As predicted, the list of organisations to have lost or been rejected for four-year funding due to the Australia Council’s constrained circumstances (with extant funding never fully restored following the Brandis raid in 2015) is significant.
Among them are companies and organisations such La Mama Theatre, St Martins, Polyglot Theatre, Australian Book Review, Liquid Architecture and the literary journal Overland in Victoria; The Blue Room Theatre and Barking Gecko in Western Australia; Restless Dance Theatre and Vitalstatistix in South Australia; Browns Mart Theatre and Tracks Dance Company in the Northern Territory; Tasdance in Tasmania; Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP), Ensemble Offspring, Sydney Review of Books, Shaun Parker & Company and Urban Theatre Projects in New South Wales; Australasian Dance Collective in Queensland, and peak body NAVA (National Association for the Visual Arts).
Many companies have yet to publicly comment on their lost funding, and the list of organisations that have lost funding is expected to grow significantly in the coming days.
In total, $31.7 million per annum in funding has been distributed through the revised Four Year Funding for Organisations program.
Among the 95 organisations to receive four-year funding are a number of highly deserving companies which receive four-year funding for the first time.
Australia Council CEO Adrian Collette AM said: ‘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,’ he said in a statement.
TOUGH TRANSITIONS
The Australia Council will provide funding for 95 organisations (down from 128 in 2016) that were successful in the application process, including 28 organisations new to Four Year Funding from 2021- 2024.
Successful organisations’ first year of funding from 2021 will be at a reduced level (by approximately 70%) to enable more organisations to receive vital support through 2021.
Contract extensions of 12 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.
This transition funding for 2021 will be at a reduced level (again, at approximately 70% of existing annual funding).
The Australia Council notes that of the successful applicants, 27% are based in regional or remote Australia and 20% identify First Nations peoples and communities as their primary demographic.
Council said it has supported organisations which are shifting towards self-determined leadership models, particularly in the First Nations, Disability and Cultural Diversity fields, which will enable authentic voices at all levels from grassroots to leadership (for example Warburton Youth Arts, Sharing Stories Foundation).
Council is also supporting writers across all stages of their careers and a broad range of genres, with an emphasis on ensuring that the publishing/writing sector is equipped to represent diverse literary voices both nationally and internationally (e.g. Magabala Books and the Emerging Writers’ Festival).
WHO WAS SUCCESSFUL?
The list of organisations confirmed to have received four-year funding is as follows:
ActNow Theatre for Social Change
Ananguku Arts & Cultural Aboriginal Corporation
Arnhem, Northern and Kimberley Artists Aboriginal Corporation (ANKA)
Artback NT Inc
Arts Access Society Inc
Arts House (City of Melbourne)
Artspace Visual Arts Centre Ltd
Asian Australian Artists Association Inc.
