A new arts and cultural development program will be introduced from 2015 to replace the Arts Funding Program, Minister for the Arts, George Souris, announced.
Mr Souris said the new Arts and Cultural Development Program will deliver quality arts and cultural experiences to diverse audiences across the State, and support a resilient creative sector.
He said the introduction of the Arts and Cultural Development Program followed a comprehensive review of the structure of the Arts Funding Program in 2013.
“The structure of the new program responds to the feedback we received from the sector which called for increased stability of funding, a more transparent application process and reduced red tape,” Mr Souris said.
“The new structure offers arts and cultural organisations the opportunity to progress from project funding to annual program funding, and then on to multi-year funding, depending on their capacity to achieve sustained success. This will ensure stability in the sector, and allow Arts organisations to secure their future and establish themselves in the community.”
Mr Souris said the new program strikes a balance between the needs of the sector and the capacity to deliver the program within a tight fiscal environment.
"The new Arts and Cultural Development Program will deliver quality arts and cultural experiences to diverse audiences across the State." George Souris, Minister for the Arts
“The NSW Government has responded to calls from the sector for enhanced transparency around access to longer term funding and wider flexibility within available programs. Changes to eligibility will also ensure that the NSW Government continues to be open to funding a diverse range of activities.
“The new program offers clear direction on the terms for NSW Government arts funding. Funding will continue to be competitive, but there is now clear direction on how projects and organisations fit into the funding structure.
The Arts and Cultural Development Program will focus on:
- Project funding for one-off arts and cultural activities,
- Program funding for annual and multi-year programming that rewards success,
- Professional development for artists, and
- A new strategic fund that will target priorities and identified needs of the sector.
Arts organisations will be contacted by Arts NSW staff to discuss how the new program affects them. Information sessions will also be held across the state for interested parties, with details to be published on the Arts NSW website in the near future.
Arts NSW received 136 submissions in response to the Arts Funding Program discussion paper. Consultation on the review included six face-to-face workshop sessions in Sydney and regional NSW; 111 people participated in these workshops in July 2013.
More information: www.arts.nsw.gov.au
