Media Release December 18, 2023
$34,200 OTF Grant Supported Free Legal Services for Ontario Artists
Toronto, ON – Artists and Lawyers for the Advancement of Creativity (ALAC) has completed a project,
funded by a $34,200 Resilient Communities Fund grant awarded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation
(OTF) in 2022, to adapt ALAC’s programs, including the facilitation and co-ordination of Artists' Legal
Advice Services (ALAS) and building the capacity of the ALAS clinic in order to better meet the legal
needs of Ontario’s creative community. The project has increased access to free legal support for artists
and workers in all disciplines of the arts and has helped to ensure that free legal advice continues to be
available to the community moving forward.
“ALAC is an organization that has historically relied almost entirely on the generosity of volunteers and
small donors to maintain operations, and this financial support from OTF has given a significant boost to
ALAC's ability to take the steps required to maximize our impact in the community,” said Daniel Pink,
Board Member and Volunteer Committee Chair. “Following this grant, the ALAS clinic is now better able
to meet the demand for free legal advice we are seeing from the community.”
The vast majority of Ontario artists and creators do not have the financial means to access traditional
legal services in times of need. This is an issue that has been further exacerbated by the impacts of the
COVID-19 pandemic, with artists facing loss of income and a myriad of complex and evolving legal
issues. Thanks to OTF’s $34,200 investment, ALAC has been able to increase the resiliency and
capacity of the ALAS Clinic, ensuring creators across the province can access a base level of free legal
support. This entailed expanding the roster of volunteer lawyers and law students for the ALAS clinic,
implementing new supports for both clients and staff, and adapting administrative processes to support
increased scale. ALAC's facilitation of the ALAS clinic continues to be possible through the work of
many volunteer lawyers and law students, and OTF funds have provided essential support
Artists and Lawyers for the Advancement of Creativity’s mission is to empower Ontario’s creative
community by providing access to summary legal advice, information and education. For more than 35
years, the ALAS clinic has provided creators with free legal information and summary advice in a one-on-
one clinic setting. The clinic currently operates three times a week and services approximately 300 artists
and workers in the arts each year. ALAC's other activities include providing ALAS educational programs,
maintaining an ALAS website with legal resources for creators and mentoring the law students who
administer the ALAS clinic. For more information about ALAC and the services of the ALAS clinic, visit
https://www.alasontario.ca/.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation’s (OTF) mission is to build healthy and vibrant communities
across Ontario. As an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading
granting foundations, last year, OTF invested over $110M into 1,022 community projects and
partnerships. Visit otf.ca to learn more.
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Organization Contact for Media Inquiries:
Daniel Pink, Board Member
Artists and Lawyers for the Advancement of Creativity
danielpink@gmail.com
