The Australia Council for the Arts today announced it would commit more than $3 million to 49 community-based arts projects and programs over the next 12 months.

The funding is for a diverse range of community arts activities – collaborations with professional artists – among regional, disability, multicultural and youth communities across Australia.

Today’s announcement is the outcome of a recent review of grant applications by the Australia Council’s newly formed Community Cultural Development (CCD) Assessment Committee.

Tim O’Loughlin, Assessment Committee and Community Partnerships Committee Chair, said: ‘The review highlighted the breadth of community activity being undertaken across the country, demonstrating an active, vibrant and diverse range of artists, communities and organisations.’

‘The committee was particularly impressed with the originality and diversity of the proposed activities which included a range of collaborative projects,’ Mr O’Loughlin said.

Some of the projects to receive Australia Council funding are:

• InCite Youth Arts ($49,000) will conduct a mentoring program engaging professional community artists to work with Indigenous youth in remote locations in the Northern Territory
• Kickstart Arts ($50,755) will deliver five community-based cultural projects with regional Tasmanian communities, targeting at-risk and refugee youth through creative workshops and mentoring programs
• Tutti Ensemble ($9000) will produce a documentary film Northern Lights, a unique collaboration between an Australian disability arts company and a partner disability organisation overseas
• Lao Community Advancement ($15,000) will conduct an anthology of Lao writing, exploring the diversity of experiences and stories across generations, gender, ethnic and religious groups.

The Community Cultural Development Grants Program, which is open to individuals, groups and organisations, will be offered again in 2006. Details on how to apply are in the 2006 Australia Council Support for the Arts Handbook. To obtain a copy, email cp@ozco.gov.au or call 1800 226 912 or (02) 9215 9116.

‘The committee would like to encourage applicants in all categories in 2006 to apply with confidence, acknowledging the vast potential of arts activity to deliver important benefits to Australian communities,’ Mr O’Loughlin said.