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The following is issued on behalf of the Advisory Committee on Arts Development:
The Advisory Committee on Arts Development (ACAD) today (November 1) launched the second-round funding exercise of the Arts Capacity Development Funding Scheme (ACDFS). The ACDFS seeks to provide funding support for innovative and impactful proposals that contribute to the objectives of capacity development of arts practitioners and arts groups, programme/contents development, audience building and arts education.
In the second-round funding exercise, applicants are encouraged to put forth proposals which will contribute to capacity development of a wider scope, such as proposals aiming to enhance multifaceted capacities (including creativity, human resources and organisational capabilities) and to develop the capacity of specific art form(s) and/or the arts sector as a whole in addition to capacity building of the arts groups themselves. While the target beneficiaries of the ACDFS are established arts practitioners/arts groups, the ACAD also welcomes proposals which encompass training opportunities/elements to nurture young artists and/or arts administrators.
The second-round funding exercise of the ACDFS is open for application for two months from November 1, 2012, to January 2, 2013 (up to 6pm). The Guide to Application and relevant materials have been uploaded to the website of the Home Affairs Bureau, www.hab.gov.hk. Application workshops will be organised by the ACAD and details will be announced on the website of the Home Affairs Bureau. The ACAD envisages that the application results will be released around May 2013.
The ACDFS will disburse an annual provision of approximately $30 million in the form of Springboard Grants and Project Grants.
Springboard Grants are matching grants that support arts groups in their overall development, elevating them to a higher level of professional operation. The minimum pledged income or sponsorship of arts groups is $1 million, of which not less than $250,000 has to come from non-government sponsorship and/or private donation. A 200 per cent matching grant up to a maximum amount of $3 million may be provided and the funding period may last for a maximum of two years. Existing Springboard grantees with proven performance may apply for a consecutive Springboard Grant up to a maximum amount of $4.5 million in a maximum funding period of three years. The minimum pledged sponsorship or income of arts groups in such cases is $1.5 million, of which not less than $375,000 has to come from non-government sponsorship and/or private donation. It is envisaged that a maximum grant of $7.5 million for two terms of support in five years will help promote the growth of arts groups.
Project Grants are direct grants which will provide arts practitioners and arts groups with funding support ranging from $1 million to $2 million to organise arts projects of a larger scale and longer time frame. The overall budget of the funded activities/projects should be at or above $1 million, without support from other public funding sources.
Assessment criteria for the applications include artistic/professional merit, creativity and originality, impact on the arts sector and the community, technical feasibility, financial viability, experience and the execution capability of the applicant and participating arts practitioners.
The ACDFS was launched by the ACAD in 2011 with an encouraging response from the arts sector. A total of 18 Grantees, nine for Springboard Grants and nine for Project Grants, were selected for implementation of proposals of various art forms, including music, dance, drama, visual arts, arts administration, arts education and multi-disciplinary arts, in 2012 to 2014. The ceiling funding amount approved was $39 million including an extra $9 million provision from the Home Affairs Bureau with a view to supporting more worthwhile applications.
The ACDFS aims to supplement existing funding schemes for the arts and, in particular, to provide funding opportunities to enhance capacity development for promising arts groups and practitioners, and to support activities/projects of a large scale and/or of a long time frame. It also seeks to encourage the community to support and sponsor arts and cultural initiatives so as to foster a tripartite partnership among the Government, arts groups and the private sector to promote arts and cultural development in Hong Kong.
Ends/Thursday, November 1, 2012
Issued at HKT 15:43
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