The KAC Newsletter | August '26 Issue 2

CKAF Operating and Festival Grant Recipients Announced, Budgeting for Artists Workshop, Being Seen by Portia Chapman, Upcoming Events, & Grant Board Highlights!

August 15, 2026

KAC NEWS & UPDATES

CKAF Operating and Festival Grant Recipients Announced!

KAC is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 City of Kingston Arts Fund (CKAF) Festival Grants and Operating Grants, and the distribution of  $567,170 in funding to established and emerging arts festivals and arts organizations.

This represents the first round of applications to the new CKAF Festival Grant stream and updated Operating Grant stream, introduced earlier this year in alignment with the new CKAF Framework approved by City Council in November 2025. The Framework also includes an updated Project Grant stream and new Creation & Development Grant stream, with applications launching on 20 August 2026 and through which a total of $171,201 in funding is available for distribution.

The inaugural CKAF Festival Grant stream offered annual grants to support the production, presentation, and operations of arts festivals that have a city-wide impact. The program provides operational support for Established Festivals run by incorporated non-profit arts organizations with a sustained history of festival delivery, with grants ranging from $10,000–$55,000, and smaller festival grants for Emerging Festivals run by non-profit organizations and collectives, ranging from $10,000–$20,000.

Applications Received: 15
Eligible Applications Assessed: 13
Grants Awarded: 9
Total Funding Requested: $386,607
Total Funding Awarded: $258,407

Established Festivals

  • Kingston Canadian Film Festival
    $46,000

  • Kingston WritersFest
    $45,000

  • ReelOut Queer Film Festival
    $32,807

  • Skeleton Park Arts Festival
    $40,000

  • The Kick & Push Festival
    $40,000

Emerging Festivals

  • Compton Park Music Festival
    $17,050

  • Dia de los Muertos Kingston Community Celebration of Life
    $10,000

  • Ground UP Dance Festival
    $17,050

  • Spring Reverb
    $10,500

For more details about CKAF Festival Grant recipients, please visit artskingston.ca/ckaf-festivals/

The CKAF Operating Grant stream provides annual grants to support the operations, programs and/or services of a wide range of non-profit arts organizations (professional, semi-professional, and emerging) in Kingston. CKAF Operating Grants range from $10,000–$65,000.

Applications Received: 13
Eligible Applications Assessed: 11
Grants Awarded: 9
Total Funding Requested: $459,663
Total Funding Awarded: $308,763

  • Agnes Etherington Art Centre — $55,000

  • Cantabile Choirs of Kingston — $40,000

  • Le Centre culturel Frontenac — $16,000

  • Cultivate Art Commons — $56,763

  • Kingston Symphony Association — $60,000

  • Melos Choir & Early Music — $15,000

  • Single Thread Theatre Company — $10,000

  • Theatre Kingston — $35,000

  • Union Gallery — $21,000

For more details about CKAF Operating Grant recipients, please visit artskingston.ca/ckaf-operating/

Budgets don’t have to be intimidating — they can be powerful tools that help you bring your creative projects to life. In this workshop, we’ll demystify the budgeting process and show you how to create clear, realistic budgets that can strengthen your grant applications and make sure your projects are both feasible and successful. You'll learn the basics of building a budget, understand common budgeting mistakes to avoid, and get an introduction to using Excel spreadsheets to keep everything organized and professional.​

The second part of the workshop will be a hands-on activity where you'll start sketching out your own budget ideas. If you have a laptop, please bring it along so you can practice in Excel! If not, no problem — paper and pen will do just fine.

By the end of the session, you’ll have practical tools and templates to help you feel more confident and ready to fund your next big idea.

Tuesday, AUG 25th, 2026 | 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
KFPL-Central Branch |130 Johnson St, Kingston ON 
FREE & Open to All

POCKET GALLERY

When Being Seen… We Glow
Portia “Po” Chapman

Date: 27 July - 18 September 2026
Location: Kingston Arts Council | Unit 115, 370 King St W, Kingston

Being Seen is an interactive glowing rawhide installation that invites the viewer to reflect on light and the role it plays in one’s emotions.

This uplifting & minimalist-styled installation pairs a structural art piece, indigenous drum-making techniques, and polaroids together to reflect on how the warmth of nature can still shine through an urban jungle.

