Creativity is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. Arts education fuels imagination, fosters emotional expression, sharpens critical thinking, and strengthens identity. For young people especially, it offers a transformative outlet to process the world and discover their voice. And yet, in many parts of Canada, access to arts education is not guaranteed.
Over the past two decades, cuts to arts funding in public schools have disproportionately affected low-income and marginalized communities. In some schools, music, drama, and visual arts have been reduced to occasional enrichment activities—or eliminated entirely. Children from racialized, rural, disabled, or Indigenous communities often grow up without consistent opportunities to participate in the arts, due to a lack of resources, representation, or culturally relevant programming.
The result is an uneven creative landscape, where only some children are equipped to explore, perform, or create. But across the country, Canadian charities are stepping in to change that. These organizations are bringing music, dance, theatre, painting, poetry, and filmmaking into classrooms, community centers, shelters, and even hospitals. They are proving that when creativity is accessible to all, everyone benefits.
Art Starts: Creativity as a Tool for Social Change
artstarts.net
Art Starts uses collaborative art-making as a catalyst for community building and social development. Based in Toronto, the organization offers free programming in high-need neighborhoods where children and youth may not otherwise have access to art supplies, mentors, or safe spaces to create.
They offer programs in dance, mural painting, photography, media arts, and more—all led by professional artists. Their initiatives often explore themes of identity, belonging, and justice, giving young participants tools to process their lived experiences.
Donating to Art Starts helps provide supplies, mentorship, and space for the kind of creativity that builds confidence, community, and resilience.
SKETCH Working Arts: Empowering Marginalized Youth Through Art
sketch.ca
For over 25 years, SKETCH has provided arts programming for homeless, street-involved, and marginalized youth in Toronto. Their studios are free to access and offer everything from printmaking and ceramics to music production, culinary arts, fashion, and spoken word.
SKETCH doesn’t just offer art classes—it offers pathways to self-expression, healing, and economic opportunity. Participants can sell their work, showcase it publicly, or use it as a springboard into employment or further education.
Your support helps keep SKETCH’s studios open and accessible to youth who often live on society’s margins but hold immense creative potential.
MusiCounts: Making Music Education Inclusive
https://www.musicounts.ca
MusiCounts is Canada’s music education charity, working to ensure all children and youth—regardless of socioeconomic status—have access to music in their schools and communities. They donate instruments, fund school music programs, and support Indigenous and remote community initiatives.
Since its founding in 1997, MusiCounts has awarded over $15 million in funding, impacting more than 1,200 schools and community organizations. Their Band Aid program, for example, helps schools purchase everything from violins to DJ gear to ensure that music education is not one-size-fits-all.
Donating to MusiCounts helps harmonize opportunity—making sure every child has a chance to find their rhythm.
Young People’s Theatre: Building Empathy and Imagination
youngpeoplestheatre.org
Located in downtown Toronto, Young People’s Theatre (YPT) is Canada’s oldest professional theatre company for young audiences. Beyond producing acclaimed plays for children and families, YPT offers drama school programming, in-school residencies, and ticket subsidies to ensure all students can access live theatre.
Their educational outreach includes anti-bullying workshops, identity-focused storytelling, and programs that bring drama educators directly into classrooms with limited arts resources.
Support for YPT helps children experience the power of storytelling—not just as an audience, but as active participants in the creative process.
VIBE Arts: Engaging Youth in the Arts and Social Change
vibearts.ca
VIBE Arts focuses on equity in arts education, working in under-resourced communities across Ontario. Their programs take place in schools, shelters, libraries, and public housing—places where youth may face systemic barriers to creative exploration.
Through partnerships with local artists, VIBE offers visual art, media arts, spoken word, and storytelling workshops rooted in community issues and social justice. Many of their projects culminate in public exhibitions or performances, amplifying young voices.
When you support VIBE Arts, you’re helping youth not just express themselves, but also challenge and reshape the systems around them.
National accessArts Centre (NaAC): Creativity Without Barriers
accessarts.ca
Based in Calgary, NaAC is Canada’s largest disability arts organization, providing studios, exhibitions, and professional development for artists with developmental and physical disabilities. They operate on the belief that everyone has a right to creative expression.
Programs range from dance and theatre to visual arts and new media. Participants have opportunities to showcase their work at festivals and in galleries, helping shift societal narratives around disability and artistic ability.
Donating to NaAC supports an inclusive arts ecosystem where disabled artists are seen, heard, and celebrated.
Outside Looking In: Celebrating Indigenous Identity Through Dance
olishow.com
Outside Looking In partners with Indigenous communities across Canada to deliver high-impact dance programs for youth. Participants learn and rehearse choreographed routines throughout the school year, culminating in a major public performance in Toronto.
Along the way, students build discipline, teamwork, pride in identity, and educational motivation. In fact, Outside Looking In reports that participants have a 96% high school graduation rate.
Your donation helps fund travel, instruction, and cultural connection for Indigenous youth using dance to tell their stories.
ArtsCan Circle: Music and Mentorship in Remote Communities
artscancircle.ca
ArtsCan Circle sends musicians and artists to remote Indigenous communities to facilitate workshops in songwriting, storytelling, photography, and performance. The program fosters mentorship, mental wellness, and creative expression where resources are often limited.
Workshops are co-designed with communities and focus on culturally affirming art practices. Participants are encouraged to document their own lives and stories through music and media.
Supporting ArtsCan Circle means supporting reconciliation, youth empowerment, and the transformative power of art.
DAREarts: Building Leadership Through the Arts
darearts.com
DAREarts works with children and youth from underserved communities, using arts-based programming to build confidence, leadership skills, and self-expression. Their workshops and long-term programs integrate music, visual arts, theatre, and storytelling to empower participants to speak out, make decisions, and imagine better futures.
DAREarts works with Indigenous, rural, and inner-city communities across Canada. Many alumni go on to become leaders in their schools and communities. Support for DAREarts helps give young people the tools to become change-makers—both artistically and socially.
La Maison des arts de Laval: Access to Culture in Québec’s Suburbs
https://www.laval.ca/maisondesarts
In the heart of suburban Laval, La Maison des arts provides access to professional and community art for young people and families in one of Québec’s most diverse cities. With free or low-cost exhibits, artist residencies in schools, and interactive workshops, the center ensures the arts are accessible to everyone.
Their youth education programs focus on sparking creativity early and demystifying the creative process for children who may not have access to galleries, theatre, or music lessons otherwise.
Supporting La Maison des arts helps close the cultural gap for suburban and newcomer families in the province.
Where Do We Go From Here?
The decline in public funding for the arts has created a widening gap—but that gap can be bridged. The charities featured here are doing just that. They’re placing brushes in the hands of kids who’ve never painted, microphones in front of teens finding their voice, and stage lights on young people who never imagined themselves in the spotlight.
We can help by making monthly donations, volunteering our time, and advocating for arts funding in our schools. Even sharing these stories makes a difference. Visibility leads to support, and support leads to sustainability.
Most importantly, we need to reject the idea that the arts are frivolous or optional. They are foundational. Creative thinking is critical thinking. A child’s first painting, poem, or performance is not just an expression—it’s a declaration: “I belong.”
Final Thoughts
Arts education isn’t just about turning students into artists. It’s about giving young people the tools to explore ideas, communicate clearly, and build self-awareness—skills that matter in every part of life. Creativity enhances problem-solving, builds empathy, and offers a healthy outlet for processing experiences and emotions.
The organizations featured here are filling gaps left by public systems, and doing so with energy, innovation, and care. They’re reaching youth in schools, shelters, remote communities, and urban centers, proving that creativity thrives when you make space for it.
The impact of this work extends far beyond art rooms and studios. Studies consistently show that participation in the arts is linked to better academic performance, improved mental health, and increased civic engagement. Students who have access to meaningful arts education are more likely to feel connected to their peers, more engaged in school, and more optimistic about their futures.
These programs also serve as critical access points for broader support systems—whether that’s mentoring, nutritional programs, or trauma-informed care. For youth dealing with poverty, discrimination, or family instability, the arts can be a lifeline. It can be the moment someone first feels seen, valued, and empowered.
If we want a future that values diverse perspectives and new ideas, then arts access needs to be part of the conversation.
