First Nations artists and communities supported to create powerful arts and cultural projects

This round of Creative Nations funding will support eight First Nations-led projects, sharing in a total investment of $566,981 and engaging more than 100 artists and arts workers.  

These important arts and cultural projects, delivered by individuals and organisations, will empower First Nations artists and communities to connect, share truth-telling stories and pass cultural knowledge to younger generations.  

First Nations artists and organisations from regional NSW were well represented in this round. Six of the eight successful projects (75%) are from the regions, sharing in more than 80 per cent of the total investment ($454,891).    

From survivor-led truth-telling exhibitions, digital mapping and cultural knowledge sharing to activating culturally-safe spaces for storytelling, learning, and connection, these new creative initiatives will deliver significant impact for First Nations communities across NSW through cultural, social and employment outcomes.  

One of the funded projects is Creative Futures – Shaping the Next 50 Years of First Nations Dance, delivered by NAISDA in partnership with BlakDance and Carriageworks, as part of NAISDA’s 50th anniversary. This First Nations–led initiative brings together national and international choreographers, cultural leaders and dancers through residencies, performance, research and a symposium-in-action. By embedding dialogue within embodied practice and the artform itself, the project will test, share and document culturally grounded frameworks that support ethical collaboration, cultural authority and sustainable futures for Contemporary Indigenous Dance.  

The eight funded projects are:  

• Blak Circle Community Collective  
• ‘Creative Futures: Shaping the Next 50 Years of First Nations Dance’ celebrating 50 years for NAISDA – NAISDA Dance College  
• Darky Deaves Art  
• Dharawal artefact-making workshops for intergenerational knowledge transfer - Gujaga Foundation Ltd  
• Marella: Voices from the Hidden Institution  
• 'Telling our Stories' Freedom Ride Memorial Project  
• Wilgabah Cultural Site: Cultural Mapping Pilot Program  
• Yaala Leadership Program  

All applications were independently assessed and recommended against published criteria by the First Nations Arts and Culture Artform Board.  

Create NSW’s next round of ACFP Project Funding will open in April 2026. For more information, visit create.nsw.gov.au  

Create NSW Executive Director, Kerri Glasscock said:  

“The Creative Nations program is a clear testament to our Creative Communities policy commitment of First Nations First and putting culture at the heart of NSW. The First Nations artists and communities supported to deliver these powerful projects will celebrate the world’s oldest continuous storytellers and reveal the power of arts and cultural expression to strengthen communities.”  

Dr Bronwyn Bancroft AM, Chair of First Nations Arts and Culture Artform Board said:

“The Creative Nations program delivered by Create NSW and the assessment panel of First Nations representatives for Arts and Culture highlights a flourishing series of projects by amazing Aboriginal creators across many regions in NSW. I am excited to witness the ripple effect for individuals and communities in NSW.”  

Kim Walker AM, NAISDA CEO said:  

“Creative Futures reflects what NAISDA stands for at fifty; future-focused, collaborative, and guided by cultural authority and protocols. It places NAISDA at the centre of a national conversation about the future of First Nations contemporary dance: how it is created, supported and shared with integrity. This project comes at a pivotal moment, as demand for First Nations dance continues to grow nationally and internationally, while the frameworks guiding ethical collaboration are still evolving. By taking these questions out of theory and into the artform itself, Creative Futures invites artists, organisations, companies and audiences to learn together through practice, shaping sustainable pathways for the next fifty years of Contemporary Indigenous Dance.”