Sector Recovery
Initiatives
Sector Recovery Initiative investment recipients
A total of 40 applications were supported through the Cultural and Creative Solutions and Industry Collaborations streams. The investment through the Re-imagine: Sector Recovery Initiatives fund includes strong support for First Nations arts and cultural organisations (including Ilbijerri, KALACC, Aboriginal Art Centre Hub of WA, Tranby, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, Gujaga, Digi Youth Arts) and organisations working with people with disability (including Arts Access Australia, Dirty Feet and Studio A).
Artists and organisations were asked to respond to key priority areas for recovery (including equity and justice, mobility and exchange, resilience, health and wellbeing, leadership and digital) aimed at building a more resilient, sustainable and equitable future for the cultural and creative industries.
The $2m Re-imagine: Sector Recovery Initiatives fund is offered in acknowledgement of the significant forces of change and evolution facing the cultural and creative industries. This investment will support the sector to re-imagine practice and operations, and test ideas and models for a more resilient, equitable and thriving future.
The Re-imagine: Sector Recovery Initiatives are a direct response to the disruptions and challenges experienced by the cultural and creative industries due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They have been informed by conversations throughout the Re-imagine: What next? consultation (September to October 2020).
Successful applicants will work with a member of the Australia Council’s Sector Development team in the design and development of ideas and projects. Final outcomes of the Re-imagine: Sector Recovery Initiatives will be shared with Australia’s cultural and creative industries. This is in recognition of the collective commitment that is needed to ensure the strength, vibrancy and sustainability of Australia’s arts and culture into the future.
The Re-imagine: Sector Recovery Initiatives are generously supported by the Sidney Myer Fund.
A full list of recipients can be found here.
Supported initiatives by area of focus:
Click on each project see more information.
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Kate Geck
Summary: Polyphonic Motions is a project exploring how an online experience can enhance social connection and support physical movement through creative collaboration.
State: Victoria
Area of practice: Community Arts & Cultural Development
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Regional Arts Australia (trading under Arts Council of Australia)
Summary: An opportunity for artists to come together at multiple, concurrent events, which will see critical conversations linked by digital infrastructure.
State: Northern Territory
Area of practice: Cross-artform
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Science Write Now
Summary: Through creative writing, scientific ideas can reach and impact wider audiences. Science Write Now is an online platform that promotes and facilitates empathy-inducing forms of science writing.
State: Queensland
Area of practice: Non Fiction
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Secret Lab
Summary: Build an engaging, multi-purpose editor that allows people of all backgrounds, technical levels, and interests to create content using Yarn Spinner.
State: Tasmania
Area of practice: New media
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Western Sydney University
Summary: This project will develop and publish a weekly literary newsletter, WORKS CITED that aggregates the very best new non-fiction by and about Australian writers.
State: New South Wales
Area of practice: Non Fiction
Stream: Industry Collaborations
Applicant: Merida Sussex
Summary: The Envoke Pilot is a blockchain metadata solution originating in the independent music sector.
State: Victoria
Area of practice: Contemporary Music (Popular)
Stream: Industry Collaborations
Applicant: Tranby
Summary: A proposed a model of collaboration across the publishing, literature, education, Indigenous languages, community development and community media (digital and broadcast) sectors. We seek to de-centre and de-colonise existing centralised control models through devolving and creating an eco-system of authority and expertise that is operated by an active network of First Nations content creators, cultural producers and community media and development organisations.
State: New South Wales
Area of practice: Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander/Cultural Expression
Click on each project see more information.
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Aseel Tayah
Summary: A documented research with Muslim and Arab artists, community members, and art sector decision-makers around the lack of engagement and proper communication with Muslim and Arab communities in Melbourne.
State: Victoria
Area of practice: Community Arts & Cultural Development
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Casus Circus
Summary: In partnership with Queenie Pelesa from District Studios, Casus Circus will develop a cultural and community arts workshop program focused on engaging and developing local Pacific Island arts and cultural groups in the Greater Brisbane area.
State: Queensland
Area of practice: Community Arts & Cultural Development
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Co-Curious
Summary: EPOCH is a sector redevelopment program for Sydney mainstage theatre which invests in culturally diverse artistic leadership towards epoch-making change.
