Open Tuning Application Dec.2020

In response to the economic and cultural impacts of COVID-19, Mayor Tory established the Toronto Office of Recovery and Rebuild (TORR) with a mandate to coordinate a city-wide approach informed by public health evidence and best practices from here in Toronto and other jurisdictions, to bring innovation to the City’s recovery strategies and actions. TORR’s work is divided into seven themes, one of which is Inspire Toronto. Inspire Toronto has grown into a number of initiatives including ShowLoveTO (SLTO) organized by TORR and the Economic Development and Culture Division.

This important initiative includes a partnership program designed to amplify, showcase and provide additional support to community organizations who are producing activations across our City. The program's purpose is to provide one time funding to community partners, to ensure city-wide COVID-19 physically distanced activations and help strengthen the impact of various economic recovery campaigns.

This program is for community activations planned to take place in Toronto between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021. The ShowLoveTO Partner Program provides funding for one half (50%) of the cost of the activation costs up to $25,000. The remainder of budget may be financed by sponsorships, grants, contributions from the partner organization, or in-kind contributions. (All direct projects costs are eligible and should be detailed in the budget summary. Administrative, ongoing staff salary and annual operating expenses are not eligible).

All activations must follow distancing protocols to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Organizations already funded by the City of Toronto’s annual operating grant programs, BIA Winter Grant Program, Cultural Access and Development Fund, Local Arts Service Organizations, 2020 Festival Recovery Grant are not eligible.

Please be advised that all information collected on this application is business information and will be maintained as public record. Please do not provide any personal information in any of your responses and supporting documents.   Applicant Business Information Organization Name The Centre for Local Research into Public Space (CELOS) lic Space Charitable Registration Number 82118 9149 RR0001 Contact Name (First, Last) Jutta Mason Position Title Administrator Street Number 242 Street Name Havelock ST. Suite/Unit Number City/Town Toronto Province Ontario Postal Code M6H 3B9 Business Telephone Number 416 533-0153 Business Email mail@celos.ca

Budget Total Cost of Activation $10,000 Total Funding Requested (Lesser of 50% of total cost of project) $5,000

Please attach a detailed description of activation project cost estimate with application.

Partner Activation/Event Information 1. Event Name: Open Tuning Festival 2021 2. Planned Start Date (yyyy-mm-dd): 2021-06-12 3. Planned End Date (yyyy-mm-dd): 2021-06-12 4. Planned Promotion/Marketing Start Date (yyyy-mm-dd): 2021-02-01 5. Planned Promotion/Marketing End Date (yyyy-mm-dd): 2021-02-01 6. Where and how will you promote your SLTO activation: The Open Tuning Festival (OT) has been running as a grassroots music festival since 2014 and has established communications and marketing channels that use social media and neighbourhood activities to promote participation in the festival by musicians, volunteers and audiences. We will continue to use these channels to promote the SLTO activation, as well as pursuing appearances on local broadcast channels, like CBC Metro Morning, which we have done in past years. Creating a hybrid online and in-person model for the festival also creates an opportunity to do more promotion beyond the neighbourhood. 7. Describe your audience: OT attracts a broad audience from all ages and backgrounds. The grassroots nature of the festival and highly varied roster of musicians creates a diversity of performances, and thus a diverse audience of more than 4,000 people that come to see the performances throughout the day. Recruiting from a broad range of communities also attracts an audience from those communities, and an emphasis on diversity, youth and inclusion incentivizes the sharing of opportunities throughout the networks of performers and audiences alike. 8. Please provide a description of your ShowLoveTO activation and describe how it meets this program's objectives: OT has existed since 2014 to create opportunities for musicians and sound technicians by bringing people together through free live grassroots musical performances that take place on front porches, in garages, in parks and in shared outdoor spaces in one afternoon. It also actively trains sound technicians and volunteers, and works to build a community of mutual promotion. Unfortunately OT was forced online by the pandemic in 2020, severely curtailing audiences and limiting performances to those that already had the capacity to stream from home, and significantly reducing foot traffic to local businesses that are close to the free performances. This ShowLoveTO activation would allow the festival to operate by rebuilding the festival as socially distanced performances in a hybrid in-person and online festival that strictly follows public health measures by establishing venues that can be seen and heard from nearby but do not permit crowds in close quarters. Road closures would be in place to allow people to move freely through the streets, and to watch performances while maintaining physical distancing. For audiences that feel unsafe to attend in-person, OT will also stream performances online. Funding would contribute towards safety measures, permits, road closures, crowd control, online streaming services, film and audio gear, and opportunities to pay a stipend to performers. Due to limited funding, OT has always been a volunteer festival, including volunteer performers. But the COVID-19 pandemic has severely restricted the ability of musicians and sound technicians to earn a living, and this ShowLoveTO activation would allow us to pay musicians and techs for their work, treating them like the small businesses that they are, while also creating volunteer activities, arts promotion and community engagement. Priorities 1. Community impact – Evidence that your program activation promotes community give back and well-being. OT has traditionally be crowdfunded by the audience and the Seaton Village community. It is loved by residents and was greatly missed in 2020. OT brings people together to celebrate music, to support artists, and to create happiness, and as it has grown it has attracted musicians (130+ in 2019), volunteers (50+ in 2019) and audiences (4000+ in 2019) from all over the city. 2. Cultural vitality – Supporting local business, arts and culture as key elements of the SLTO partner program. OT 2021 will create opportunities for musicians of all ages, and will give musicians – as local businesses – an opportunity to earn money for their performances in the midst of a pandemic that has curtailed opportunities for artists to make a living. It will also drive customers to local restaurants and shops, and create opportunities for local music schools and musical instrument and gear rentals to market and sell their services alongside the festival. It gives youth and amateur musicians a chance to perform on stages with professionals in supportive environments, it has a focus on sound technician training for volunteers, and it actively recruits students, both for high school volunteer credits and from sound technician schools like Trebas Institute and George Brown College. Cultural vitality is a central purpose of the festival. 3. Social development – Evidence your organization’s activation will enhance social equity, social well-being and citizen engagement.

