MAC MicroGrant Success Stories
MAC’s dynamic and impactful MicroGrant program provides funding for artist-led projects which have a pronounced and impactful connection to the public and bring recognition and increased awareness to the arts across the city.
Testimonials from MicroGrant Winners:
Tennyson King, musician
2020 Matchmaker MicroGrant Winner & 2020 Musicians as Video Makers MicroGrant Participant
“I learned the value of having great musicians and friends in my community and network to collaborate with. I also have been very appreciative of all the support from organizations such as MAC…especially during these tough times.”
Colleen Snell, dancer
2019 & 2020 MicroGrant Grant Winner
“We are so grateful for this opportunity, and want to thank everyone at MAC for their support of our project. Because of this grant we’ve been able to work, and offer meaningful employment to our artistic network. Thank you!”
Qurat Dar, spoken word artist
2020 Touring Words of Meaning MicroGrant Winner
“Through the grant received by MAC, we have been putting on a series of poetry slams online…We are incredibly thankful to be able to foster community and create safe spaces online for queer and trans folks through MAC’s generous support!”
Heather Christine, musician
2020 Matchmaker MicroGrant Winner
“I am so grateful for the support of the Mississauga Arts Council’s MicroGrant. Without the support of the grant, it would have been impossible for me to hire a radio tracker during the pandemic. I thank MAC for their support which has helped my career to expand during these challenging times.”
MicroGrant Success Stories:
MicroGrant Success: Anna Yin 2022
Anna Yin used her 2022 MicroGrant to develop a series of workshops incorporating Haiku writing and nature walks. The poetry was combined into an anthology that is free to download!
MicroGrant Success: Za Hughes 2022
Za Hughes used their Theatre in the Park MicroGrant to develop an immersive, site-specific play at J.C. Saddington Park. Ghost Light ran for 3 sold-out shows!
MicroGrant Success: Alison Syer 2021
Alison Syer used her 2021 Matchmaker MicroGrant to tell the story of her garden through images and words.
MicroGrant Success: Anna Wojcik 2022
Anna Wojcik used her 2022 MicroGrant to develop an opera recital held at the Art Gallery of Mississauga in August 2022.
MicroGrant Success: Emily Ryder 2020
Emily Ryder used her 2020 MicroGrant to create Alfie, a 12 minute film.
MicroGrant Success: Feel It! Fusion MicroGrant 2019
In 2021, the Feel It! exhibit (2019 MAC Fusion MicroGrant winning project) was remounted at the Joshua Creek Heritage Arts Centre, and the project continues to delight audiences, and inspire creatives…
MicroGrant Success: Fusion MicroGrant 2021
MAC’s Fusion MicroGrant aimed to grow partnerships between musicians and visual/digital artists or illustrators to collaborate and produce an animated music video. Congratulations to Mauve and Matthew…
MicroGrant Success: Matt Zaddy 2021
Mississauga Musician, Matt Zaddy, received a Matchmaker MicroGrant from MAC for his #TogetherAtHome #OpenMic series. The weekly event was a way for local musicians/music fans to stay connected. #Toget…
MicroGrant Success: Anna Wojcik 2021
Matchmaker MicroGrant winner Anna Wojcik’s group Nóżki Opera successfully put on two garden performances of Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro”.
MicroGrant Success: Zachary Seto 2021
Watch MAC’s 2021 Dance MicroGrant Winner, Zachary Seto’s, beautiful choreography and intriguing commentary of moving beyond the COVID pandemic into a new world.
MicroGrant Success: Alex Pollard 2021
Alex Pollard has created the work Next To Me through his 2021 Matchmaker MicroGrant. This piece takes us on the journey of adolescence to adulthood, and what happens to us during that transition.
MicroGrant Success: Frog in Hand 2019
Frog in Hand’s Stories in the Woods featured nearly 20 dancers in a site-specific dance work. It’s success in 2019 led to a remount in 2021.
MicroGrant Success: Susan Ksiezopolski 2020
Thanks to a MAC MicroGrant, Susan Ksiezopolski created this emotional 15 minute documentary highlighting the importance of incorporating the arts into health practices and treatments.
MicroGrant Success: Emily Roman 2020
Emily Roman used her Dance MicroGrant to make a powerful film exploring how it feels as a teen during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
MicroGrant Success: Matt Zaddy 2020
Matt Zaddy pays it forward and shares his MicroGrant experience with others in MAC’s TD Culture Lab webinar.
MicroGrant Success: Musicians as Movie Makers 2020
MAC Music Spotlight is an interview type TV show premiering 10 incredible music videos made by Mississauga musicians thanks to a MAC MicroGrant.
