Victoria injects more funding for creative workers & businesses

Minister for creative industries in Victoria, Danny Pearson, has announced more than $5.6 million in grants to boost creative careers, businesses, facilities, and experiences across the state.

The Creative Workers Fund supports the creation or presentation of new creative projects or products, professional or skills development, community collaborations and COVID-Safe ways to connect with audiences or new markets.

The Creators Fund supports intensive research, development and experimentation across any creative discipline and includes cross-industry collaborations.

The latest round of the program has the highest pool to date, $1 million, after the Sidney Myer Fund put in a fresh $100,000, supporting up to 10 additional grants.

The Building Audiences Fund offers between $2,000 to $20,000 for new marketing projects designed to build new audiences or re-establish audiences following the pandemic.

These can include any new marketing activities not previously undertaken like, for example, an integrated e-commerce and promotional strategy, marketing to new audience demographics or promoting creative content in untried ways.

In addition, the Music Works Grants program is focused on reactivating the music industry, with grants available for the creation and release of new music, professional development, initiatives to connect with audiences, and live music events in regional and outer-metropolitan areas.

These grants programs are part of the Andrews Labor Government’s investment of more than $220 million in the Victorian Budget 2020/21 to support the creative sector to rebuild.

Applications are encouraged from First Nations people, regionally-based creatives and businesses, culturally and linguistically diverse people, and deaf and disabled applicants.

Minister Danny Pearson said at the launch of the grants: “Victoria has a proud reputation as the creative state and these programs are all about reactivating our creative economy and helping artists get back to work.

“Our creative industries are so diverse, and these grants will support everyone from individual artists to small creative businesses.”

More information is available here.