Toronto’s performing arts community has a fresh opportunity to dream big as TO Live opens applications for the 2026 edition of explorations, its artist-led research initiative designed to support creative risk-taking across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

Now entering its sixth year, explorations invites artists from all disciplines to apply for one of seven grants, each valued at $7,000. Unlike traditional project-based funding, the program places no requirement on artists to deliver a finished work. Instead, it provides time, space, and resources for research, experimentation, and the early development of new ideas.

“Explorations is about giving artists the freedom to ask big questions and take creative risks,” said Clyde Wagner, President and CEO of TO Live. “By supporting research and process, we are investing in the ideas that will shape the future of our cultural landscape.”

Since its launch in April 2020, the program has invested more than $300,000 in 50 Toronto-based artists. It was created in response to a long-standing gap in arts funding, recognizing that research is a vital but often unsupported part of artistic practice. Past recipients from the 2021 through 2025 cohorts have gone on to develop new performances, interdisciplinary collaborations, and unexpected creative directions that continue to enrich the city’s cultural ecosystem.

Through explorations, artists are encouraged to follow their curiosity, test new approaches, and plant the seeds for future work, whether that ultimately takes shape on a stage, in a gallery, or in forms yet to be imagined.

The initiative is part of a broader commitment by TO Live to nurture local talent. The organization also supports artists through its Making Space program, which offers affordable rehearsal and performance venues, along with technical residencies and presentations that help artists refine and share their work.

The explorations grants are made possible through the support of the TO Live Foundation and the generous backing of Power Corporation of Canada.

Applications for the 2026 program are now open. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. on March 9, 2026, with selected artists to be announced in early summer 2026. Full program details and application information are available at tolive.com/explorations.

As TO Live approaches its 10th anniversary in 2026, the explorations program continues to reflect the organization’s mission to build a better city through the arts — one bold idea at a time.

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