Introduction

The Arts Organisations Program (AOP) provides funding to a diverse portfolio of small-to-medium organisations that contribute to a sustainable and thriving arts and cultural sector in South Australia.

AOP funding enables arts organisations to:

• deliver arts experiences for South Australians as audiences through performances, exhibitions, and publications
• commission and develop new work, in collaboration with artists and other organisations
• create jobs, employment and income for artists, creatives, other arts workers (e.g. technical, administrative) and allied areas
• offer career pathways and development opportunities for artists
• offer access to the arts and participation opportunities for South Australians, including targeted communities
• build national and international profile
• leverage income from other sources, e.g. earned revenue (including touring and export), development and philanthropic income, other government (e.g. Federal) funding.

Purpose and Goals of the AOP

Purpose

To support a thriving ecology for arts and culture, which empowers South Australia’s makers and creators, and enables arts and culture to enrich the lives of all South Australians.

Goals

The program contributes to an ecology that:

• enriches the lives of South Australians with arts and cultural experiences
• empowers our makers, creators and presenters
• champions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and culture
• amplifies the signature strengths that define the character of the arts in the state.

Organisations deliver the purpose and goals of the AOP through one or more of the following key focus areas:

• artistic development (creating and presenting artistic outcomes of the highest calibre with vision and imagination)
• sector development (industry-wide initiatives, arts advocacy and supporting artists’ careers)
• access to the arts for the broader South Australian community (opportunities for audiences, community engagement and participation)
• national and international leadership and profile.

2025 Program overview

AOP funding is designed to support organisations at different stages of their development by offering three funding categories.

Program Support (Up to $50 000 per annum)

Provides the capacity for smaller project funded organisations to realise their artistic ambitions.

No new applicants will be invited in 2024 to apply for Program Support in 2025. Organisations already in receipt of Program Support may apply.

Annual Funding (Up to $100 000 per annum)

Supports established small arts organisations that make up the South Australian arts ecology.

Applications for 2025 will be accepted from organisations already in receipt of AOP Annual Funding and organisations who have received Program Support for at least two years.

Multi-Year Funding ($70 000 to $400 000 per annum)

Not open for 2025.

Information about the program for 2025, including eligibility, assessment criteria, application requirements and reporting requirements, can be found in the Arts Organisations Program 2025 Guidelines.(PDF)

Arts Organisations Program 2023-2026 Guidelines (PDF, 884.2 KB).

Key program dates

For further information please email us

CreateSAGrants@sa.gov.au

Recipients

Multi-year funding 2023-2026

• Access2Arts
• ActNow Theatre
• Adelaide Contemporary Experimental
• Adelaide Chamber Singers
• Ananguku Arts and Cultural Aboriginal Corporation
• Artlink
• Australian Network for Art & Technology
• Australian String Quartet
• Brink Productions
• Chamber Music Adelaide
• Feast Queer Arts & Cultural Festival
• Guildhouse
• Nexus Arts
• No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability
• Open Space Contemporary Arts
• Restless Dance Theatre
• SALA Festival
• Slingsby Theatre
• The Mill
• Tutti Arts
• Vitalstatistix
• Writers SA

Annual funding 2023

• Gravity & Other Myths

Program support 2023

• COMA
• FELTspace
• Lewis Major Projects
• Soundstream
• Theatre Republic