A range of independent artists of the New England North West are set to benefit with the announcement of Arts North West’s second round of Quick Response Micro Grants, but applicants will need to get their submissions in fast.
Arts North West has identified opportunities for expenditure that falls outside its annual budget. This allows for multiple small grants of up to $1000 for creative practitioners, community groups and arts organisations working in all art forms.
The first round of micro grants was announced in April, 2020 and saw a range of artists and arts projects boosted during the COVID-19 pandemic, including musicians, textile artists, visual artists, performing artists and more.
“We were thrilled to see the vast scope of the work undertaken at this challenging time,” Arts North West Executive Director Caroline Downer
“The artists of our region have been getting very busy during the pandemic, and its been great to see their stories filtering through the local media as their projects come together.”
According to Ms Downer, applicants don’t require an outcome-based application.
“Arts North West is keen to support creatives to develop new approaches to their work, or experiment with innovative ways of delivering work to audiences they might not normally have the time or opportunity to access,’ she said.
“Some of the successful first-round applicants worked with new software, or took on a medium they were unfamiliar with, and the extra time afforded by the closure of businesses and public places allowed for plenty of experimentation.
“It’s wonderful to be able to extend this opportunity, now that it appears the pandemic will continue to impact many cultural venues throughout our region. We’re hoping these micro grants will go on assisting the artists that are an integral part of the New England North West.”
Designed to support the continuation of locally-determined community arts and cultural practice in uncertain times, this funding aims to be as flexible as possible. Projects can be outcome-focused or be designed around skills development or capacity-building.
There is a very quick turnaround for applying these micro grants, with applications open now and closing on 7 September 2020. Successful applicants will be notified on 18 September 2020. Previous unsuccessful applicants are encouraged to reapply.
To apply to the Arts North West Micro Grants Round 2, visit the Arts North West website www.artsnw.com.au or contact the Arts North West office for more information (02) 6732 4988.