As Black arts organizations across Ontario navigate a complex funding landscape, strategic investment in long-term capacity has become essential. A recently completed Ontario Trillium Foundation grant marks a pivotal moment for BCurrent Performing Arts, reinforcing its leadership, resilience, and future-facing vision.
For more than three decades, BCurrent Performing Arts has played a defining role in shaping Black creative expression in Toronto and beyond. Founded in 1991, the organization has consistently provided space for Black artists to imagine, experiment, and present work that reflects the complexity and expansiveness of Black life in Canada. That legacy has now been reinforced by the successful completion of an 18-month, $79,200 Resilient Communities Fund grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, awarded in 2024.
Earlier this week, representatives from BCurrent met virtually with Stephanie Smyth, MPP for Toronto–St. Paul’s, alongside Alberta Cefis, a member of the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Board of Directors, to reflect on the impact of the funding. The conversation focused on how targeted public investment can help Black-led arts organizations strengthen internal systems while preparing for long-term sustainability in an increasingly competitive cultural sector.
“This Ontario Trillium Foundation grant shows how targeted investments can really help organizations like BCurrent Performing Arts grow and plan for the future,” Smyth shared during the meeting. Her remarks underscored the importance of capacity-building funding that supports governance, strategy, and infrastructure, not only artistic output.
At a time when many arts organizations are stretched thin by rising costs and shifting funding priorities, the grant allowed BCurrent to focus inward, strengthening the foundation that supports its outward-facing artistic and community work.
Building capacity behind the scenes
The Resilient Communities Fund grant was designed to support organizations through periods of transition and growth. For BCurrent, the funding enabled a comprehensive review of how the organization operates, governs, and plans for the future. Rather than concentrating on a single program or production, the grant addressed the systems that make sustained artistic creation possible.
Over the course of 18 months, BCurrent undertook several key initiatives that collectively strengthened its organizational health:
- Development of a new three-year strategic plan to guide decision-making and growth
- Creation of updated fundraising strategies aligned with long-term sustainability goals
- Investment in cloud-based fundraising software to modernize donor engagement and tracking
- Modernization of human resources policies to reflect current best practices
- Board governance training to support effective leadership and accountability
Taken together, these efforts represent a shift toward long-term resilience. They also reflect a broader trend among Black arts organizations that are prioritizing structure and sustainability as essential components of cultural impact.
Positioning for the next chapter
For Kira Allen, Executive Director of BCurrent Performing Arts, the grant marked a turning point. “This Ontario Trillium Foundation grant has been transformational for BCurrent,” Allen said. “The support enabled us to strengthen our organizational foundation, modernize our operations, and position ourselves for sustainable growth. We successfully achieved all our project objectives and are now better equipped to serve Black artists and communities across Ontario.”
That emphasis on readiness matters. BCurrent’s work has always extended beyond the stage, functioning as a cultural incubator where Black artists can take creative risks while being supported by a trusted institution. Strengthening internal capacity ensures that this role can continue, even as the sector evolves.
Founded by ahdri zhina mandiela, BCurrent has built a reputation for producing multidisciplinary work that is imaginative, joyful, and politically engaged. Its influence can be felt across generations of artists who have passed through its programs, workshops, and productions.
Why this investment matters
Public funding conversations often focus on visible outcomes, performances, premieres, and attendance numbers. Yet capacity-building grants like this one address a quieter but equally critical need: organizations' ability to plan, govern, and adapt.
For Black-led arts organizations in particular, these investments help counter long-standing structural inequities in funding and infrastructure. By supporting leadership development, governance training, and modern operational tools, the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s approach contributes to a more equitable cultural ecosystem across the province.
The Foundation itself invested nearly $105 million into 732 community projects last year, supporting initiatives that strengthen economic well-being, community connection, youth development, and sustainability across Ontario. BCurrent’s grant sits firmly within that mandate, demonstrating how strategic funding can create ripple effects that extend well beyond a single organization.
Looking ahead with intention
As BCurrent Performing Arts moves forward, the impact of this completed grant will continue to shape its decisions and direction. Strong governance structures, clear strategic priorities, and modern systems provide the stability needed to respond to new artistic opportunities while remaining rooted in community.
The story of this grant is not simply about a funding milestone. It reflects a broader recognition that Black arts institutions are essential cultural anchors, deserving the same long-term investment as larger, mainstream organizations. When those institutions are resourced to plan ahead, entire creative ecosystems benefit.
For Toronto and Ontario’s Black arts community, BCurrent’s strengthened foundation signals confidence, continuity, and care for what comes next. It is a reminder that sustaining Black creativity requires both visionary art and the often unseen work of building organizations that can carry that vision forward for decades to come.