OT strives to foster a diversity of musicians and musical genres, creates opportunities for upcoming and existing artists, and has a high rate of volunteer participation. OT has been volunteer-led and volunteer-driven since 2014 and brings in new people every year. OT does not discriminate based on experience. Stages include both professional recording artists and amateurs in order to promote inclusion, make connections between people, share experience and training, and facilitate mutual promotion of participants. With training and workshops Open Tuning increases capacity in both volunteers and musicians every year. Musicians gain valuable experience and confidence by playing live to an audience. 4. Equity and inclusion – Evidence your activation serves Toronto’s diverse communities. In 2019 OT had 130+ performances on 36 stages. Musicians from all ages and many genres and backgrounds played. Accessibility and inclusion are always priorities, and OT is committed to recruiting performers and volunteers from across the city, with an emphasis on youth and on broadening the genres that have an opportunity to perform. Musicians from equity seeking communities will be prioritized in the selection process. This will create a direct pathway to encourage participation from members of equity seeking communities. Also by providing honorariums to musicians, travel expenses will be less of a barrier to participation.

“Equity-seeking communities” comprise those who face collective challenges in participating in society, including but are not limited to: BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour), 2SLGBTQ+, people with disabilities (physical, mental, sensory, psychiatric, learning), and more.

5. Organizational capacity – Demonstrate the capacity to plan and execute, with an emphasis on COVID-19 public health and safety enhancements. OT has existed for 7 years and has grown in scope every year up to 2020. The organizing committee is very experienced in facilitating the festival’s performances, in communications, in non-profit finance, and in volunteer recruitment, and includes people with senior level communications and operations experience. We are committed to strict adherence to public health measures will invest in rebuilding our musician, volunteer and hosting charters to specify how the festival will change to adhere to social distancing recommendations. We will also dedicate an organizing committee team to be responsible for working with venue hosts to ensure that appropriate distancing and cleaning measures are in place throughout the festival, and that all venues are established outdoors and do not allow crowds to gather. Spacing out venues with coincident performances will allow for thinner crowds at each stage and enhance the ability to ensure distancing. Authorization I have read, understand and agree to comply with the terms and conditions Authorized Signing Officer of the Organization Name (First, Last - Print) Jutta Mason Authorized Signing Officer of the Organization Signature

	Date (yyyy-mm-dd) 

2020-12-10

Acknowledgement and Consent

I, __Jutta Mason______ {First Name, Last Name of Authorized Signing Officer of the Organization} on behalf of the organization understand that by registering, providing information on your organization, and submitting a grant application, your organization represents to the City of Toronto that all such data and/or information has been collected by your organization in such a manner that considers confidentiality, privacy and security, and conforms to all applicable laws.

Further, I, _Jutta Mason_______________________ {First Name, Last Name of Authorized Signing Officer of the Organization} on behalf of the organization authorize the City of Toronto to collect, use and disclose the data and/or information which may include personal information in connection with the processing, review and evaluation of applications as part of the ShowLoveTO Partner Activation Grant Program.

The data and/or information which may include personal information collected by the City of Toronto shall be used to process, review and evaluate applications as part of the ShowLoveTO Partner Activation Grant Program. In addition, such data and/or information which may include personal information provided to the City of Toronto may be used and disclosed by the City of Toronto for transparency and accountability purposes in connection with the following activities: • Monitoring, evaluating, auditing and reporting on our applicants and grant recipients; • Conducting research, quality assurance, risk management and data analysis; • Supporting applicants and grantees to maximize their impact; and • Supporting learning opportunities through knowledge sharing.

This information is collected under the authority of sections. 7, 8, and 83 of the City of Toronto Act, 2006. Any questions concerning this collection may be emailed to collin.joseph@toronto.ca using your business email account.