With a mission to build healthy and vibrant Ontario communities, OTF funds a diverse range of excellent initiatives. Through its Province-Wide Program, OTF effects and supports our mission in forward-looking and strategic ways. The essential prerequisite for each OTF Province-Wide grant is that it support projects that have far-reaching impact throughout the province.

Province-Wide projects can explore issues of water conservation through compelling photography; they can organize champions for increasing children's access to sport and recreation; they can take the country's elite orchestra on the Northern Ontario road or use technology to bring literacy tools to all Ontarians. Province-wide initiatives are diverse and often creatively cross-sectoral. They support OTF's granting priorities across all four sectors.

In the fall of 2005, four Province-Wide initiatives were duly celebrated.

At the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's (TSO) 2005-2006 season opening night, Minister of Culture Madeleine Meilleur observed that "a healthy and vibrant society is judged by how it supports and cultivates its talent, its artists and its creative minds."

The Minister congratulated the TSO, music director Peter Oundjian and a crowd of supporters on the success of its inaugural Northern Lights Tour. The tour took the orchestra to audiences in Timmins and Sudbury thanks to two-year $404,000 Province-Wide grant.

A full house of celebrated photographers and photojournalists joined Hon. David Ramsay, Minister of Natural Resources, at the launch of PhotoSensitive's latest book, Life of Water, the culmination of a two-year $154,900 Province-Wide grant. The compelling images and an essay by David Suzuki engage readers on environmental issues about this important natural resource.

KidSport Ontario was proud to have Walter Gretzky help announce their $225,500 Province-Wide grant. This funding will assist children and youth from low-income families across Ontario to participate in organized sports and recreation.

Literacy and numeracy champions gathered to celebrate the many successes of AlphaPlus Centre. Hon. James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, joined OTF Board Chair Helen Burstyn in honouring the excellent track record of the Centre in increasing literacy among Ontarians, supported by an OTF investment of $200,000.

The far-reaching impact of these four exemplary initiatives is indicative of the approach and achievements of the grantee organizations supported by OTF's Province-Wide program.