Past MicroGrant Winners:
2022 MAC MicroGrant Winners
MicroGrant Winners (Spring):
Sponsored by RAMA Gaming House & supported by Charitable Gaming at City of Mississauga
- ArtsCare Program Development MicroGrant – Pocket Art (workshops) led by Netta Ussyshkin
- Dance on Film MicroGrant – Voyage by Candance Kumar
- Dramatic Short Film MicroGrant – Mothering by Emily Ryder
- Theatre in the Park MicroGrant – Ghost Light by Za Hughes
Matchmaker MicroGrant Winners (Spring):
Sponsored by MAC
- Anna Wojcik, opera recital
- Anna Yin, Haiku workshops and anthology
- Jayda Hope, Imagine the Pain the Land Must Carry (art exhibition)
- Manahil Bandukwala, A Woman Wide Awake (book project)
- Mauve, Dream State (music video)
- Mississauga Big Band Jazz Ensemble, COVID recovery strategy
- Pilar America, Spanish Guitar Album recording
2021 MAC MicroGrant & Matchmaker MicroGrant Winners
MicroGrant Winners
Sponsored by RAMA Gaming House & supported by Charitable Gaming at City of Mississauga
- Dance on Film MicroGrant – Zachary Seto
- Touring Words of Meaning MicroGrant – Anjula Evans
- MAC Funded Fusion Animated Music Video MicroGrant – Mauve (musician) & Matthew Salisbury (animator)
Matchmaker MicroGrant Winners
Sponsored by MAC
- Alex Pollard – Lost and Found (dance)
- Alison Syer – Drawn In (visual art/literature)
- Anna Wojcik – Outdoor Opera (music production/concerts)
- Arlene – Harmony//Innocence (music recording)
- Karin Elyakim – Sunrises for Darling (film)
- Matt Zaddy – #TogetherAtHome (open mic concerts)
- MAYBE MAY – Still Mine (music recording)
- Rohan Dhupar – Venus & Adonis (dance)
- Susan Ksiezopolski – Creative Resilience, Artful Way to Bounce (multi-genre workshops)
- Tanisha Cunningham – Hair Care (theatre production)
- Zohra Zoberi – The Other I (literature)
Career Development MicroGrant Winners
Sponsored by MAC
- Angela Chao – Colours that Make Mississauga (visual art)
- Heather Christine – Vocal Coaching Mentorship (music)
- Julia Juhas – Film Directing Mentorship (Film)
- Maria Lagarde – Art2Connect Credit Valley Trail (visual art/literature)
2020 MAC MicroGrant & Matchmaker MicroGrant Winners
MicroGrant Winners – Phase One
Sponsored by RAMA Gaming House & supported by Charitable Gaming at City of Mississauga
- Theatre in the Park MicroGrant – Jasmine Sawant
- Artists on Film MicroGrant – Angela Chao
- Touring Words of Meaning MicroGrant – Wali Shah
- Touring Words of Meaning MicroGrant – Qurat Dar
- Musicians as Video Makers MicroGrant – Dimitri Hyacinth, Tennyson King, Justin Moy, Paige Blossom and Danny Lwin, Cmagic5, Shan Fernando, Andrea Arthur, Abhishek (Abby V), Cat Bernardi, & Vivek Mehmi
- Dance as a Movie MicroGrant – Colleen Snell, Co-Founder & Artistic Director of Frog in Hand Productions
- Dance as a Movie MicroGrant – Emily Roman, from Elite Dance Company
MicroGrant Winners – Phase Two
- Mississauga Invitational Fine Arts Show (Date TBC) – Ashley Beerdat, Grace Miah, Jackie Gallagher, Cathy Clark, Debby de Groot, Sandra Robson, Joanna Turlej, Rosemary Broos, Sujata Chander, Shobha Wagley, Adriana Rinaldi, Laura Beaton, Sue Archibald, Gabby Tutak, Sjon de Groot, Noelle Hamlyn, Sofia Berger, & Raheel Patel
MicroGrant Winners – Phase Three
Co-sponsored by Bell
- Art of Wellness (Documentary) – Susan Ksiezopolski
Matchmaker MicroGrant Winners:
- Demetrius Nath, musician and vocalist/guitar player of MAYBE MAY
- Emily Ryder, filmmaker
- Jacelyn Holmes (JACELYN), singer-songwriter
- Matt Zaddy, acclaimed musician and music educator
- Tony Truong, filmmaker
- Heather Christine, award-winning singer-songwriter
- You Made It!, a rising Mississauga-based arts collective
- Tsochoy Go, artist and digital illustrator
- LCI Movement, dance program
- Lisa Alves, lyricist and producer, in collaboration with Jessica Goddard
- Mabrook Entertainment
- Deep Ganguly, bansuri player and educator
- Denise Leslie, jazz songstress
- Tennyson King, international touring musician
- Cat Bernardi, jazz vocalist and composer
Career Development MicroGrant Winners:
- Matt Easter
- Keith Garebian
- Deepa Mahanti
2019 MAC MicroGrant Winners
MicroGrant Winners:
- Frog in Hand – “Stories in the Woods” interactive outdoor dance/theatre production
- Cathleen MacDonald – “Film Incubator Workshop” series
- Khaula Mazhar – “Pollinator’s Paradise” mural at the Mississauga Valley Community Centre
- Angela Chao and Susan Ksiezopolski – “Feel It” Exhibits