Australasian Performing Right Association Ltd (APRA)
Australian Art Orchestra Ltd
Australian Centre for Contemporary Art
Australian Children’s Performing Arts Company t/a Windmill
Australian Dance Theatre
Australian Music Centre Ltd
Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT)
Australian Publishers Association Ltd
Australian String Quartet Inc
Back to Back Theatre Inc
Barkly Regional Arts Inc
Biennale of Sydney Limited
BlakDance Australia Ltd
Brisbane Community Arts Centre Ltd
Broome Aboriginal Media Association Aboriginal Corporation
Cairns Indigenous Art Fair Limited
Canberra International Music Festival Ltd
Carriageworks
Chunky Move Ltd
Community Arts Network Western Australia Ltd
Contemporary Art Tasmania
Contemporary Asian Australian Performance Incorporated
Contemporary SA Incorporated trading as ACE Open
Corrugated Iron Youth Arts Inc
Craft ACT:Craft and Design Centre Inc
Crossroad Arts Inc
Curious Works
DADAA Ltd
Dance North (trading under North Queensland Ballet and Dance Company
Limited)
Dancehouse Incorporated
Darwin Community Arts Incorporated
Desart Inc
Design Tasmania Limited
Diversity Arts Australia (DARTS)
Eleanor Dark Foundation Ltd
Emerging Writers’ Festival Inc
First Nations Australia Writers Network
Firstdraft Incorporated
Footscray Community Arts Centre Ltd
Force Majeure
Gertrude Contemporary
Giramondo Publishing Company Pty Ltd
Griffin Theatre
Griffith Review
Ilbijerri Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Theatre Co-op
In The Pipeline (Arts) Ltd t/a New Musicals Australia & Hayes Theatre Co
Insite Arts International Pty Ltd ITF the Trustee for Insite Arts International
Unit Trust
Institute of Modern Art Limited
JamFactory Contemporary Craft & Design Inc
KickArts Contemporary Arts Limited
Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre Aboriginal Corporation –
KALACC
Koorie Heritage Trust Inc
La Boite Theatre Ltd
Lucy Guerin Association Inc
Magabala Books Aboriginal Corporation
Marrugeku Inc
Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio LTD
Melbourne Jazz Limited
Moogahlin Performing Arts Inc
Multicultural Arts Victoria Inc
MusicNT Inc
Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women s Council
Northern Rivers Performing Arts Inc
NT Writers Centre Inc
Outer Urban Projects Ltd
Patch Theatre Company Inc
Performing Lines Limited
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts Ltd
Powerhouse Youth Theatre Inc (t/a PYT | Fairfield)
PVI Collective Ltd
Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation
Queensland Music Network Incorporated
Sharing Stories Foundation
Skinnyfish Music
Speak Percussion
Terrapin Puppet Theatre Ltd
The Performance Space Ltd
The Red Room Company Ltd
The Substation Inc
The Unconformity
Theatre Network Australia
Tura New Music Ltd
University of Queensland Press
Warburton Youth Arts Centre
Watch This Space Inc
Western Edge Youth Arts Inc
Yirra Yaakin Aboriginal Corporation
ORGANISATIONS TRANSITIONED OUT
The full list of organisation that will no longer receive four-year funding after 2017-2020 but will receive transitional funding in 2021 is as follows:
Art Gallery of South Australia
Art Monthly Australia
Artlink Australia
Arts Access Australia Limited
Australian Book Review Inc
Australian Script Centre
Australian Theatre for Young People
Barking Gecko Theatre Company Ltd
Beyond Empathy Ltd
Board of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
Branch Nebula Incorporated
Brisbane Writers Festival Association Inc. t/a UPLIT
Brown’s Mart Arts Limited
Campbelltown Arts Centre (t/u Campbelltown City Council)
Canberra Glassworks Limited
Country Arts SA (South Australian Country Arts Trust)
Crafts Council of Victoria Ltd
Creative Recovery Network Inc
Cultural Development Network Limited
Electronic Music Conference
Ensemble Offspring
Expressions The Queensland Dance Theatre Ltd
Eyeline Publishing Ltd
Feral Arts Corp Ltd
HotHouse Theatre Limited
Information and Cultural Exchange Inc (ICE)
Kickstart Arts Inc
La Mama Inc (VIC)
Liquid Architecture Sound Inc
Museum of Contemporary Art Limited
O L Society Limited (literary journal Overland)
Performing Arts Centre Society Inc (The Blue Room Theatre)
PlayWriting Australia
Polyglot Theatre
Queensland Art Gallery
Restless Dance Theatre Inc
Salamanca Arts Centre Inc
Shaun Parker & Company Ltd
Shopfront Theatre for Young People Co-operative Ltd
Somebody’s Daughter Theatre Company Inc
St Martins Youth Arts Centre
Sydney Writers Festival Ltd
Tasdance Ltd
The Song Company Pty Ltd
Tracks Inc
Umi Arts Ltd
University of Western Sydney (Writing and Society Research Centre)
Urban Theatre Projects Ltd
West Space Incorporated
