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Community arts and cultural development

Supporting Australian community arts and cultural development and fostering creative connections.

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Bringing communities together through creativity 

Community arts and cultural development is a community-based arts practice and can engage any art form. There are many variations of how community arts and cultural development works are made, developed and shared – there is no one model. However, what is at the core of this practice is the collaboration between professional artists and communities to create art. 

Creative Australia focuses its support for community arts and cultural development practice through a number of community priority areas. These include regional Australia, disability, young people, cultural diversity, emerging communities and First Nations peoples and remote communities. 

Guiding principles

Our investment decisions, priorities, projects, policies and programs are informed and driven by these guiding principles. 

The activity is by, with, and for the communities

Activities are of artistic excellence and the communities are directly involved in their purpose, design, and evaluation. 

This involves working within each community in ways that are meaningful and relevant. The collaborations that underpin the activity are inclusive, respectful and able to demonstrate that they are based on the needs and aspirations of all stakeholders. 

The management of a project should demonstrate a blend of effective leadership and decision-making that engages the community at all stages of the process. 

The proposal should be able to clearly set out how the activities will increase the capacity and skills of the communities and how this will lead to the communities being able to continue their artistic and cultural development after the completion of the project. 

The artists are highly skilled

Artists, creative workers and producers should be able to demonstrate their excellence in artistic and cultural development practice. They need to be able to clearly explain the collaboration processes that will achieve excellence in the artistic expression of the communities’ vision. 

Project leaders should be actively engaged in partner-building and be able to effectively manage, sustain and leverage partners for strategic and mutual advantage. 

Activities reflect the energy and qualities of the community

Proposals which capture the unique dynamic and energy of a community will be able to reflect a freshness of vision and design. 

Activities should embrace the strong emotional and aesthetic elements of each community and strive to assert the role of arts and creativity in contributing to the community’s vibrancy and wellbeing. 

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A woman stands, speaking in the middle of a circle of primary school students sitting in plastic blue chairs in a circle. They are in a large room, that has a floor to ceiling nature painting behind them.
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Red Room Poetry

Assessment panels

Our assessment panels include artists and creative workers who understand the creative process. Their involvement ensures Creative Australia’s funding decisions remain at arm’s length.

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Application process

Creative Australia encourages applications from practising artists, arts workers and organisations. Find out more about our application process.

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Applications FAQ

Frequently asked questions about how to apply for grants and opportunities and how our application processes work.

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How we assess applications

Find out more about our assessment methods and how we use peer assessment, industry advice and staff assessment.

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Contact us 

Zohar Spatz, Head of Community Arts and Cultural Development and Experimental and Emerging Arts 

For help with your application, please contact Creative Australia

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We acknowledge the many Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and honour their Elders past and present.

We respect their deep enduring connection to their lands, waterways and surrounding clan groups since time immemorial. We cherish the richness of First Nations Peoples’ artistic and cultural expressions.

We are privileged to gather on this Country and through this website to share knowledge, culture and art now, and with future generations.

First Nations Peoples should be aware that this website may contain images or names of people who have died.

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We acknowledge the many Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and honour their Elders past and present.

We respect their deep enduring connection to their lands, waterways, and surrounding clan groups since time immemorial. We cherish the richness of First Nations peoples’ artistic and cultural expressions. We are privileged to gather on this Country and to share knowledge, culture and art, now and with future generations.

Art by Jordan Lovegrove