Giving Artists a ‘Boost’: The Success of Matched Funding in Arts Fundraising

The ever-evolving landscape of arts fundraising can be challenging to navigate, resulting in a number of strategies being developed. One strategy that we know contributes to fundraising success is matched funding programs, where an artist or arts organisation engages a donor or organisation to match donations made to a campaign up to a certain amount. At Creative Australia, we run several matched funding initiatives that only increase in popularity and impact each year.

The Australian Cultural Fund (ACF), Creative Australia’s online fundraising platform, provides independent artists and small arts organisations both a platform to fundraise and the opportunity to capitalise on matched funding via ACF Boost.

Returning in 2025 with a new cohort, ACF Boost is an exciting initiative and opportunity for artists and donors alike, with a little going a long way in the independent arts sector.

ACF Boost: Lighting the match

Launched in 2020, ACF Boost is a matched funding initiative designed specifically for independent artists and small arts organisations. This program allows participants to leverage private sector support raised through their ACF fundraising campaigns with a small, matched funding ‘boost’ from Creative Australia. The primary aim is to provide a financial stimulus for artists who are looking to fundraise for a project or initiative, encouraging greater engagement with the philanthropic sector and building fundraising capability.

ACF Boost offers matched micro-grants of up to $5,000. The matched funding is designed to amplify the impact of private donations, effectively doubling the amount of financial support participants receive. This simple yet powerful mechanism serves as an incentive for both artists and donors by creating urgency, community and enhanced impact.

Scaffolding Success

For many artists, the concept of fundraising can be intimidating. A survey sent to ACF Boost alumni identified a number of barriers they had to overcome to succeed in their fundraising, including the economic climate, lack of knowledge around donor stewardship and the discomfort of asking for money. As one ACF Boost participant reflected, “Asking for money did not come easy.”

While the matched funding aspect of ACF Boost is perhaps the primary incentive for participants, the scaffolding to overcome these barriers, provided as part of the program, has proven to be just as valuable.

Participants have one-on-one support from the ACF Team, in addition to the free fundraising coaching service and professional development opportunities offered by a localised State Manager Development & Partnerships at Creative Australia, who work with artists and arts organisations to equip them with the necessary tools, knowledge and opportunities to improve fundraising capability. A specific webinar for ACF Boost is also included in the program, which provides the platform for tailored knowledge and cohort learning.

ACF Boost: 2024 Cohort

After a brief hiatus, the program returned in 2024 bigger and better than before, with the cohort raising just under half a million dollars to fund 86 artistic projects. The impact of this initiative has been far-reaching, benefiting artists from a variety of disciplines across the country. Some projects that found great success included:

• ‘Everywhere’ – Film Documentary (WA) ($14,825 raised), a documentary produced by a crew of young people living with a disability, profiling the World Transplant Games
• Mackay Chamber Music Festival 2024 (QLD) ($12,550 raised), the 6th annual festival bringing a series of performances, masterclasses and events to rural Queensland
• Rose Scott Women Writers’ Festival 2025 (NSW) ($12,275 raised), Australia’s only literary festival run, owned and operated by women for women writers.

After completing their fundraising campaigns between the start of April and end of June, 85% of ACF Boost participants reached their target fundraising amount; many of whom were new to the platform and philanthropic fundraising – marking a fantastic result.

Looking to the future, a post program survey found that 94% of respondents were extremely likely to undertake further fundraising on the ACF as a result of their participation in ACF Boost. Encouragingly, 88% of respondents reported that their fundraising confidence had significantly increased because of their participation in the program.

Amplifying Impact

ACF Boost has not only benefited the participants but also the broader philanthropic community. One of the most unique aspects of ACF Boost is that the pool of matched funds is drawn directly from the interest earned through annual funds in the ACF.

This means that when donors or foundations give via the ACF, the impact of their generosity extends not only to their donation, but creates additional funds to be distributed to the sector via ACF Boost.

Jayne Lovelock, who oversees the ACF as part of her broader role as Director, Private Partnerships and Impact, Creative Australia, says: “Over $60 million has been raised by the ACF since it launched in 2003. And, I should say, five years ago we were raising about $3 million a year; that figure has actually increased. Last year it was $11 million that artists fundraised through the Australian Cultural Fund, which was a record for us, and that continues to grow.”

This recent growth is due, in part, to the introduction of Amplify, the ACF’s capacity building service for Australia’s Private Ancillary Fund (PAF) sector. Through Amplify, PAFs are able to engage in more flexible and ambitious arts philanthropy while strictly adhering to distribution rules and requirements.

This service has allowed for over $5 million to be distributed annually from PAFs to artists and arts organisations via the ACF. The reinvestment of the interest earned on these funds into the independent arts sector allows for further impact and incentivises PAFs and foundations to engage in arts philanthropy through the ACF.

Conclusion: A Bright Future for Arts Fundraising

ACF Boost has proven to be an invaluable resource for artists and small arts organisations across Australia. By offering matched funding, the program has helped to unlock new funding opportunities, engage donors, and empower artists to raise the necessary funds to bring their projects to life.

The success of ACF Boost is a testament to the power of innovative fundraising models that combine public and private sector support.

With the 2025 cohort starting to fundraise in just a few weeks, it is an exciting time for the independent arts sector and for donors looking to make an impact. A further announcement of the cohort will be made in early February, so please sign up to the ACF eNews for updates on how you can encourage and support your sector colleagues via ACF Boost.

Tracy Woolacott, Australian Cultural Fund Manager, Development and Partnerships