Thursday, 5 September 2019

Visionaries in Eastern Victoria can establish or enhance local creative spaces under the Andrews Labor Government’s new Regional Coworking Spaces and Creative Places program.

Member for Eastern Victoria, Harriet Shing opened expressions of interests for grants of up to $75,000 for projects that will foster the development of new creative spaces and help existing spaces run programs and activities to connect with the community.

The program, which will run as a pilot in 2019, is the first Creative Victoria program to support infrastructure costs as well as projects and partnerships that will bring creative spaces like coworking hubs, artist studios, rehearsal spaces and more to life.

Supported projects could include a feasibility study or fit-out costs to transform a vacant building into an artist’s studio, buying equipment for an existing space, putting seed funding into a program for local creatives or a project make a creative space more accessible to the community.

A simple expressions of interest process is now online and individuals, organisations and collectives, including social enterprises, not-for-profit organisations and councils in Eastern Victoria are invited to apply.

Regional Coworking Spaces and Creative Places is an initiative of Creative State 2016-2020, the Labor Government’s strategy to grow the creative industries and the impact creativity makes on communities large and small.

Applications for Regional Coworking Spaces and Creative Places close on 9 October 2019. For full program guidelines, visit creative.vic.gov.au

Quotes attributable to Parliamentary Secretary for Creative Industries and Member for Eastern Victoria, Harriet Shing

“This program backs regional Victoria to play a growing role in the creative life of the State – I encourage our boldest thinkers, innovators and creative risk-takers in Eastern Victoria to embrace this exciting opportunity.”

“Supported by the Andrews Labor Government, this is a chance to bring new programs into an existing creative space or to transform a disused or underutilised space into a vibrant hub in Eastern Victoria.”