Guelph Dance received a 2024 Musagetes Fund grant to help cover its operating costs for the year. This support allowed the organization to grow its team and continue offering exciting dance programs across the community Guelph and Wellington.
Guelph Dance has a small but hardworking team, and runs programs all year with three part-time staff and up to 20 contract workers. Thanks to the grant, they were able to hire a fourth permanent team member in November 2024: a Camp Manager. This new role helps share the workload and ensures that Guelph Dance camps have a dedicated person to lead planning, coordination, and community engagement.
The new Camp Manager brings a personal connection to the role. She’s a mother of two returning to work after some time away, and her story reflects the kind of caring and flexible workplace Guelph Dance aims to create. As a woman-led organization that mostly serves women and families, Guelph Dance is proud to support staff with different life situations, whether they’re raising kids, caring for loved ones, or working as artists.
Their story is one of a few organizations who received operational support through a GCF grant instead of funding that’s designated to support programing specifically. Guelph Dance reported that by having this kind of funding it helped the organization keep staff hours steady, bring in new talent, and stay strong behind the scenes. Often funding opportunities are only for specific projects and program, and so Guelph Dance has shared how helpful having the option for apply for operational funding is for them to be able to support their staff, because strong teams are what make great programs possible!