Business / Arts is a national charitable organization that shows the power of partnership between business and arts.

Our national mentorship training program artsvest has created nearly 5,900 partnerships between business and arts organizations, raising over $26.8M in new private sector investment. Combined with matching funds, this has led to an overall impact is $37.2M to Canada’s cultural sector.

Through initiatives like the Canadian Arts Summit, we work in partnership with arts leaders, government and the business community to ensure a thriving arts and culture sector.

We lead research and advocacy projects to help make the case for the arts.

Our arts & business exchange initiative is focused on cultivating and inspiring the next generation of business leaders to partnership with the arts.

Our Story

In 1974, Edmund C. Bovey and the Canada Council gathered together 100 CEOs from across Canada to rally business support for the arts. The group formed was called the Council for Business and the Arts in Canada, with Edmund C. Bovey as its founding Chair. Forty years later, and now called Business / Arts, our founding mission remains the same: to continue to champion business investment in the arts and build strong, lasting partnerships between the arts, business and government in Canada.