State: New South Wales
Area of practice: Text Based Theatre
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Contemporary Asian Australian Performance
Summary: CAAP and project partner, Arts on Tour have a shared vision: to provoke deeper engagement with diaspora communities in regional Australia and, in doing so, broaden the diversity of stories and artists on our regional stages.
State: New South Wales
Area of practice: Collaborative/Devised Theatre
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Critical Path Inc
Summary: This program creates space for action research in the framework of a fully engaged, innovative and culturally-grounded approach to considering and supporting Indigenous dramaturgies.
State: New South Wales
Area of practice: Contemporary Dance
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Digi Youth Arts
Summary: ‘From Our Voices’ is an initiative that will see two emerging First Nations music programmers gain new skills + insight into the music industry.
State: Queensland
Area of practice: Contemporary Music (Popular)
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Dirty Feet
Summary: This project is designed to nurture the next generation of disabled dance makers and build future professional pathways, new, emerging & esteemed dance makers with disability.
State: New South Wales
Area of practice: Contemporary Dance
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Information and Cultural Exchange
Summary: I.C.E. will partner with the Dharug Strategic Management Group and I.C.E.’s Dharug Knowledge Holders Group to provide a new First Nations cultural safety service for the arts in Western Sydney.
State: New South Wales
Area of practice: Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander/Cultural Expression
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Joze Sparks
Summary: Indigenous Knowledge As An Adaptive Mechanism For Collective Sense-making.
State: Victoria
Area of practice: Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander/Cultural Expression
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Polytoxic
Summary: This project will document and share Polytoxic’s intersectional creative process as we create DEMOLITION – an unapologetic and sweaty reclamation of space featuring a culturally diverse, all-femme posse of fierce performers.
State: Queensland
Area of practice: Collaborative/Devised Theatre
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Riana Head-Toussaint
Summary: Headquarters. A permanent, digital, disability-led space. Culturally competent, creative, current, and absolutely necessary.
State: New South Wales
Area of practice: Cross-artform
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Studio A
Summary: This project links Studio A artists with a new market – education – where there is a need for captivating creative content that brings to life curriculum elements and drives understanding of inclusion.
State: New South Wales
Area of practice: Visual Arts
Stream: Industry Collaborations
Applicant: Aboriginal Art Centre Hub of WA
Summary: The objective of this project is to develop a framework and subsequent resources that help realise the current opportunity to capture demand for authentic ATSI art and product through the participation of ATSI artists and art centres in the Australian merchandise and souvenir market, underpinned by new technology, software, and supply chain innovation within the Aboriginal art centre model.
State: Western Australia
Area of practice: Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander/Cultural Expression
Stream: Industry Collaborations
Applicant: Arts Access Australia
Summary: “AAA will, in collaboration with, and the agency of, the disability community and the arts sector develop national best-practice and develop a national self-regulatory voluntary Code of Conduct for disability inclusivity, accessibility and equity for the arts sector.”
State: Western Australia
Area of practice: Community Arts & Cultural Development
Stream: Industry Collaborations
Applicant: Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair
Summary: Develop a weaving collective with Art Centres and artists of the Arnhem Land region to participate in a fashion collaboration, and to guide discourse around the establishment of national standards for art, textiles and fashion collaborations.
State: Northern Territory
Area of practice: Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander/Cultural Expression
Stream: Industry Collaborations
Applicant: Diversity Arts Australia
Summary: A national research project that develops, collects and preserves materials that redress the historical imbalance and underrepresentation of migrant; refugee; asylum seekers; culturally and linguistically diverse; and/or people of colour communities in Australia’s arts; and, ensures that the placement and relationship between the collection of these materials is contextualised within Australia’s First Nations history of racial equity work.
State: New South Wales
Area of practice: Cross-artform
Stream: Industry Collaborations
Applicant: Rani Pramesti
Summary: Australia’s arts and cultural organisations have had poor service design, which has led to systemic trauma and barriers experienced by the marginalized Users of said service: First Nations, Black and/or People of Colour and/or Disabled and/or working class people. This project will develop a methodology to solve these problems through a Justice-Centred Service Design process, which centres Indigenous sovereignty as well as racial, disability and economic justice.
State: Victoria
Area of practice: Cross-artform
Click on each project see more information.
