20 December 2013

New arts leadership grants now available

The Australia Council for the Arts is offering two significant new leadership development opportunities for arts professionals in Australia.
Australia Council Director Arts Organisations Terese Casu said she was pleased to announce applications were now open for two new programs the Artistic Leadership Grant and the Executive Leadership Grant. The Australia Council is responding to the need for enhanced leadership training for arts leaders by establishing the Capacity Development Program to develop these skills through scholarships, partnerships with other organisations and mentoring, Ms Casu said. The Artistic Leadership and the Executive Leadership grants aim to enhance the careers of emerging and senior arts leaders and managers by supporting their professional development. Applicants will be able to develop their own innovative national or international program to build leadership capacity, knowledge and global awareness. The Artistic Leadership Grant provides up to $20,000 for individual applicants or group leaders to explore new approaches to artistic creation through technology, artform innovations and community engagement. Those who would benefit include artistic directors, creative producers, cultural leaders, choreographers, curators and highly regarded and influential emerging leaders who have the capacity to bring about change. The Executive Leadership Grant provides up to $20,000 for individual applicants to investigate new leadership structures and governance models and to increase the capabilities in their organisation. Applicants are encouraged to explore current leadership challenges and seek out opportunities which provide flexible and creative models to address future change within the sector. This includes topics such as governance, sustainable operating models and knowledge building. Applications for both programs close on Monday, 24 February and successful applicants will be advised in April. Ms Casu said these grants build on the recently created Arts Legacy Program and the successful Emerging Leaders Development Program. Applications for these grants have now closed and an announcement on those successful will be made in January. To apply for the Artistic Leadership Program, go to www.australiacouncil.gov.au/grants/2014/Artistic-LeadershipGrants/ To apply for the Executive Leadership Program, go to www.australiacouncil.gov.au/grants/2014/ExecutiveLeadership-Grants/ For more information on the Australia Councils Capacity Development Program, contact Ricardo Peach at r.peach@australiacouncil.gov.au

Media contact Karen Smith 02 9215 9030 | 0498 123 541 k.smith@australiacouncil.gov.au

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The Australia Council for the Arts is the Australian Governments arts funding and advisory body