In keeping with the OAA’s Five-Year Strategic Plan, the OAA’s Public Awareness Funding program supports projects that expand public awareness and appreciation of architecture and the allied arts and sciences.

Twice a year, the Communications and Public Education Committee (CPEC) reviews submissions from individuals and groups seeking small-scale financial support for public-focused programs or events in their communities. In April 2026, nine projects were awarded funds:

• Heritage Ottawa’s 2026 Walking Tours Program, which focuses on Ottawa’s built and natural environments and reflects on how spaces connect people;
• Jane’s Walk Toronto, a community-led annual festival, inspired by famed urbanist Jane Jacobs, offering free walking tours of notable places and spaces in the city;
• Laurentian University’s McEwen School of Architecture’s Archi·North, a summer camp for high school students offering introductory skills in architecture;
• TimberFever, a design-build competition led by Moses Structural Engineers that brings together architecture and civil engineering students from universities across Canada to build a life-size structure out of wood;
• RAW Design Inc.’s Diversity in Design Summer Camp, which introduces students from underrepresented backgrounds to architecture, design, and the built environment through workshops, studio-style exercises, and mentorship;
• the Society of South Asian Architects (SOSA)’s SAY IT LOUD, a Toronto-based research and exhibition project to assemble and amplify the work of Black and South Asian architects in southern Ontario and beyond;
• BRIDGE and University of Waterloo School of Architecture’s Building Futures - Student Explorations in Architecture, Housing, and Social Equity—two exploratory exhibition booths at this year’s OAA Conference;
• the DesignTO Festival, the Toronto Design Offsite Festival’s annual celebration of design, with more than 100 exhibitions and events each year in venues across the City of Toronto; and
• 1UP Competition, co-presented in 2026 by Urban Minds and Toronto’s Evergreen Brickworks, which is a pitch competition for Ontario high-school students to learn about flood mitigation and adaptation strategies and develop innovative solutions.
  
  For more information, read about eligibility and how to apply.