Australia: Regional Arts Development Fund

Deadline: 3-Nov-21

The Mackay Regional Council is pleased to announce Regional Arts Development Fund that aims to support local government and community partnerships as articulated in the Arts and Cultural Investment Framework.

The RADF promotes the role and value of arts, culture and heritage as key drivers of diverse and inclusive communities and strong regions.  This is a flexible fund that supports local councils to invest in arts and cultural priorities as determined by local communities across Queensland.

This is delivered as a partnership between the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and eligible local councils across the state.

Objectives

Provide public value for Queensland communities

• Build local cultural capacity, cultural innovation and community pride
• Deliver the Queensland Government’s objectives for the community.

Priorities

• Community Resilience: Using the arts as a tool for positive social impact.
• Arts and Health: Improving health and wellbeing through the arts.
• Local content / Local product: Valuing the local arts and cultural resources.
• Place making:  Being creative in the community, supporting creative activity in public spaces.
• Lifelong Learning: Supporting processes that build on opportunities for growth.
• Telling their stories: Collecting and presenting community stories.
• Tech tools: Exploring the creative potential of technology

Categories

There are six categories of funding available for individuals, groups, organisations and councils.

They are:

• Professional Development (offered three times per year)
  • This category is open to individuals to access financial support to participate in activities that build on their chosen arts practice and arts organisations/groups to engage professional development opportunities to a group of people locally.
  • Proposals could include:
    •  Attending professional development seminars or activities;
    •  Master classes;
    •  Mentorships with recognised arts and cultural peers
    •  Artist in residence programs
    •  Placements with recognised arts and cultural organisations
    • Cost associated with bringing a tutor to the region to provide professional development to a group or organisation.
• Projects and Programs (offered three times per year)
  • This category is open to individuals, groups and organisations where outcomes of their activities have a broader reach within the community.
  • Proposals could include:
    • Delivering projects and activities that focus on locally distinct arts, culture and heritage;
      • product development by professional artists, either as individuals or in partnership with individual community members or community groups;
      • the development of marketing strategies for a professional artistic product;
      • community stories documentation, which may be through various forms and mediums, including plays, film/videos/audio, artwork, digital exhibitions, education programs, oral histories and publications.
    • Engaging professional artists or arts workers to run workshops or community projects that have a focus on developing skills;
    • The delivery of innovative and energising arts and cultural projects where artists and communities work together.
• Community Wellbeing (offered three times per year)
  • This category is open to individuals, groups and organisations proposing accessible and inclusive arts and cultural activities where artists and communities work together to create specific outcomes that build community resilience and wellbeing within marginalised or minority groups.
  • Projects may have a focus in the following areas:
    • Health and wellness
    •  Social justice
    •  Social inclusion and belonging
    •  Mackay pride Projects should have a target participants/ audience including:
    •  Aging population
    •  Youth
    •  People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
    •  People with Indigenous heritage
    •  Australian South Sea Islander people
    •  People living with a disability
  • Proposals could include:
    • Engaging professional artists or arts workers to run workshops or community projects that have a focus on community resilience and wellbeing and target marginalised or minority  groups;
    •  The delivery of accessible and inclusive arts and cultural projects where artists and communities work together to create specific outcomes that build community resilience and wellbeing within marginalised or minority groups;
    •  An evaluation plan detailing how the social outcomes from their project will be identified and assessed.
• Concept Development
  • The development of arts and cultural ideas and project proposals to the implementation stage.
  • Objective
    • To develop arts and cultural research ideas and project proposals to the implementation stage and identify funding sources outside of RADF to implement project proposals.
    • RADF grants will support individuals and groups who wish to engage in professional research and the development of ideas and project proposals to the implementation stage. No specific art form product is required; however, the project should demonstrate how it will contribute to future arts and cultural development. Potential funding sources for the implementation of the project do not need to be identified prior to making the application.
    • This category is also open to Councils.
• Green Arts (offered at least once per year)
  • Green Arts is an innovative partnership between the Mackay Regional Council RADF Program and the Parks, Environment & Sustainability Departments to offer a dedicated category within the RADF community funding pool that supports initiatives that focus on environmentally-based arts and cultural practice and highlights issues relating to the unique local biodiversity.
  • Proposals could include:
    • Highlighting the significant and diverse natural environment in the Mackay Regional Council area.
      • This could include a geographical area, a local species of flora or fauna or a greater collective such as the Great Barrier Reef.
    • In 2021/2022 this category aligns with priority five, “Place-making”: being creative in the community, supporting creative activity in public spaces, and so invites applications for activities/ projects that assist the community to engage with, activate and/or transform local spaces and places in a way that highlights a locality’s unique identity and/or biodiversity, and strengthens the relationship with the environment.
    • Supports Arts & Cultural Plan 2016–2020, Strategy 1.5.2 Promote Mackay Tourism’s “Nature – Reserved” brand by supporting sitespecific, ephemeral, environmental art projects and programs in iconic locations of natural beauty within the region.
• Young People (offered three times per year)
  • A continued partnership between RADF and Mackay Regional Council Youth Development Team. This category is open to individuals who are aged between 12-21 years.
  • Goals
    • Support young people to pursue creative career pathways
    •  Offer industry linkages through a mentoring process
    • Enable participants to engage in activities to gain experience within their identified area/s of interest by incorporating industry specific learning opportunities
    •  Projects and programs run by young people for young people.
  • Proposals could include:
    • Costs associated with Professional Development/Mentorship opportunities
    • Projects and programs run by young people for young people.
    • Considerations :
    • Assistance is available for up to 65% of the total costs for registration, accommodation and travel to a maximum of $1000 for activities in Queensland, $2000 for activities in other states.

