Briggs, FOREVR, Alex Cameron & More Share In Nearly $6 Million In Aus Council Grants

Acclaimed rapper and activist Briggs, emergent outfit FOREVR, Seekae frontman Alex Cameron and a slew of other talented Australian musicians have been named as recipients in the latest round of Australia Council funding offers.

The creative-industries body has revealed the full list of successful artist and organisation applicants — from a total of nearly 1200 — picking up a share in $5.7 million worth of grants across 177 projects, with Briggs securing $20,500 under the Arts Projects For Individuals & Groups (Music) category to work on new pursuits. Under the same category, FOREVR, who were forced to pull out of their scheduled performance at BIGSOUND last week for personal reasons, nabbed $18,470, while Cameron walked away with $22,023.

Also of note in the music-based Individuals & Groups cabal is C.W. Stoneking, the happy recipient of $30,450; Julia Jacklin, picking up $24,261 ahead of her just-announced Aussie tour; Mere Women, who were granted $10,440; The Jezabels, who grab $32,090; industry veteran Deb Suckling, taking out $47,150; The Necks, who've been allocated $17,876; and veteran troubadour Shane Nicholson, who successfully pitched for $17,082 in funding, among other recipients.

Per head, arguably the biggest winner is jazz saxophonist Sandy Evans, who has been granted a whopping $80,000 under the Australia Council's annual Fellowships program, though several organisations will be smiling too — APRA has been granted $100,000 (in addition to the $1.2 million over four years promised back in May), while Brisbane Multicultural Arts Centre Inc is not far behind, at $99,275.

Also receiving grant money are the Gondwana Choirs ($33,928), Canberra International Music Festival (aka Pro Musica Inc, $61,000), Skinnyfish Music ($23,450), SIMA (aka Sydney Improvised Music Association Inc, $50,000), the West Australian Music Industry Association ($27,200), The Arts Centre (aka Victorian Arts Centre Trust, $34,986) and the Wangaratta Festival Of Jazz ($60,000).

The Australia Council grants go beyond the realm of music to include a broad range of creative industries, with additional Fellowships being granted to Lisa Maza (Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Arts), Rebecca Reid (Community Arts & Cultural Development), Brooke Stamp (Dance), Sarah Jane Pell (Emerging & Experimental Arts), Julisa Leigh (Literature), Katerina Kokkinos-Kennedy (Theatre) and Danie Mellor (Visual Arts) for a total of $640,000 in funding.

In addition to a further $343,772 in funding from Visual Arts & Craft Strategy (VACS) individual grants and $929,928 via Playing Australia's national regional touring initiative, Australia Council has helped bring $7.6 million in funding across the board in this round of grants.

"I continue to be inspired by the diversity and depth of artistic quality and cultural ambition across the applications which reflects the strength and vibrancy of the arts across all of Australia”, Australia Council chief executive Tony Grybowski said in a statement. "Of successful applicants to arts projects, 30% nominated audience engagement and access to and participation in the arts as their key project outcomes. The Australia Council is committed to supporting opportunities for Australians to access and participate in the arts as consumers or creators."

"Positive trends continue with the increased number of new applicants to the Australia Council grants model, and of those, an increased number of new successful applicants," he continued. "The new grants model was designed to be more accessible and flexible in response to feedback from the sector. These results continue to build on previous grant rounds."

The latest round of grant recipients join February winners such as Holy Holy, DZ Deathrays, Northeast Party House, Gang Of Youths, Polish Club and more. February's grants saw $10.7 million in funding be disseminated across 404 projects.

Applications for the next grants round are open now, closing on Tuesday 4 October. See the Australia Council's website for more information.