Australia Council’s Investment in Young Artists
The Australia Council is the Australian Government's principal arts funding body. In its Corporate Plan 2017-2021, the Australia Council outlines its goal for the arts to enrich daily life for all Australians. This includes supporting ‘a new generation’ of young people to participate and experience arts and culture. Through investment in young artists, the Australia Council will:
- Strengthen artistic experiences by, with and for children and young people
- Continue to award more than 30 per cent of funding allocated through our grant programs to projects with, by and for young people
- Assist Australia’s Major Performing Arts companies to deliver programs for young people
- Include young people and those with youth arts experience in its pool of peer assessors.
Between 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2017, the Australia Council invested over A$500,000 in grants directly to artists, arts workers and cultural professionals aged 24 and under. In addition, almost A$15 million of funding was invested in organisations, groups and individuals to undertake arts and cultural activities providing opportunities for children and young people to engage in the arts, including as creators and active participants.
The Australia Council’s investment in young artists enables the next generation of artists to emerge. Council’s investment in young artists meets its strategic goal of strengthening the capacity of artists to make excellent work at all stages of their career, including early career; fostering experimentation and risk-taking across art forms, including in emerging and experimental practice, and fuelling diverse practice from artists of many backgrounds. Council’s investment in programs aimed at children and young people, including as creators and active participants in the arts, will ensure all Australians are able to experience the arts.
The relevant key performance indicator states a minimum of 30 per cent of Australia Council funding is directed to projects with, by and for young people (approximately A$15.5 million over three years).
The performance of the Australia Council in achieving its strategic goals is reported in the organisation’s annual report.