Creativity unleashed with $7 million funding for hundreds of arts projects across NSW

More than $7 million from the 2024/25 Arts and Cultural Funding Program (ACFP) Round 1 Project Funding will be delivered to 193 projects, and will directly support 2,061 artists, creatives and cultural workers across NSW. 

Across the four project categories, the round is supporting:

• 20 First Nations art and cultural projects
• 73 new creative works
• 41 professional development opportunities
• 59 cultural access projects that connect with priority areas and target populations. 

As part of the wide-ranging arts and cultural funding reforms, the new project funding programs were designed to be simpler and more equitable, particularly for under-represented communities or small projects.

The introduction of two new artform boards – Community Arts and Cultural Development and Digital, Experimental, Immersive, and Light Art – recognised the role of NSW artists and organisations in leading the way in ground-breaking and community-driven art. More than a quarter of all applications were for these two new artform categories. 

_{^{Image: Ghana Road Show,  presented at New Beginnings Festival. Photography by Davish Ravi}}

2024/25 Arts and Cultural Funding Program Project Funding Round 1 snapshot:

Create NSW Director Arts, Karen Rodgers said:  

“The reforms to the Arts and Cultural Funding Program have delivered funding to support more than 2,000 artists across diverse creative communities and artforms.

“Yet, the power of these projects is much greater than the sum of their parts. Almost 200 arts and cultural projects will have significant impact: from bringing about powerful truth telling, inspiring creativity, community connection through shared experiences, and to the intangible way the arts moves us like nothing else can.

“This investment will inject vibrancy and inspire communities across the state for years to come, to help put culture at the heart of NSW.”  

Ghana Road Show artist, Sydney-based dancer and choreographer, Lucky Lartey said:

"Ghana Road Show (GRS) offers a vibrant, joy-filled experience that celebrates West African arts and culture through the work of African creatives. With this project grant, we’re excited to reimagine the work for theatre settings, expanding its reach beyond street parades and outdoor festivals. This evolution deepens black artistic agency while fostering meaningful cultural exchange and dialogue across diverse audiences in NSW and beyond.”

Arts and Cultural Funding Program 2024-25 Round 1 Project Funding – Highlights

• The inaugural Creative Nations program will support the Coota Girls Aboriginal Corporation’s 2025 tour of the award-winning Secrets of Dawn exhibition – a powerful Stolen Generations truth-telling and healing experience.
• The new Cultural Access program will support Warraan Widji Arts - Warren Performing Arts and Language Place with a community project to preserve Wayilwan cultural heritage through stories shared by Elders and performed by local youth, ensuring storylines are strengthened through future generations.
• Western Sydney-based Dancekool Volumes - Rhythm and Roots will inspire the next generation of street dance artists to embrace and celebrate their cultural roots, culminating in a new theatre show and epic dance battle.
• One of the Creative Steps projects is the vibrant street festival hit, The Ghana Road Show, which is being supported to expand into a full-length performance work bringing electrifying African culture with circus, music, drumming and movement to major festival audiences.
• Through the new Next Steps - Professional Development program, Andrea Lim, a producer, interdisciplinary artist and violinist will be supported to undertake three professional development opportunities – Titanik Galleria Residency (Finland), Summer Course (Amsterdam) and KulturFactory Residency (Italy) – where she will develop her experimental sound-making and interdisciplinary performance practice. 

Find more information about the recipients and the impact: create.nsw.gov.au