across Canada)
• Travel (Arts Abroad)
• Small Scale Activities (Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples)
• Representation and Promotion (Arts Across Canada)
• Representation and Promotion (Arts Abroad)
• Arts Festivals and Presenters (Arts Across Canada)
• Artist-Driven Organizations
• Artistic Catalysts
• Artistic Institutions

This fund is designed to help musicians who have a proven track record (example: record sales of 2,000 or greater) with marketing and tour support tied to new releases.

Website

Phone number: 1-888-256-2211

Email address: michellefarres@starmaker.ca

Grants and funds:

• Radio Starmaker Fund

SOCAN Foundation offers financial support to its members (composers, writers and publishers) for travel and professional development (conferences, workshops, seminars and more). To become a SOCAN member you need to have written and recorded a song. If you apply online, there is no fee to join.

Website

Phone number: 416-445-8700

Email address: members@socan.com

Grants and funds:

• Travel Assistance Program
• Professional Development Assistance Program
• Work Commissioning Assistance Grant
• SOCAN Foundation Career Development Grant
• Canadian Music Assistance (Organizations)
• Work Commissioning Assistance Grant (Organizations)
• Annual Operations Assistance (Organizations)

Learn about SOCAN grants

Awards:

• SOCAN Foundation Awards for Emerging Screen Composers
• SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Composers
• SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Canadian Songwriters
• SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards
• TD Indigenous Songwriter Award
• Her Music Awards – Sponsored by Bandzoogle

Learn about SOCAN awards

This regional granting body accepts applications twice a year for work in all artistic disciplines. It offers excellent support for completing applications.

Website

Phone number: 519-575-4450

Email address: info@artsfund.ca

Grants and funds:

• Spring Application Dates
• Fall Application Dates

The Musagetes Fund provides grants to arts organizations located in Waterloo Region that support making the arts more central and meaningful in peoples’ lives by building community and culture.

Website

Grants and funds:

• The Musagetes Fund for arts organizations that are registered charities or not-for-profits

Grants and funds:

• Scotiabank Arena Bursary Program with Canadian Music Week

Grants and funds:

• MVP (Music Video Production) Project

Grants and funds:

• Henry Armstrong Award

• Midtown Radio is a regional web-based radio station dedicated to playing local music and supporting local artists
• CKWR and its host Cara Andrews offer opportunities for local musicians to be interviewed and have their music played
• CKMS is a community station open to programming local music and musicians
• CBC KW’s morning host Craig Norris is always looking for local talent to support both on this local weekday show and his national weekend show “In the Key of C”

• Good Company Productions is a music management and promotion company that specializes in live event production and streaming, and music video production
• Josh Polasz and Jorge Pineda of Just Ideas produce hip hop music, help build careers and give back to the community through mentoring young artists
• Chris Colvin of Studio A has been recording and producing local music for over 15 years
• Ian Graham of Small Dog Studio has been mixing, mastering and recording for over 30 years and is certified at the highest level by Logic
• Fred Smith Studio does work for TV, film and corporate clients
• Rick Hutt of Cedartree has been involved in the local and national music scene as a composer, musician, producer, engineer arranger and mentor
• Track House Studios advertises themselves as an “All-in-One Artist Evolution”

• Music Ontario offers professional development, information, education and support to empower emerging companies and musicians in the indie music sector
• Music Canada is a trade organization that promotes and protects the interests of the Canadian music industry
• the Canadian Live Music Association works to promote the economic, social and cultural benefits of live music
• the Music Managers Forum helps keep managers and artists up-to-date with business developments
• the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences promotes music through the Juno Awards and Canadian Music Hall of Fame and supports music through the MusiCounts program

Connect with other artists in your genre and stay informed about upcoming programs.

• Folk Music Association of Ontario
• Country Music Association of Ontario
• Canadian Country Music Association

Learn about music publishing, rights, reproduction, exporting music and relevant policies in Canada.

• Music Publishers Canada
• Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency
• Musicians' Rights Organization Canada
• Canadian Independent Music Association

The Roos Island Music Series is a free series that fills Victoria Park with music for all to enjoy from many of our community’s incredible artists. Experience the range of talent the Waterloo Region music scene has to offer while enjoying the peace and calm of the park. Bring a lawn chair or picnic for a perfect afternoon or evening out!

Visit our Roos Island Music Series page to explore the full 2025 lineup.

We partnered with Centre in the Square in 2021 to award $1,000 microgrants to local musicians to help them stay connected to their audiences during the pandemic. One hundred and forty-five performers/bands applied. A jury of their peers selected the 14 grant recipients.

