APRA AMCOS has announced the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander round of its Sustainability Fund, with a funding pool of $100,000 made available to assist Indigenous songwriters and composers.
50 one-off grants of $2,000 are designed to help sustain career development in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In a press statement released today (July 3), Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, Paul Fletcher said, “The Australian Government is providing $100,000 of funding under the Indigenous Contemporary Music program to the APRA AMCOS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music Office.
“The funding will support talented Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music creators across the country, from our cities to regional and remote communities, with cash grants to help them manage the challenges of COVID-19.”
Mr Fletcher continued to encourage interested musicians to contact APRA AMCOS to find out how they can apply to receive this vital support.
Applications for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music Office’s Sustainability Fund open today with submissions due by July 20.
In a Youtube video announcing the Aboriginal arm of the fund, National Manager of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music Office, Leah Flanagan, said, “Financial stress impedes music creators from doing what they do best.
“The $2,000 might be used for purchasing studio equipment or finishing an album or EP; it might also help to pay household bills or recoup lost touring income.”
The Sustainability Fund was launched on May 15, an initiative that aims to “provide direct financial support to songwriter and composer members in the creation of new music” in direct response to the coronavirus pandemic. It allows any artist worldwide at any stage of a music career, within any genre of music, to apply for a $2,000 grant, intended to fund anything that helps them sustain career development.
The initial funding pool of $300,000 is drawn from APRA Board’s decision to reduce their Director’s fees.
Over 2,000 songwriters and composers have applied for the fund, with 225 successful applicants receiving a $2,000 grant at the end of the 2020 financial year. A list of first-round recipients can be found here.
Read more about the Sustainability Fund, and apply for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music Office’s round here.