The exhibition has viewers stand among the glowing hides and think about how being seen connects us.

Portia believes that we all deserve to be seen, and that “when Being Seen… we glow!”

EVENTS

Kingston Pop Choir
Sunday, 23 August, 1 - 4 PM
Next Church

Each month in 2026, Kingston Pop Choir is bringing together a room full of people to learn and sing a song (or two!) – no auditions, no experience required, no long-term commitment. This month’s special guest artist is Sonja Moller-Hatfield, local board-certified music therapist and multi-instrumentalist who sings and plays violin and guitar. She will be teaching two songs: Barrett’s Privateers by Stan Rogers & We Rise by Batya Levine!

All voices and levels are welcome at this beginner-friendly event! Tickets are pay-what-you-can, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds!

The Kick & Push Festival
Sunday, 16 August, 4 PM
Tett Centre Rehearsal Hall

In her newest play NUTZ, Barker brings Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang to their late 50s where Marcia owns a bar and Donald Trump is president. The old gang meets at Marcia’s bar one last time while fascist blockheads are on the prowl. Someone is there to help–sort of–though they never really know it.

Part of the Kick & Push Festival, NUTZ is Kate Barker’s newest play, marking her return to playwriting after more than 30 years.

Tickets can be purchased at thekickandpush.com/nutz

 

There are always plenty of arts events happening in Kingston and the surrounding area. Check out our Arts Events Calendar to view our full list of upcoming events!

JOBS

Box Office Assistant (The Isabel Bader Centre)
Remuneration: $18.85/hour - Part-Time
Deadline: 13 August 2026

Front of House Assistant (The Isabel Bader Centre)
Remuneration: $18.85/hour - Part-Time
Deadline: 13 August 2026

Senior Graphic Designer (Queen’s University)
Remuneration: $62,475 - $81,218 - Full-time/Contract
Deadline: 1 September 2026

Retail & Studio Team Member (Amaranth Stoneware)
28-37 hours per week
Deadline: Until Filled

Theatre Critic & Researcher (Kingston Theatre Alliance)
Remuneration: $21.65/hour – Part-Time
Deadline: Rolling

Music Foundations Teaching Artist (Sistema Kingston)
Remuneration: $32-$36/hour – Part-Time
Deadline: Until Filled

Upper Strings Teaching Artist (Sistema Kingston)
Remuneration: $32-$36/hour – Part-Time
Deadline: Until Filled

Guitar or Woodwinds Teachers (Long & McQuade)
Deadline: Until Filled

Life Drawing Models (Artist Joanne Gervais)
Remuneration: $75 Honorarium & Gift of Artworks Created
Deadline: Rolling

OPPORTUNITIES

Call for Auditions: Cinderella (Domino Theatre)
Deadline: 23, 24, 25 August 2026

Call for Auditions: Dear Evan Hansen (Kingston Meistersingers)
Deadline: 28, 29 August 2026

Call for Volunteers: RoadTrip Music Festival (Downtown Kingston)
Deadline: Rolling

Call for Filmmakers: ReelOut Queer Film Festival 2027
Deadline: 25 September 2026

Call for Filmmakers: Kingston Canadian Film Festival 2027
Deadline: 15 November 2026

GRANTS

Below is a snapshot of upcoming grant deadlines. To view our more comprehensive and fully navigable database of grant opportunities at the local, provincial, and national levels, please visit the KAC Grants Board!

Seed Grant (Ontario Trillium Foundation)
Deadline: 19 August 5:00 PM

Feature Films - Development Program (Telefilm Canada)
Deadline: 11 September 11:59 PM

Operating and Project Grants (City of Kingston Heritage Fund)
Deadline: 22 September

Fall Gift Competition (The Davies Charitable Foundation)
Deadline: 15 October 2026

SUPPORT THE KAC

Love the arts? So do we!

When you support the Kingston Arts Council, you’re helping empower an arts sector that drives innovation, fuels the local economy, and enriches the lives of everyone in Katarokwi/Kingston.

Your donation – whether one-time, monthly, or annual – enables us to deliver impactful programs and services that support the artists and creatives shaping our cultural industry.

As a registered charity, we’ll provide a charitable tax receipt for your contribution. Join us in building a thriving, sustainable arts sector.

THE KINGSTON ARTS COUNCIL IS PROUDLY FUNDED BY