Arts and community grants open

Moreton Bay Region community groups and budding artists can now apply for their share of funding under seven new grant categories.

Council’s bi-annual community grants and the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) grants launched on February 1, providing funding from $2000 to $20,000 per applicant.

Mayor Peter Flannery says this round of grants is the latest in a range of funding opportunities available for local organisations.

“This assistance is more important than ever, with the community and arts sectors some of the hardest hit by forced COVID closures and an inability for many to claim job keeper assistance,” Mayor Flannery says.

“Council has proudly given more than $720,000 worth of grants to community groups this financial year alone and we’re not slowing down anytime soon.

“Whether it’s a local charity organisation, sports clubs or special interest group, these groups are the heart and soul of our region and they’re what makes Moreton Bay such a great place to live.

“That’s why it’s so important we continue to support them — investing in our local community and cultural groups is investing in our lifestyle.”

Community grants: how it works

The bi-annual community grants provide funding for community groups under two categories:

• Up to $10,000 available for community activities, events and projects.
• Up to $20,000 for planning, construction and improvement projects for facilities.
• Up to $2000 for developing creative skills
• Up to $5000 for creative tourism which supports projects and activities that reflect the cultural vitality of the region
• Up to $5000 to collect, preserve and share local stories and collections
• Up to $5000 for creative concept development
• Up to $15,000 in an interest free arts loan to support delivery of income-producing arts and cultural events

Arts funding: how it works

The Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) grants provides funding to individuals and community organisations for projects that promote and develop arts, culture and heritage in the region.

RADF is a partnership between the State Government and Moreton Bay Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland. Five RADF grants categories are now open:

Key to recovery

State Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch says the long-standing RADF program will help to boost Queensland’s plan for economic recovery, supporting artists and arts workers with employment opportunities through $4.2 million in funding for regional cultural projects.

“The Palaszczuk Government is investing $2.08 million in RADF for 2020-21 and an additional $2.13 million will be contributed by 59 councils across Queensland,” Minister Enoch says.

“Each year RADF showcases the extraordinary innovation of the arts and cultural sector in regional communities, delivers rich arts experiences and provides important professional opportunities for artists and arts workers.

“RADF will continue to be a cornerstone of the Government’s support for arts and cultural experiences in regional communities state-wide, as we implement Creative Together 2020-2030: A 10-year Roadmap for arts, culture and creativity in Queensland.”

Mayor Flannery says organisations have until March 10 to get their applications in for these grants.

“We know our local community groups are busy doing what they love, which is why we’ve made our grants process online and as easy as possible with plenty of support available from our grants team,” he says.

“In fact, Council already has a number of grants open for applications, including Local Community Support Grants and our 2021 Harmony Week grants, so I encourage all our local groups to visit our website today and get started on your applications.”

Find out more about Council’s grants and apply online via Council’s website 

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