AFA funding increases by $3.5M as arts groups tout economic drivers and community building

Alberta Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women Tanya Fir announced an increase in arts funding Friday in Calgary at the home of the Youth Singers of Calgary.

The Youth Singers of Calgary celebrated their 40th anniversary a little Friday morning when they hosted a press event for Tanya Fir, Alberta’s minister for the arts, culture and status of women at the ATCO Performing Arts Centre in southeast Calgary.

Fir announced provincial arts funding in Budget 2026 of around $40 million, including just over $38 million for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA), which funds individual artists and arts organizations across the province.

The AFA funding represented an increase of $3.5 million over last year, Fir said.

“The arts enrich our lives in countless ways,“ Fir said. ”They strengthen community well being, bring people together and share the stories that shape who we are as Albertans.

“Investing in the arts is investing in the success of Alberta’s social, cultural and economic future,” she added.

“That’s why, in Budget 2026, our government is proud to make the highest investments in Alberta’s history to support the arts,” Fir added.

AFA chair Cynthia Moore said much of the credit for the increase in provincial arts funding -- the third year of a three-year plan -- went to Fir.

“The minister is probably the greatest champion for the arts that Alberta’s ever had,” she said.

Economic driver

Moore said the arts is as much of an economic driver as it is a community builder.

“We know that the arts sector and the AFA is a smart investment,” she said, adding that the AFA commissioned an economic study to assess the impact of its funding, and discovered that for every $1 they spent, it generated $1.76 in economic impact province-wide.

“And that $1 million spent by AFA operating clients creates 195 full-time jobs,” she said.

“That to me is something to talk about,” she added. “We’re going to tell everyone – the funding the provincial government provides makes an incredible return to our economy."

Building community

For Youth Singers of Calgary CEO Megan Emmett, that funding helped build a community of young people who literally find their voices through the organization.

“This building. where we are today was once a warehouse,” Emmett said. “Now it’s a place where over 600 participants find their voices – a home away from home, for young people, brimming with confidence, resilience and joy.

“Today it is also a vibrant hub for many in the arts community as each week, hundreds of musicians artists, choristers and friends come together to create and collaborate here – in this place, owned and operated by the Youth Singers of Calgary."

Emmett said that each year, the organization works with more than 5,000 young people between its programs and community outreach efforts, “and that number just continues to grow when we have the support of our partners including the Alberta government and the AFA.

“As our dedicated and committed staff learn every week, Youth Singers leads young people to understand that they matter, that they belong and that they have a place in their community – now, and into the future."