Fundraising Update Highlights Calendar Revenue & Donor Support for TTAG
The Tom Thomson Art Gallery fundraising committee update detailed calendar revenue, sponsorships, and the TOM's continuing search for donor support to meet 2025 goals.
The Tom Thomson Art Gallery raised $24,210 through its 2025 fundraising calendar campaign, according to a report delivered at Wednesday’s meeting of the Tom Thomson Art Gallery (TTAG) Advisory Committee.
The update was presented at Owen Sound City Hall by committee Vice Chair Peter Tovell on behalf of fundraising chair Mary Anne Alton.
The 2026 edition of the calendar, currently in the design phase, will feature 13 works from the Gallery’s permanent collection under the theme Horizons. Artwork sponsorships at $1,000 each have been secured, and more than 40 retailers across Grey, Bruce, and Simcoe counties have agreed to distribute the calendar once it is printed later this month. Distribution is scheduled to begin in June to coincide with the summer tourism season.
The Gallery’s calendar campaign has generated more than $125,000 in net revenue over the past five years, according to the report.
In addition to calendar sales, the Gallery reported several contributions and sponsorships, including:
$2,000 from the Kiwanis Club of Owen Sound, designated to support summer art camps for children, with a focus on enabling access for disadvantaged families;
$800 in sponsorships for the Gallery’s National Canadian Film Day programming, with support from Scott Kocher and Ryan Hood – TD Wealth, Well in Hand Health Food Store, Doug Cameron’s Subaru, and Shannon Deckers of REMAX Grey Bruce Realty;
$500 from the Ontario Teachers’ Federation to support the Safekeeping exhibition;
$1,000 in-kind donation from Georgian Bay Art Conservation to support the restoration and framing of a Tom Thomson artwork.
Private donations of $1,000, $5,000, and $500 have also been received toward the restoration project. The Gallery reported that approximately $8,000 is still needed to complete the work.
A $15,000 sponsorship proposal to Heffel for the upcoming All the Calm and Calamity exhibition was not successful. The Gallery has since submitted a $10,000 request to Cowley Abbott, which remains under consideration.
The Gallery also confirmed it will receive $6,000 from Algonquin Outfitters in support of Convergence, its annual fall juried exhibition, and announced the return of A Deadly Pairing, a wine, food, and music event in partnership with Coffin Ridge Winery, scheduled for Friday, September 5.
The fundraising team has recently hired a part-time Fundraising Coordinator to expand outreach and explore new sources of revenue.
In addition to community donations and sponsorships, the Gallery has secured two major operating grants for 2025: $70,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and $51,106 from the Ontario Arts Council. This update was included in the Director and Chief Curator’s report presented at the same May 7 committee meeting.
According to that report, the grants provide essential support for programming and operations while helping to reduce the Gallery’s reliance on municipal funding.
In November 2024, Kate Allen, Director of Corporate Services for the City of Owen Sound, presented the Gallery’s 2025 budget to Council. The City projected a contribution of $425,465, covering 87% of the Gallery’s net operating budget. At that time, 2025 Gallery revenue was forecast at $538,865.
Related:
