Australia Council extends disability program, commits $1m
The Australia Council judged its pilot to help artists with disability successful enough to extend for three years and commit $1 million.
It is for development grants up to $25,000 and project grants up to $50,000 for individuals and groups.
The pilot provided $300,000 this year for 25 projects; individuals and groups who identified as having disability submitted just over 200 applications.
Australia Council CEO Tony Grybowski said the program “confirmed there is a rich pool of talent in this area.”
“The extension of this dedicated funding demonstrates our commitment to supporting the cultural ambitions of artists with disability, and to seeing more artists who identify as having disability applying across our funding programs,” he told the Arts Activated Conference in Sydney yesterday.
In August, Grybowski, Attorney General and Minister for the Arts, Senator the Honourable George Brandis QC and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop MP launched a new Strategic Plan and grants program.
Put into effect in January, the new grants model will allow a diverse range of artists and organisations to apply for funding with the opportunity to apply for multiple stages of a project in one application. The model includes five grant programs for artists and arts organisations, which will be assessed in the same way as the current 2014 grants, by a rotating pool of peers from the arts sector.