Here’s what they created:

• Rufus John
• Anthony Ramsay
• Rachel Hickey
• adult recreation centre
• Jaguar Sun
• Flamenco Plus
• The MacQueens
• Mandippal Jandu
• JP Sunga
• Hiba ElMiari
• Clarissa Diokno
• I, the Mountain
• Vintage Flight

Started in early 2020, Music 4 Good reflects our commitment to use the power of music to serve the most vulnerable in our community. By partnering with generous local benefactors, Music 4 Good has been able to donate instruments, recording gear and funding for instruction to organizations such as Grand River Hospital Adolescent Mental Health Services, Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Rosemount School for Boys.

Music 4 Good supporters include:

• Rob Carli
• the Awesome Music Project
• Centre in the Square
• Rick Endrulat
• Cynthia Sundberg
• Dr. Michael Liu
• students of St. David’s High School
• 100 Guitars for 100 Kids

In the summer of 2021, we supported the Registry Theatre to present a musical series during a very confusing time of ever-shifting/changing COVID-19 restrictions and protocols. The goal was to provide some hope, a light at the end of the tunnel, by bringing local artists to the Kitchener Market to celebrate our ability to gather for the first time since the pandemic started.

The support provided by the Downtown Kitchener BIA and a grant from the Canadian Department of Heritage allowed the Registry to fully compensate the artists and technicians who were particularly hard hit by pandemic closures. Music at the Market was a success as over 1,000 fans gathered to enjoy performances by an amazing line-up including:

• Danny Michel
• Penderecki String Quartet
• Ben Rollo
• I, the Mountain
• Joni NehRita
• Romeo Sex Fighter
• Avalon Bridger
• Kevin Ramessar
• Errol Blackwood
• Mary-Catherine Pazzano
• Elsa Jayne
• Flamenco Plus
• Air Blaq
• Keelo D’Ville
• Tait Garrett
• HolliZay
• Jesse T
• Western Swing Authority

In Spring of 2022, we asked “What would happen if you opened a recording studio in a neighborhood of teens and provided them with professional recording mentorship for a couple of months?” The answer is the Creative Recording Initiative. Watch our YouTube video to learn about this project.

The Creative Recording Initiative was a true partnership between the Music Office, House of Friendship’s Courtland Shelley staff, and producers Josh Polasz and Jorge Pineda from Just Ideas. Generous community supported allowed us to provide each of the participants in this pilot project with their own MacBook-based recording rig, microphone, headphones and keyboard, facilitating 24/7 learning and opportunity.

This was a broad community effort supported by Centre in the Square, Cook Homes, Communitech and Stephen Dunnington.

• Hillside Inside

• JUNOFest

• Roots North Music Fest

• Hello Summer Music Fest
• Homegrown Festival

• Oshawa Events in the Park

• Meadows Fest
  

• Spring Reverb

• Bluewater Borderfest

• Canadian Music Week Festival

• Community Craft Beer Fest

• Fresh Up Festival R&B Festival
• It's Your Festival
• Neighbours Day (City of Kitchener)
• NXNE
• Skeleton Park Arts Festival
• Sound of Music

• Spring Reverb

• Springtide
• Summer Concert Series - Sudbury
• Tall Pines Music Festival
• Tottenham Bluegrass Festival

• Unionville Festival

• Beaches Jazz Festival
• Canada Day - Cambridge

• Canada Day - Grand Bend

• Canada Day - Kitchener

• Canada Day - North Bay

• Canada Day - Oshawa

• Canada Day - Stratford

• Canada Day - Waterloo
• Crewfest
• Haggersville Rocks Festival
• Hillside Festival
• Home Country Music & Arts
• Lucan Summerfest
• Mariposa Folk Festival
• Northern Lights Festival Boreal Festival
• Ottawa Blues Fest
• Peterborough Musicfest
• River and Sky
• Rock the Park
• Stewart Park Festival
• Summer Concert Series - North Bay
• Summer Sunset Sounds
• Sunfest
• Vibrant Brampton

• Uptown Waterloo Jazz Festival

• Aurorapalooza
• Beanfest

• Captain Kidd Days

• Coming Home Festival

• Cowapolooza

• Festival of Friends
• Goderich Sunset Music Festival
• Guelph Fringe Festival

• Kempenfest

• Kingsville Music Festival
• Kitchener Blues Fest
• Muskoka Music Festival

• Music in the Fields

• Paris Drinks Fest
• Riverfest Elora

• Sauble Beach Sandfest & Tues Concerts in the Square
• Summerfolk
• Summerfolk Youth Discoveries
• Summer Sunset Sounds
• Trout Forest Music Festival

• Up Here Music Festival

• Voodoo Rock festival

• Winona Peach Fest

• Belmont Village Bestival
• Gussapalooza
• POP Montreal
• Southside Shuffle

• Summer Harvest Festival

• Supercrawl
• Wake The Giant
• Wasaga Beach Blues

• Western Fair

• Folk Music Ontario Conference

• VenueXvenue