The creation of ArtReach Toronto was driven by the realization that a growing population of youth in the Greater Toronto Area has little access to relevant cultural programs. At the same time, there is a growing body of research demonstrating that participation in the arts is a very effective means of connecting youth to community. ArtReach Toronto is an attempt to increase the availability of quality arts experiences for excluded youth with the intent of improving youth engagement with community.

The idea was formed in December 2004, at a regular meeting of the Intergovernmental Roundtable of Arts Funders and Foundations (IRAFF), at which the topic of youth engagement through the arts dominated the discussion. Subsequent meetings between arts funders and the City of Toronto’s Community Safety Panel reinforced the need to increase meaningful and relevant arts opportunities for excluded youth in the city.

In response, a subcommittee of IRAFF was formed to develop new approaches to funding. A funders collaborative and, ultimately, ArtReach Toronto, was an outgrowth of the IRAFF subcommittee. Other funders from outside the arts sector who are active in youth initiatives, such as the United Way of Greater Toronto and the Toronto Community Foundation, were approached by the subcommittee to join the funders collaborative.

The ArtReach Toronto Funders’ Collaborative (2006 – 2010) included: the Department of Canadian Heritage, United Way Toronto, Ontario Trillium Foundation, Laidlaw Foundation, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Ministry of Culture, Toronto Arts Council, City of Toronto Cultural Services and Toronto Community Foundation. 

A vital element in the development of ArtReach Toronto was the involvement of youth, in particular the Grassroots Youth Collaborative (GYC). Members of the GYC were active participants in focus groups and consultations that contributed to the design of the program, and many key program elements were implemented as a result of youth participation in the development process. The GYC encouraged a funding model that would be inclusive, accessible and that would provide a high level of support to applicants, and ArtReach Toronto is the result of this unique approach to program design and ultimately a new model for funding youth arts initiatives.