Tag Archives: Leadership

Request for Proposals: Evaluation of CPAMOPOC V

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Alt text: on the left on a blue background text: Request for Proposals Evaluation of CPAMOPOC V. On the right a photo of an open notebook, a pen and a cup of coffee on a table and CPAMO’s logo.

 

Introduction:

In 2016, CPAMO designed and delivered its first Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Pluralism Organizational Change Project (CPAMOPOC).  CPAMO has developed and delivered this project to 5 cohorts of diverse arts organizations – arts services, creation-based small, medium and large – involving between 9-16 organizations per cohort.

This project, consistent with CPAMO’s values, promotes a transformation in arts practices, and demonstrates the importance of inclusive arts practices in a rapidly shifting arts eco-system. 

While the core structure and delivery model of CPAMOPOC has remained consistent, each cohort has benefited from improvements informed by external evaluations conducted at the end of the project cycle.

Built on the premise of a ripple effect, the overall goal of the program is to make change with participants, their organizations and the arts/culture sector as a whole.  This recognizes that wide-scale change is needed to shift attitudes and behaviours which takes time for participants to both unlearn what are considered standard Eurocentric approaches to arts and culture and to learn new models based on methodologies that are decolonial, anti-racist, anti-oppressive and pluralist.

About CPAMOPOC Cohort V

Cohort V, launched in winter 2023, includes nine participating organizations. These organizations have not only undertaken internal transformation but have also built the capacity to deliver anti-racism, equity, pluralism, and organizational change sessions to their member organizations.

Several organizations in this cohort also participated in previous cohorts. During this iteration, participants further developed and delivered training—sometimes in collaboration with one another—enhancing shared learning and sector impact.

CPAMO is now seeking an external evaluator to assess CPAMOPOC V and gather insights to inform future program development.

Past evaluations have focused on:

  • Identifying program strengths, challenges, and recommendations for future cohorts
  • Assessing participant experiences and the relevance of program content

Scope of Review:

The evaluator will be responsible for a comprehensive assessment of CPAMOPOC V, including:

  • Understand CPAMOPOC’s Goals, Objectives, Methodologies, resources provided and staffing;
  • Assess the Attendance, Structure And Scheduling of the various sessions, including materials provided by project participants, and CPAMO;
  • Assess Session Design, Tools And Content;
  • Assess Program Impact on participants’ knowledge, commitment and change work supported by CPAMOPOC, including implementation and planning for sustainability.

Timeframes:

The evaluation is expected to take place between February and May 2026.

Applicants should submit a proposal that outlines how they would carry out this evaluation, with particular attention to time required for each section of the review. 

CPAMO is based in Toronto, Ontario; however, the evaluation can be conducted remotely from anywhere in Canada.

The total budget for this project is $12,000 (exclusive of HST).

Proposal Deadline: January 31, 2026
Start Date: Mid to late February 2026

Please submit your proposal to education@cpamo.org with the subject line: “CPAMOPOC V Evaluation”

About CPAMO

Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO) is a movement of Indigenous and racialized artists engaged in empowering the arts communities of Ontario. CPAMO seeks to open opportunities for Indigenous and racialized professionals and organizations to build capacity through access and working relationships with cultural institutions across Ontario that will result in constructive relationships with Indigenous and racialized professionals and organizations. https://cpamo.org



The Work in Culture Catalyst and Transformation (CAT) Fund

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Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario is excited to receive a CAT grant from Work In Culture to explore Co-Director leadership models for non-profits. With Phase 1 complete, we’re now moving into Phase 2. More details will be shared in our upcoming publication and at the 2026 Gathering Divergence Multi-Arts Festival/Conference.

The Work in Culture Catalyst and Transformation (CAT) Fund provides funding to Ontario-based non-profit arts organizations to explore, identify, and, if applicable, implement significant adaptations in their operations.

Many thanks to Work In Culture, and the fund’s funders: Canada Council for the Arts, City of Toronto, Metcalf Foundation, Ontario Arts Council, and the Azrieli Foundation, with support from the Toronto Arts Council.

A graphic promoting the Catalyst and Transformation Fund. In the top-left corner is the Work in Culture logo. In the middle of the graphic are a hexagon, two squares and a triangle. Below there are 7 logos of funders: Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Azrieli Foundation, the Metcalf Foundation, the Ontario Government, the City of Toronto, and the Toronto Arts Council.

Leadership Transition 

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Dear friends and colleagues,

We are writing to congratulate our founder, Executive Director/ Convenor, charles c smith on his new adventure.  After 20 years of effort to develop CPAMO and bring it to its current level of professionalism, leadership and service in the arts community on issues of decoloniality, anti-racism, equity and pluralism, charles will be with CPAMO to the end of 2024 in an advisory role as he is moving on to another adventure as he leads the newly-established initiative entitled Canadian Network for Equity and Racial Justice (CNERJ), an exciting partnership between Canada, Mexico and the U.S bringing together leaders across diverse sectors, e.g., the arts, business, labour, academia, health, education, sports, etc.

The purpose of the Partnership is to share best practices and commit to taking concrete steps domestically and trilaterally to combat systemic racism, discrimination, and hate while striving towards cohesiveness between national laws and mutual commitments to international human rights conventions.

Funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage and supported by the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, the Chinese Canadian National Council Social Justice, Colour of Poverty-Colour of Change, charles will be the project lead for this exciting project.

We at CPAMO will certainly miss him – his leadership, vision, inclusive approach and his voice in matters of decoloniality, anti-racism, equity and pluralism in the arts.  Since the initial working days with Community Cultural Impresarios (now Ontario Presents) and the publication of Pluralism in the Arts in Canada: A Change is Gonna Come, charles pioneered many initiatives that have now become more regularly involved in conversations about the arts in Canada.  For example:

  • Writing, editing and soliciting books and articles on these issues;
  • Convening public forums first called Town Halls and now Gathering Divergence: Multi-Inter Arts Festival and Conference;
  • Organizing in-person and online panels, webinars and artistic showcases;
  • Advocating to all arts funders on the challenges and pressing needs of Indigenous, Black, People of Colour and other historically marginalized artists, i.e., the Deaf and disabled, immigrants and refugees, 2SLGBQTI, women and others
  • Conducting organizational reviews of large, medium-sized and small arts organizations;
  • Developing and delivering education and training sessions for a wide variety of organizations, including the CPAMOPOC pluralism organizational change program as well as the series of Anti-Black Racism in the Arts training program.

Just have a look at our website! www.cpamo.org

All in all, charles’ work for CPAMO has clearly made an impact in the arts world as now funders and arts organization are more involved with intent to address the issues CPAMO has raised.  While we will miss charles, we wish him all the very best for his new adventure.

And as CPAMO moves forward, we will keep you informed of how his invaluable expertise will be followed as we continue our work with our partners, colleagues and friends to embed decoloniality, anti-racism, equity and pluralism into the arts practices, goals, aspirations and concrete outcomes for funders and arts organizations.

Until the end of this year (2024), charles will be with CPAMO to start our strategic planning where we are working with BeSpoke Collective Consultants. In the interim, CPAMO will be exploring a Co-Director model with Erin Jones in the Convenor role as part of her current work as Curator, Transformational Change and Kevin A. Ormsby’s in his role as Curator, Programming will now include, engaging in CPAMO’s advocacy work with such organizations as the Canadian Arts Coalition.

Sincerely,

CPAMO’s Board of Directors