March 19, 2024
Dear All Members, Artists, and Artistic Communities who call Tranzac Home,
I hope this letter finds you well and thriving. As cherished members of the many vibrant artistic communities we intersect with, I am reaching out to you with a heartfelt appeal to help preserve and amplify the magic of the Tranzac. Please donate to our GoFundMe campaign, attend our fundraising concert, or become a member.
The Tranzac is a cornerstone of creativity and cultural exchange in our city and a beacon of artistic expression. Through our residency programs and accessible rental spaces, we foster and facilitate a large volume of artistic presentations annually. Although we are best known for music, the Tranzac is also home to theatre presentations, comedy nights, poetry readings, storytelling events, the Zine Library, and so much more! Our residency program, run through our Southern Cross Lounge, hosts over 1000 performances a year, and the venue facilitates another 500 events annually through rentals in our Living Room and Main Hall.
As someone who has been performing and attending shows at the Tranzac for nearly 20 years, I was unaware of the volume and breadth of performances at the Tranzac, and this new knowledge continually astounds me. Likewise, I wasn’t privy to the challenges faced by the organization. While there have always been challenges for the arts, particularly in Toronto, the challenges organizations face now have been changing and mounting. Specifically for the Tranzac, there are some pretty tricky ongoing financial pressures, such as:
- Our $1.5 million mortgage, which we only pay interest on, is $7500/month;
- Rising HST payments, which we pay out $15,000 quarterly;
- A CEBA loan that will cost us $450/ week for the next three years;
- Constant upkeep and maintenance of the building;
- Insurance premiums that have been increasing since the pandemic (up by $6000 this year) and
- The rising cost of supplies, and many other areas.
While there are many challenges in front of us, the Board and I have developed a plan for the financial sustainability and growth of the organization. Key to this plan is becoming a charitable organization, which will give us access to potential outside revenue from foundations, granting bodies, and large amount donors. Since arriving in the Executive Director position, I have been restructuring the organization in preparation for this next stage at the Tranzac. There is still a good deal of work to be done in preparation for applying for charitable status, and this will be a long process. However, we have a path forward that we are following, and your support will help get us there.
We are embarking on this crucial fundraising campaign to sustain and enhance what we offer at the Tranzac. Your generosity can preserve this hub of creative connection and ensure its continued impact on our many artistic communities. Together, let's keep the Tranzac pulsating with creativity. Your contribution is not just a donation to us; it's an investment in the heartbeat of culture in this city and the many artistic communities that call the Tranzac home.
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out via email to ed@tranzac.org.
Sincerely,
Jason Doell,
Executive Director, Tranzac