Regional Arts Development Fund in Australia

Deadline: 8-Feb-23

The Mackay Regional Council is accepting applications for Regional Arts Development Fund.

The Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) is delivered as a partnership between the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and eligible local councils across the state.

RADF promotes the role and value of arts, culture and heritage as key drivers of diverse and inclusive communities and strong regions. RADF invests in local arts and cultural priorities, as determined by local communities, across Queensland.

RADF is a flexible fund, enabling local councils to tailor RADF programs to suit the needs of their community.

Categories

• There are seven categories of funding available for individuals, groups, organisations and council:
  • Professional development
  • Projects and programs
  • Community wellbeing
  • Concept development
  • Green arts
  • Young people
  • Resilience (offered only when need arises).

Objectives

• RADF 2022-2023 objectives are to support arts and cultural activities that:
  • 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

• Local Content / Local Product: Valuing their local arts and cultural resources. RADF will support activities/projects that sustain the development of locally driven content and cultural tourism products for local events.
• Community Resilience: Using the arts as a tool for positive social impact. RADF will support applications from individuals, groups and organisations delivering community arts processes in response to identified community need relating to the impact of natural disasters and Covid 19. the term ‘disability’ is used to refer to barriers, rather than medical conditions or impairments. (taken from AAA Advice: Disability Language)
• Placemaking: Being creative in the community, supporting creative activity in public spaces. RADF will support activities/projects that assist their 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 their relationship with the environment.
• Arts And Health: Improving health and wellbeing through the arts. RADF will support activities/projects that can improve the health and wellbeing of people within their community who are living with disability
• Lifelong Learning: Supporting processes that build on opportunities for growth. RADF will support activities/projects that provide opportunities for learning, career development and growth.
• Telling Their Stories: Collecting and presenting community stories. RADF will support activities/projects that explore the diversity of their community and the possibilities around how they collect and present stories from their community
• Tech Tools: Exploring the creative potential of technology. RADF will support activities/projects that explore technology and provide innovative opportunities within the arts, cultural and/or heritage sectors.
• Priorities for 2022/23 align with the five key objectives from Mackay Regional Council’s Arts and Cultural Plan – Celebrate Connect Inspire:
  • Vibrant spaces and places
  • Celebrate their diversity and enhance community pride
  • Encourage partnerships and collaboration
  • Lifelong learning
  • Enhance advocacy and promotion.

Outcomes

• All projects receiving RADF 2022/23 funding are required to report on their contribution towards RADF 2022/23 Key Performance Outcomes (KPOs):
  • Quality
    • Produces or contributes to high quality arts and cultural initiatives for local communities.
    • Proven capacity to effectively support and deliver arts and cultural services.
  • Reach
    • Provides access to and engagement in arts and culture for diverse communities, practitioners, participants and audiences.
    • Evidence of local demand for proposed program/s.
  • Impact
    • Demonstrates cultural, artistic, social or economic benefit either to the individual or to the broader community.
    • RADF contributes to: encouraging safe and inclusive communities, building regions, encouraging equal opportunities, stimulating economic opportunity and innovation, increasing opportunities of gainful employment and future career options, and conserving heritage.
    • Where possible applicants are encouraged to support local and regional artisans, suppliers and vendors.
  • Viability
    • Evidence of good planning for strong governance and management or RADF at a local level.
    • Evidence of partnership capacity with partners including business and government.

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.
• If your RADF project eventuates in a launch / opening type event to showcase your outcomes you can apply for up to $500 for associated costs. This can include things such as venue hire, presentation, catering etc.
• Mackay Regional Council departments can apply to the funding pool for initiatives that are driven by identified local needs or priorities and demonstrate how they provide an arts or cultural development aspect locally.

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 organizations 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.

For more information, visit RADF.

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