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Tamryn Bennett
Summary: This recovery project will establish transformational arts and culture-based models to create tangible climate action with environmental partners and bushfire affected communities on Dharawal, Gundungurra and Yuin lands.
State: New South Wales
Area of practice: Community Arts & Cultural Development
Stream: Industry Collaborations
Applicant: KALACC
Summary: Indigenous-led research will focus on the centrality of culture, and power of our interconnected cultural networks, to support wellbeing through a case study of the KALACC 2021 Regional Cultural Festival.
State: Western Australia
Area of practice: Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander/Cultural Expression
Click on each project see more information.
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Alex Desebrock
Summary: The Creative Hub is the singular event in the WA arts ecology that brings artists & industry-heads together, providing time and space to reflect, question, learn and share. It provides a long-awaited forum for artists’ voices and experiences to be heard.
State: Western Australia
Area of practice: Collaborative/Devised Theatre
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Gujaga
Summary: Support the specific training of four language and culture tutors and meet the demand for Dharawal language and culture services.
State: New South Wales
Area of practice: Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander/Cultural Expression
Stream: Industry Collaborations
Applicant: Illbijerri
Summary: This project will support a partnership with PwC Indigenous Consulting to develop a robust First Nations recruitment and training strategy.
State: Victoria
Area of practice: Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander/Cultural Expression
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: All the Queens Men
Summary: ATQM will engage three Associates to expand three key areas within the Company. A timely investment in ATQM’s creative recovery, this development would herald a new organisational structure reflecting and embodying the Company’s social mission to deepen its reach, by building partnerships beyond the arts.
State: Victoria
Area of practice: Community Arts & Cultural Development
Click on each project see more information.
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Latrobe University
Summary: The project aims to introduce, fold and re-fold new, experimental ideas and methods of ‘hospitality’, ‘sharing’ and ‘working’ that can be carried forward independently by coalition members and by a network of associated community groups and arts organisations.
State: Victoria
Area of practice: Visual Arts
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Performance Space
Summary: This project explores the future of artist mobility, collaboration and cross-cultural exchange by centring First Nations and Pacific knowledge and methodologies in an artist-led environment.
State: New South Wales
Area of practice: Experimental Practice
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Punctum
Summary: A national cohort offering a comprehensive, modular and flexible approach to safe creative and cultural spaces for research, development, and presentation/mobility opportunities.
State: Victoria
Area of practice: Experimental Practice
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Sacred Currents
Summary: The aim is to create an effective ‘network’ of organisations supporting original Australian cross-cultural music to create ongoing sustainable opportunities for CALD artists pushing musical boundaries.
State: New South Wales
Area of practice: Contemporary Music (Art Music)
Click on each project see more information.
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Anne L’estrange
Summary: This project will collect and collate the Dreamtime stories of the Wakka Wakka people and once collected, various Indigenous Artists and Dance Troupes will be invited to interpret these stories visually and through dance. The project will record the story telling and produce a book.
State: Queensland
Area of practice: Community Arts & Cultural Development
Stream: Cultural and Creative Solutions
Applicant: Elizabeth Lea
Summary: Auditum All will provide and promote greater access and accessibility in the dance and theatre world. The project will provide training in Audio Description (AD) to six leading dance artists who identify as living with disability and being of First Nations or non English speaking backgrounds.
State: ACT
Area of practice: Contemporary Dance
Stream: Industry Collaborations
Applicant: ArtsPay
Summary: This project is a collaboration between ArtsPay, artists and experts in social enterprise aimed at building a new, innovative, artist-led and sustainable funding source for the arts.
State: Victoria
Area of practice: Cross-artform
Stream: Industry Collaborations
Applicant: Creative Recovery Network
Summary: Establish a National Creative Recovery Taskforce(NCRT) with a powerful mandate to bring together key sector influencers to broaden relations that together will strategically position the core essence of CRN as part of the EM system.
State: Queensland
Area of practice: Community Arts & Cultural Development
Stream: Industry Collaborations
Applicant: Lake Macquarie City Council
Summary: The Lake Arts Precinct Re-imagine Initiative will re-address how we support artists to develop major commissions and will contribute to the design of an innovative and resilient arts precinct.
