INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP: FUNDING AND FINANCING THE ARTS AND CULTURAL SECTOR

Positive Solutions has provided industry leadership in the development of new financing models for the arts. Projects include the following:

• Queensland Arts Business Innovation Fund: Consortium member for the new $1 million Fund to support the business development of arts organisations with grants and no-interest loans, through capital provided by the Queensland Government and the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation. Cathy Hunt, Positive Solutions Co-Director, was instrumental in developing the Fund and bringing together the investors and partners who will deliver it over the next 12 months.
• The QuickstART Micro Loan Fund: A $100,000 Fund for individual artists and creative practitioners, established by Positive Solutions and Brian Tucker Accounting and now managed by Foresters Community Finance. Starting as a small-scale pilot 10 years ago, the Fund offers no-interest and interest-bearing loans (or a combination) of up to $5,000 and is currently assessing on average three applications per month.
• Connecting Culture and Capital: Research into asset-building and new financial opportunities for arts organisations and artists in Queensland with Foresters Community Finance for Arts Queensland 2013, which has led to the Arts Business Innovation Fund.
• New Models New Money: Research into the development of new models for financing the arts in Australia (Centre for Social Impact UNSW and Arts Queensland), including the concept of a Foundation for the Artist, 2009.
• ‘Not Selling Cakes’: A report for the Queensland Government on issues affecting the sustainability of Indigenous art centres in Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait in 2006, which formed the basis of the Queensland Government’s $10 million investment in this area.
• Hong Kong Performing Arts: Performing arts facilities strategy and a review of performing arts funding for the Hong Kong Government (as sub-contractors to ICF International (formerly GHK (Hong Kong) Ltd))

Image credit: Photo of Hello, Dolly! the Musical, provided by Hong Kong Repertory Theatre (www.hkrep.com). Photography by Cheung Chi Wai & Keith Sin @ Hiro Graphics.