The Australia Council has announced the 144 arts organisations that will receive a share of $31.7M per annum in funding offered through the revised Four Year Funding for Organisations program.
CEO Adrian Collette AM said the new measures, delivered within the Council’s existing budget, were essential during this critical period when the cultural and creative sectors are experiencing immediate and enormous challenges due to the impact of COVID-19.
“When we embarked on this Four Year Funding process, it was a very different landscape for the sector, and indeed the world,” said Mr Collette. “We have been aligning all our multi-year organisation funding programs, including Four Year Funding, the National Performing Arts Partnership Framework and the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy.”
“In the light of COVID-19, it has been essential to revise this round of Four Year Funding to provide support for the greatest possible number of small to medium arts organisations. This has involved increasing the program funding and the number of funded organisations.”
“This is to enable as many as possible small to medium arts organisations to continue to operate, and to strengthen the long term sustainability of the arts sector and the many thousands of Australians it supports.”
“However, achieving this and still supporting more organisations through 2021 requires the first year of FYF funding to be offered at a reduced level. This is not business as usual for anyone, and arts organisations also will need to adapt in order to weather these unprecedented times.”
“I also acknowledge the whole of government support available to arts organisations under the JobKeeper payment. I encourage all eligible companies in the arts and creative sector to register their interest on the Australian Taxation Office website.”
“Finally, I take this opportunity to thank the expert peers who assessed the applications. Their deep and wide knowledge was crucial to us being able to make the necessary and difficult decisions.”
Changes to Four Year Funding
• Funding will be provided for 95 organisations who were successful in the application process, including 28 organisations new to Four Year Funding from 2021- 2024. The first year of funding from 2021 will be at a reduced level (approximately 70%) to enable more organisations to receive vital support through 2021.
• Contract extensions of twelve months will be provided for 49 organisations that currently receive Four Year Funding 2017-2020 but were not successful for 2021-2024, providing additional time for them to recalibrate their organisations and make plans for the future. The additional funding for 2021 will be at a reduced level (approximately 70%).
To view the list of successful recipients, click here! For more information, visit: www.australiacouncil.gov.au for details.
Image: Jump First, Ask Later produced by PYT Fairfield and Force Majeure – photo by Alex Wisser