A new Jewish Federation of Ottawa grant will offer creatives an exciting funding opportunity for their next project.

The Ottawa Jewish Arts and Culture grant, which launched last week, will allocate one-time amounts of up to $15,000 to non-profit organizations building programming through the medium of arts, culture, expression, or heritage with a Jewish focus.

The grant will provide opportunities to develop initiatives that draw on the talents of those in Jewish Ottawa and aims to highlight the dynamism, resilience, and creativity of our community.

“Art compels us to engage with, reinterpret, and reclaim our story,” said Anne Read, Federation’s VP of Impact, Partnership, and Allocations. “From PJ Library’s children’s books to festivals like Ashkenaz or installations like Sukkah City, art has the capacity to build community.”

This opportunity comes at a time when Jewish and Israeli artists are being confronted with roadblocks to participate in the arts openly and proudly.

“It is a complicated time to be a Jewish artist,” said Read. “Many art funders or granting agencies have become politicized following the October 7 attacks, and we see a role for Federation in supporting cultural production through financial assistance.”

This funding can support a wide variety of programs, but at its core, there needs to be an artistic, cultural, or some other creative component that centres Jewish identity. This could be anything from an intergenerational storytelling project to a performance that explores Jewish themes, to heritage or identity workshops that have a creative component.

 Federation “is seeking to support creative expressions that reflect the wide and diverse array of Jewish experiences,” said Read. “We are defining ‘Jewish arts’ as acts of creative engagement with Jewish histories, cultures, traditions, and religion. From podcasts to performance art, cantorial choirs to mural installations, this grant aims to amplify creative expressions that celebrate Jewish identity in the National Capital Region.”

Primary applicants to the must be Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)-registered charities or certified non-profits that are incorporated under the Canadian federal, provincial, or territorial law. The organizations must also align with Federation’s mission to advance and promote exceptional Jewish life in Ottawa.

The application asks that interested parties can clearly demonstrate the ability to build Jewish identity and increase engagement through their programming and must also include at least one collaborator, such as cultural organizations, synagogues, social service agencies, and art collectives or community artists. An ideal activity would also build bridges across generations and strengthen relationships across the community.

To apply for this grant, you must first register with Federation’s Grant Platform, click on “Impact Grants and Microgrants,” then find the Ottawa Jewish Arts and Culture grant listed in the drop down menu. 

Applications are open now through Thursday, April 30, 2026. To learn more about this opportunity, you can find information about the grant on Federation’s website here or by emailing Federation’s Community Relationship Coordinator, Amos Bitzan, at [email protected].