$66,500 Awarded to 17 Recipients in First 2026 Round of Funding For Windsor’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Fund (ACHF)

Published

Local artists and creators submitted fifty-six eligible applications in the first round of ACHF funding for 2026. This included thirty-seven from individuals and nineteen applications from organizations. Of these, seventeen projects — ten grants to individuals, and seven grants to organizations — will receive support for arts, culture and heritage projects in the community.

The funding requests totalled about $277,000. With $66,500 available in this round, the competition was high, and the jury had to make difficult decisions. The jury was pleased to see eleven projects receive their full funding request. Of the applicants in this round, twenty-eight were first-time applicants to the program, and five of those applicants were selected to receive funding. The jury selected a strong mix of projects across genres including music, performing arts, visual arts, storytelling, film, and comedy; and some important projects supporting diversity, inclusivity, heritage, and the celebration of humanity in the city of Windsor.

The ACHF, approved by City Council, awards grants to individuals and cultural organizations to help stimulate creative and economic growth. Each project could be funded to a maximum of $5,000 in each round. $133,000 in project funding is available each year, administered through two rounds of $66,500 each. In 2025, City Council approved a recommendation to increase funding by $15,000 to a total of $133,000 annually.

Since the launch of this program in 2014, and including this current round:

  • 1,090 applications have been submitted for consideration for funding;
  • 513 individual projects have received funding;
  • $1,252,500 has been awarded in project funding to local arts, culture and heritage initiatives benefitting our community, including funding for:
    • 36 community arts-based programs and initiatives,
    • 78 visual arts projects and initiatives,
    • 66 literary arts projects and initiatives,
    • 97 performing arts projects and initiatives,
    • 134 musical arts projects and initiatives,
    • 69 film arts projects and initiatives and
    • 33 heritage and culture projects and initiatives.

The City extends congratulations to the following 2026 Round 1 recipients:

MusicFest Windsor. $5,000. MusicFest Windsor 2026. Funding for artist fees and production costs for an annual music festival with educational components. 

Asil Moussa. $5,000. Rana & Dina. Funding for artist fees, editing and post-production costs for a short film.

Alex Forman. $5,000. The Historical History of Canada. Funding for set, construction, and cinematography fees for a four-episode comedy series.

Korda Artistic Productions. $5,000. Little Shop of Horrors. Funding for artist fees for a theatre company’s season opener celebrating 20 years in their own venue.

The Black Council of Windsor-Essex. $5,000. The Emancipation Jubilee. Funding for venue and production costs for the sixth annual Emancipation Jubilee celebrating freedom in Canada.

Russell Macklem. $5,000. Church of Solace. Funding for artist fees, venue rental, and production costs for writing, recording, and performance of new music inspired by Sandwich First Baptist Church, and including James Weldon’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Daniel Pike. $5,000. Last Chance Pizza. Funding for artist fees, production, and post-production costs for a short film celebrating Windsor’s pizza culture and unique identity. 

Austin Di Pietro. $4,890. Live at Mackenzie Hall Album Release. Funding for artist fees, mixing, videography and production costs to release a full-length album of original compositions recorded live-off-the-floor at Mackenzie Hall, captured during the Port Windsor Jazz & Arts Festival.

Gemma Eva Cunial. $4,775. Cheer Up, Hamlet! Funding for artist fees, technical rentals, and production design costs for an outdoor Shakespeare-ish in the Park performance of a playful mash-up of the Bard’s classic works.

Frank Varga. $4,500. Sound Cathedral. Funding for artist fees and technical production costs for an interactive audiovisual performance blending live electronic music, real-time visuals, and interactive performance art. 

Windsor Optimist Youth Band. $4,465. 2026 Band Camp and Spring Concert. Funding for artist fees and venue rental for an annual band camp and accompanying public concert.

Abridged Opera Co. $3,000. Diva Cam: A Mobile Opera Installation. Funding for artist fees and production costs for a modern take on the “wandering minstrel” that will tour around Windsor’s local events during the summer and fall.

Tracey B. Atin. $2,000. FLUTTER Flies to School! Funding for artist fees for an original children’s opera that focuses on the story of the migration of monarch butterflies, and connections to Windsor-Essex and Mexico.

Mike McCallum. $2,000. Windsor Punk Rock Flea Market. Funding for artist fees and production costs for a pop-up flea market for local vendors and artists to engage with the community uniting creators and audiences. 

Amber Thibert. $2,000. True North Voices. Funding for artist fees, venue rental, and production costs for a cabaret-style concert highlighting local talents reinterpreting beloved songs by iconic Canadian bands and artists.

Greater Windsor Concert Band. $1,970. Formal Concert Series 2026. Funding to support venue rentals for the Greater Windsor Concert Band’s performance programme.

Windsor Jazz Concert Series. $1,900. 2026 Port Windsor Music and Arts Festival. Funding to support artist fees and production costs for a multi-genre arts showcase in Sandwich Town. 

Opportunity for Sponsors, Donors, Community-Builders with the ACHF:

As the ACHF program continues to evolve, the City remains open to partnering with those individuals, organizations, businesses and corporations that have expressed an interest in supporting arts, culture and heritage in Windsor in the past. There are two possible opportunities for partnership between sponsors, donors, and community-builders in connection with the ACHF grant program. 

Those who wish to register as a Patron will be provided with information on funded ACHF projects that are seeking additional funding support to realize their project goals and increase community impact. City staff will facilitate a meeting between interested parties to see what possibilities exist. 

Those who wish to register to become an ACHF Partner will have the opportunity to donate a funding amount to the ACHF funding stream, which will increase available funding in each round, thus increasing opportunities for additional creators and projects to receive funding. The ACHF Jury will adjudicate all funding requests, and City staff will work with ACHF Partners to determine the best fit for donations in any given round. 

Those wishing to take advantage of this unique opportunity to direct support to Windsor’s arts, culture and heritage creative community are asked to reach out by email to culturalaffairs@citywindsor.ca to begin the conversation.

Quotes:

“It is wonderful to have $133,000 available this year to be awarded to individuals and organizations through the City’s ACHF program. The results of the program continue to speak for themselves, with over $1.2 million in funding awarded to over five hundred innovative projects since the program launched. The ACHF remains one of many components of Council’s overall significant investment in arts, culture and heritage in Windsor. Congratulations to the funding recipients for our first round this year. We look forward to seeing these new projects come to life in Windsor!”
- Mayor Drew Dilkens

“We remain proud of the ACHF program, and grateful for Council’s ongoing support and investment into this important initiative for our creative community. We are grateful to our volunteer jurors who step up to help us support arts, culture and heritage projects through this fund. We are excited to see this latest batch of projects move forward.”
- Michelle Staadegaard, Manager of Culture & Events, City of Windsor

“So incredibly exciting! Thank you so much! This will be such a fun project to do in Windsor.”
- Erin Armstrong, ACHF Recipient, Abridged Opera Co.

“I’m honoured to be a recipient, and excited to move forward with the project.”
- Austin Di Pietro, ACHF Recipient, LIVE at Mackenzie Hall

Further details on the program guidelines and objectives, application process, eligibility requirements, success stories from previous recipients, and deadline dates for funding rounds as available are posted at www.ACHFWindsor.ca online. 

To learn more about arts, culture and heritage services at the City of Windsor, visit www.CityWindsor.ca or contact 311.

Latest News