by Abhi Parasher
“The ACF was established by the Australian Government in 2003, as a way to encourage donations to the arts,” says Tracy Woolacott, a manager at the ACF. Twenty years on, we continue to do this by creating a space where individuals, trusts and foundations can give to the artists they love and receive a tax receipt in return – a win-win situation!”
Developing a project requires a lot on the part of the artist and their team. A not insignificant ingredient is the financial aspect.
“If you’re an artist or part of an arts organisation that wants to raise funds for an upcoming project, you should consider registering!” says Woolacott [left]. “Through our DGR1 status, which allows us to issue tax receipts, we are also able to receive grants and awards on behalf of artists who may not have this status.”
The Australian Cultural Fund aims to reach as many people as possible. “We cast a pretty broad net here at the ACF, so it really boils down to ‘are you an Australian artist or organisation looking to enrich our local arts culture?
“If yes, then you’re most likely eligible. Late 2021 saw our criteria open up even further, with the exciting change to be able to support for-profit entities. This was a bit of a game changer for film in particular, as this opened up the platform for film and production companies to receive donations.”
There are plenty of crowdfunding options to choose from these days. Woolacott mentions that recent changes regarding fees has allowed the Australian Cultural Fund to stand out amongst their competitors.
“Recognising the hardship of the arts and cultural sector over the past couple of years and wanting to do our bit for the community, we recently remodelled the ACF to remove all fees. This means that we are a completely free service with 100% of funds going directly to artists.
“Remarkably, this change saw annual donations via the fund double last financial year, a reminder of how small changes can really make ripples!”
Furthermore, unlike some platforms, the ACF is a ‘keep what your raise’ platform, meaning that “if a campaign falls short of its target, or exceeds this, the artist gets to keep everything that was donated.”
Having been around since 2003, the ACF has always maintained its goal to ‘foster giving to the arts’, something they don’t see changing anytime soon. However, as Tracy explains, how the ACF will go about achieving this goal will change in accordance with the ever-changing world.
“We want to keep evolving to support philanthropy in its changing forms, so we are always looking to shake up what we do. Recently, we launched our Amplify service in response to the hurdles that PAFs and foundations are facing when wanting to give to individual artists and smaller organisations without DGR status. Through Amplify, we become the middleman and can receive funds from organisations to distribute to artists, all whilst offering the option for a more sustainable multi-year distribution model. So, rather than giving an artist a bulk sum, we can hold the funds and split these over a number of financial years.
“Looking back on 2022, we were so excited to see that our most popular category on the ACF was Screen & Photography. After a couple of tumultuous years, it was promising to see over 130 film projects receive funding through the ACF. With a sense of normalcy returning to the arts sector in this post-pandemic landscape, we honestly can’t wait to see what projects and funding opportunities 2023 brings!”
