About us
We spark investment in the arts by fostering giving and partnerships between the cultural sector, supporters and investors; and by equipping artists and arts organisations with the fundraising and development skills to succeed.
It takes a variety of tools and resources to bring art to life. While different creative pursuits have different requirements, all artists—regardless of their focus—need support, finance and guidance to prosper.
At Creative Partnerships Australia, we provide artists and arts organisations with the tools, skills and resources to flourish. From fundraising programs and opportunities for business partnerships, to practical campaigning tips and capacity building workshops.
Australia’s cultural sector is a thriving community of ideas and inspiration. And while we celebrate its diversity, we work to deliver on common, universal needs; the need to engage people, to source funding in an increasingly competitive sector, to remain sustainable, and to contribute to our national cultural identity.
Our ultimate goal is to grow a more vibrant and robust cultural sector with strong connections to supporters and investors, for the benefit of all Australians.
What we do
Like the cultural industries we support, our goals and services are diverse.
We strive to:
- Promote and spark investment in the arts, bringing supporters and investors, artists and arts organisations together for mutual benefit.
- Assist Australian artists and arts organisations to attract and maintain support from supporters and investors, to diversify their sources of revenue.
- Encourage and celebrate innovation and excellence in investing in, and partnering with, the arts.
How we do it
Collectively, we work towards a stronger Australian arts sector, through a multi-pronged approach driven by our organisational values: Leadership, Innovation, Collaboration and Openness.
Leadership
To guide artists and promote ambition within the arts sector, we offer coaching and mentoring services, training, tools and resources, and more.
We deliver professional development events around Australia. Our events provide the opportunity to network, and offer a valuable catalyst for connection between artists and various funding sources. Practically, the events teach fundraising skills and provide arts organisations with strategic insight into raising revenue through private giving.
We run more than 500 coaching and mentoring sessions across the country each year.
Find out about professional development
Innovation
Born from the merger of AbaF and Artsupport, we launched Australia’s first federally-funded matched funding program for the arts in 2014. Since then, we’ve developed a range of forward-thinking programs and platforms to support artists via inventive and diverse revenue streams.
Alongside the Australian Cultural Fund (ACF) —our fundraising platform for Australian artists and arts organisations that facilitates tax-deductible donations from the public—we continue to push the boundaries of investment in the arts.
In its first year online, The Australian Cultural Fund supported 118 individual artists and 149 arts organisations. Together, they generated 4,253 donations from 3,958 arts lovers, for a total of $1.9 million investment into arts and cultural projects. That’s 1 donation every 124 minutes over the course of a year.
In 2016, we granted more than $1.25 million to 30 arts organisations through our Plus1 funding program. This, in addition to more than $273,400 for 42 independent artists and groups through our MATCH funding program.
Collaboration
We host and support a wide range of events within the cultural sector, to both facilitate and champion the valuable connections between artists, arts organisations and arts supporters.
We present awards to leaders across art, philanthropy and business.
We present or support events for fundraising and development professionals, to enhance the connections between these communities.
Openness
Our support is open and accessible to artists and organisations of all sizes.
State Managers can offer tailored advice and consultation on a range of organisational and individual needs through our coaching and mentoring service.
Our expert team specialises in:
- Arts fundraising and philanthropy.
- Arts and business partnerships.
- Business development for the arts.
- Board governance and consultation.
State Managers can provide goals and strategies to increase revenue sourced from the private sector. They can help in developing and facilitating corporate sponsorships. And, they can outline imaginative and efficient ways to attract new money.
Enquire about coaching and mentoring
We look forward to sparking further investment in the arts for a more robust, sustainable and supported Australian cultural sector.
Creative Partnerships Australia is supported by the Australian Government through the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.
Additional links:
- Creative Partnerships Australia Corporate Plan 2021 -2024 (PDF)
- Creative Partnerships Annual Report 2019-2020 (PDF)