State: New South Wales
Area of practice: Cross-artform
Re-imagine: Sector Recovery Initiatives are offered in two streams:
Individuals, groups and organisations are invited to propose future-focused strategic initiatives that respond to the following priorities:
- Equity and justice – structural transformation that contributes to cultural equity, embedded accessibility, social inclusion and sustainability.
- Mobility and exchange – building and activating local, national and international networks for the future.
- Resilience – ensuring a sustainable and healthy creative economy that can weather future disruptions.
- Health and wellbeing – promoting and nurturing health and wellbeing of artists, communities, cultural practitioners and organisations, and climate responsibility.
- Leadership – nurturing the next generation of creative and cultural leaders ensuring diversity and self-determination.
- Digital – skills and capability building, and creation, sharing and dissemination of arts and culture.
The initiatives aim to:
- ask hard questions and seek practical solutions to new and existing issues
- provide space and time to reflect, re-imagine and act for change
- establish new cross-industry partnerships that support sector recovery and deliver and highlight public value
- create an industry that is accessible, inclusive and equitable
- articulate and test how culture and creativity will play a significant role in the nation’s recovery.
Australian Cultural Fund
Available all year
A fundraising platform for Australian artists. Upload your project, start your fundraising campaign and invite art lovers and supporters to donate with 100% of donations going directly towards your creative project.
Fundraising coaching & advice
Available all year
In our bespoke one-on-one sessions, we’ll equip you with the tools, knowledge, and opportunities to improve you fundraising capability.
Red Ochre Award (Lifetime Achievement)
November 12, 2024 3:00 pm (AEDT)
First Nations Arts & Culture Awards
Nominations for senior artists are accepted from arts and community organisations and individuals. 2x Awards of $50,000.
Visiting International Publishers Program 2025
November 12, 2024 3:00 pm (AEDT)
Applications are now open for participation in the 2025 Visiting International Publishers (VIPs) program, from 19-23 May 2025.
Space to Create: First Nations Music Residency
November 12, 2024 3:00 pm (AEDT)
An immersive program providing First Nations creatives at all levels with studio space, mentoring and production support.
Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection Artist Residency
November 12, 2024 3:00 pm (AEDT)
$20,000
The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia seeks applications for a four week artist residency.
Createch: Digital Enterprise Program
November 12, 2024 3:00 pm (AEDT)
We’re funding coaching for digital creative enterprises in partnership with industry leaders, REMIX Summits.
ISCP, New York Residency
November 12, 2024 3:00 pm (AEDT)
A residency opportunity in New York for Australian visual artists and curators.
Visiting International Publishers (VIPs) Program: Committee Member 2025–27
November 12, 2024 3:00 pm (AEDT)
We are seeking an Australian literary agent to join the VIPs Committee from 2025-2027.
Arts Business: First Nations Development Fund
November 12, 2024 3:00 pm (AEDT)
Providing grants from $10,000 to $50,000 to build sustainable business practices and support economic and capacity-building development opportunities.
Young People: First Nations Arts & Culture Project Fund
November 12, 2024 3:00 pm (AEDT)
Open to Australian First Nations artists or arts workers between the ages of 18 and 35 to support their creative practice and career development, nationally and internationally across all art forms.
First Nations Established Artist of the Year Award
November 12, 2024 3:00 pm (AEDT)
This Award recognises excellence in artistic practice and outstanding achievement in the arts for an established artist with ten or more years of continued artistic practice.
Successful applications
Select the type of application from the dropdown menu or enter the title.
Australian Cultural Fund
A fundraising platform for Australian artists. Upload your project, start your fundraising campaign and invite art lovers and supporters to donate with 100% of donations going directly towards your creative project.
Fundraising coaching & advice
In our bespoke one-on-one sessions, we’ll equip you with the tools, knowledge, and opportunities to improve you fundraising capability.
Red Ochre Award (Lifetime Achievement)
First Nations Arts & Culture Awards Nominations for senior artists are accepted from arts and community organisations and individuals. 2x Awards of $50,000.
Visiting International Publishers Program 2025
Applications are now open for participation in the 2025 Visiting International Publishers (VIPs) program, from 19-23 May 2025.
Space to Create: First Nations Music Residency
An immersive program providing First Nations creatives at all levels with studio space, mentoring and production support.
Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection Artist Residency
$20,000
The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia seeks applications for a four week artist residency.
Createch: Digital Enterprise Program
We’re funding coaching for digital creative enterprises in partnership with industry leaders, REMIX Summits.
ISCP, New York Residency
A residency opportunity in New York for Australian visual artists and curators.
Visiting International Publishers (VIPs) Program: Committee Member 2025–27
We are seeking an Australian literary agent to join the VIPs Committee from 2025-2027.
Arts Business: First Nations Development Fund
Providing grants from $10,000 to $50,000 to build sustainable business practices and support economic and capacity-building development opportunities.
Young People: First Nations Arts & Culture Project Fund
Open to Australian First Nations artists or arts workers between the ages of 18 and 35 to support their creative practice and career development, nationally and internationally across all art forms.
First Nations Established Artist of the Year Award
This Award recognises excellence in artistic practice and outstanding achievement in the arts for an established artist with ten or more years of continued artistic practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Australia Council staff will review applications against the assessment criteria. For stage 2 of the assessment, we will seek the advice of industry advisors.
Assessment will occur in two stages:
- · Stage 1: Eligible applications will be reviewed against the assessment criteria and shortlisted for Stage 2.
- · Stage 2: Shortlisted applicants will be invited to pitch their initiative to a panel.
Successfully shortlisted applicants will be notified on the outcome of their application by:
- · Stage 1 shortlist notification mid March 2021
- · Stage 2 successful applicants by late April 2021
Yes. Initiatives must start after 1 May 2021 and must be completed by 30 June 2022.
Yes. We will accept applications in written format, audio and video format, including in Auslan. If you are submitting a video or audio application please follow the order of questions in the application form as closely as possible.
Video and audio applications must not be longer than six minutes. Please submit your application video or audio as part of the support material and note in the application form “refer to application video/audio.”
While there is no universally accepted definition, the terms ‘cultural’ and ‘creative’ are often used to describe activities connected with the arts, media, heritage, design, fashion, and information technology.
The arts are both cultural and creative and are at the heart of the cultural and creative industries.
Local Government can apply on behalf of Council owned arts centres, venues, galleries, and theatres and standalone programs (such as festivals). For all other applications, they can partner with eligible applicants to deliver their initiative.
Not-for-profit organisations can apply on behalf of an arts and cultural organisation.
International organisations cannot apply as the primary applicant. An eligible applicant can partner with an international organisation for either stream. These partnerships must be strategic in nature in order to be competitive.
The two funding streams are designed for the benefit of Australian artists and arts organisations. If you make a strong case that the primary nature of funds paid to international artists is to benefit Australian artists; for example, in a mentoring role, then the costs are eligible. If travel is required, you will need to demonstrate consideration for the current travel restrictions in place and how this affects the viability of your project or activity.
If you are applying to the Re-imagine: Cultural and Creative Solutions stream you do not need to have confirmed partners. However, applications involving confirmed partners are likely to be more competitive.
If you are applying to the Re-imagine: Industry Collaborations stream, you need to confirm partners by submitting either a memorandum of understanding (MOU) or letter of confirmation as letters of support. Confirmation from partners indicates their commitment to the project and provides strong evidence of viability.
Evidence of their willingness to participate is essential. You should also describe your track record of working with this community, and explain what the community’s role will be, your process of working with them and what the artistic, creative or cultural benefits will be.
Yes, but the activity must address the selection criteria in order to be competitive. We encourage you to consider the Arts Projects categories for new work applications.
Yes, provided you are able to make a compelling case against the selection criteria for the relevant opportunity. You will need to demonstrate how the activity goes beyond ‘business-as-usual’ in order to be competitive. You cannot apply for activity that has already taken place.
Yes, however your application must clearly demonstrate an outward facing outcome in support of the recovery and continued sustainability of the cultural and creative industries within the specified period.
Yes. Make sure you register well before the closing date. It can take up to two business days to process your registration.
We recommend that you create an account at least two weeks before the end of the closing date. Please refer to our ‘Making a grant application’ page for further information.
Click on the ‘Apply Now’ button or go to https://australiacouncil.fluxx.io/. In the bottom right corner of that page, click on the ‘Create An Account’ button and fill out the registration form. Once submitted it can take up to two business days to receive your login credentials.