What can RADF funding support?

• Development and delivery of diverse, exciting and accessible arts and cultural activities, projects and initiatives for, by and with local communities;
• Value-adding arts and culture into existing non– arts projects or events that could support growing new audiences or markets;
• Strategic arts and culture initiatives in local communities (for example, increasing amenity, community pride and liveability of local areas through infrastructure, public art, place-making projects);
• Regional initiatives or programs to deliver cross– regional arts and cultural–led outcomes;
• Professional, career and capacity development opportunities for local artists and arts workers;
• Engagement of key target groups such as young people or CALD communities or programs targeting particular geographic locations;
• Recruitment of specialist expertise to support, develop and /or produce arts and culturally driven outcomes.

Eligibility Criteria

The following categories of individuals and organisations can apply for a RADF grant:

•  Individual professional artists, emerging professional artists, arts workers, cultural workers or project coordinators who:
  • are based in the Mackay Regional Council area, or if based outside the council area are able to demonstrate how the project will directly benefit arts and culture in the council area;
  •  are permanent residents or Australian citizens;
  •  have an Australian Business Number (ABN) or who will be auspiced by an incorporated organisation or individual with an ABN.
•  Incorporated arts and cultural organisations  based in the council area, or those based outside the council area that are able to demonstrate how the project will directly benefit arts and culture in the council area.
•  Unincorporated organisations, auspiced by an incorporated body, that are based in the council area, or those based outside the council area that are able to demonstrate how the project will directly benefit arts and culture in the council area.

NOTE: Funding for each round is limited. In the event that funds are expended, the RADF Committee may reduce funding amounts or encourage applicants to re-apply in future funding rounds.

Australian Business Number (ABN)

• It is not mandatory for RADF applicants to possess an ABN.
• However, if they do not have an ABN the application must be auspiced by an incorporated organisation or an individual with an ABN (known as the auspice body) who manages the grant on behalf of the applicant. The auspice body is responsible for providing a financial report on completion of the project. It is not responsible for the artistic direction or quality of the project.

For more information, visit https://www.mackay.qld.gov.au/community/grants/regional_arts_development_fund