The Resilient stream provides organisations based, or delivering services, in regional and remote areas of Queensland and the Northern Territory with multi-year general operating support — the funding Australia’s for-purpose organisations need most. Resilience funding to arts and cultural organisations is delivered in partnership with the Australian Cultural Fund, piloting a new service for the philanthropic sector called Amplify.
new approvals
organisations supported
First Nations organisations
total Resilient funding approved and distributed
The figures in the infographics above refer only to funding approved and distributed in the 2023/24 financial year.
BlakDance is the national industry organisation for First Nations contemporary dancers and choreographers. It was founded in 2005 as an outcome of the watershed National Indigenous Dance Forum, and has been a self-determined Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation since 2010.
Today, BlakDance is a growing organisation based in Meanjin (Brisbane) that supports a widespread community working to continue millennia of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, culture, and storytelling through movement. BlakDance continues in the spirit in which it was founded, facilitating purposeful gatherings, networks, and opportunities for its artistic community, locally and globally.
As well as providing individuals with creative and administrative support, BlakDance supports the growth of emerging small to medium First Nations dance companies. In May 2024, BlakDance produced the milestone performance of SILENCE by Karul Projects at the Sydney Opera House. The sold out performance was the culmination of two years touring the Karul Projects’ call for Treaty to over 20 venues across NSW, Vic, SA, WA, and the NT. Community access is a priority for BlakDance and its partners, which is why every stop on the SILENCE tour invited venues to learn best-practice for hosting culturally safe and engaged tours of First Nations productions.
Collaboration and exchange are central to all BlakDance does, including its sector capacity building advocacy. BlakDance is one of six federally-funded self-determined First Nations Performing Arts Companies in Australia working to address critical issues impacting workforce development and sustainable career pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performance artists and arts workers.
BlakDance’s leadership and impact were recently recognised by Creative Australia through significant, multi-year Delivery Partner funding for 2025-2028.
Aboriginal Art Co. is Magandjin/Brisbane’s first Indigenous Art Centre. It connects Indigenous Art Centres and independent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from predominantly regional and remote Australia to the metropolitan Queensland market. Importantly, customers know they are making ethical purchases that support First Nations artists and their communities. Beyond sales, Aboriginal Art Co. offers various professional development and engagement activities, including solo exhibitions and residence programs for emerging artists and makers, and creative workshops and walking tours for the general public.
artisan has been Queensland’s home of craft and design for over 50 years. As the leadership body representing makers across the state, it works to support vibrant and thriving communities of craft and design practice while advocating for sector recognition and promoting and supporting contemporary craft and design practices. artisan collaborates with individual artists and organisations across Queensland to ensure regional areas of the state see equal inclusion and representation.
Australian Indigenous Governance Institute (AIGI) is an independent, Indigenous-led centre working towards a future in which Indigenous peoples, communities and nations can pursue and exercise their right to self-determination and economic development through strong self-governance. AIGI connects Indigenous Australians to world-class governance practice, resources and professional development to meet their self-determined governance needs.
BlakDance is the national industry organisation for First Nations contemporary dancers and choreographers, undertaking advocacy and facilitating tailored professional opportunities. It is working to build a sustainable First Nations dance sector for all. BlakDance provides producing capability for independent choreographers and small companies, from creative development through to production of new work. Through its touring services and market development, BlakDance is building the quality, reputation, and audiences for contemporary dance to be financially viable for its membership.
Developed, governed, and led by First Nations men, Brother to Another guides and empowers First Nations young people, families, and communities to heal and realise their full potential. Brother to Another is focused on keeping young people connected to culture and out of the justice system. It addresses not only the practical needs but also the emotional, mental, and social well-being of young men between eight and twenty-four years old, by providing mentoring, counselling, job training and educational re-engagement opportunities.
Brown’s Mart is the home of Territory performing arts. Based in Darwin on Larrakia Country, Brown’s Mart is both a venue for hire and a producing organisation, supporting and connecting artists living and working in the Northern Territory with local and national opportunities. Year-round, its performance spaces hold events from play readings and theatre productions to live music, much-loved annual festivals, and community events.
Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) is Queensland’s premier Indigenous art fair, existing to provide cultural and commercial platforms for Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and Art Centres. CIAF’s centrepiece is a three-day art fair held annually in Cairns, which also includes traditional and contemporary live performance: music, song and dance; theatre and fashion; workshops, and informative talks.
Camerata’s primary aim is to empower artists, inspire audiences, and enrich communities through music. It provides career and performance opportunities for string players who wish to build professional, international careers from Queensland. Camerata undertakes a major concert season annually in both Brisbane and Toowoomba, and performs a variety of musical styles, often featuring a contemporary soloist or vocalist. The ensemble commits to one regional tour each year, delivering full-scale concerts, education workshops and pop-up performances for communities young and old.
Cape York Partnership is working to empower Indigenous Cape York families and communities to strive for lives of value, freedom, and prosperity via an ecosystem of interrelated organisations and initiatives. The School to Jobs (S2J) initiative is part of that ecosystem and is led by Cape York Employment. S2J aims to address the major barriers for youth transitioning to employment by promoting an aspirational culture that encourages students to strive for bright futures and become the drivers of change in their local communities. The initiative ensures students maintain their cultural identity and connection to family.
Working in the Northern Territory with children, families and communities that face the greatest exclusion and live with injustice and disadvantage every day, Children’s Ground has a vision to create a new future filled with promise, hope, and empowerment. Children’s Ground’s 25-year strategy envisages all First Nations children and families realising their aspirations for a life of opportunity, strong cultural identity, and personal wellbeing. Children’s Ground recognise the expertise of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems and integrate cultural knowledge with international leading educational practice to enable Indigenous children to walk in two worlds.
In 2022, Brisbane’s Circa Contemporary Circus launched a new regional offshoot: Circa Cairns. Circa Cairns is a proudly First Nations-led contemporary circus ensemble working on Gimuy Walubura Yidinji and Yirrganydji country. This new ensemble is focused on developing and sharing culturally engaged productions and community programs locally in Cairns, to be toured nationally and internationally, while building career pathways for First Nations circus artists. Circa Cairns values thrilling, challenging, and connected experiences, and is dedicated to creating new possibilities for circus from the nexus of place and culture.
Crossroad Arts is an inclusive arts organisation in Mackay with the vision of ‘Arts for All.’ Through facilitating high-quality inclusive arts experiences, Crossroad Arts co-creates new narratives with artists with disability that aim to change perceptions and shape the sector of the future. It runs year-round community workshops enabling social and cultural connection, and offers professional development programs for emerging and established artists to refine and expand their skills, as well as major production opportunities.
Recognised as one of Australia’s leading performing arts companies, Dancenorth balances a dynamic regional presence in Townsville with a commitment to creating compelling contemporary dance that tours the globe. Alongside its professional ensemble and touring productions sits an equally vital pillar of focus, the Community Experience Program. Driven by a dedicated team, Dancenorth works with diverse and minority communities across Queensland using dance to support, enhance, inspire, and heal.
Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF) provides a unique opportunity for arts industry buyers, and art and design lovers, to purchase art directly from Indigenous owned and incorporated Art Centres. In 2023 DAAF brought together a record 78 Indigenous Art Centres across in-person and online events, represented more than 1,600 emerging and established artists, and generated $4.4M in sales — 100% of which go directly back to Art Centres and their artists.
Darwin Festival is a major international festival with a vibrant and eclectic arts and cultural program. Born out of the devastation of Cyclone Tracy, Darwin Festival now attracts over 170,000 attendees annually, making it the largest in-person cultural event in the Northern Territory. The Festival reflects Darwin’s position at the Top End of Australia, its unique Indigenous and multicultural population and its close proximity to Asia, while at the same time showcasing some of Australia’s finest live performance artists.
Deadly Inspiring Youth Doing Good (DIYDG) is a youth led, First Nations governed organisation aiming to inspire, equip and empower the next generation of change makers. Founded in 2016, DIYDG provides a platform for young people to co-design and lead their own projects and values family, leadership, wellbeing, and growth. DIYDG is committed to collaboration and working in partnership to ensure a brighter future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people.
Flipside Circus is Queensland’s largest youth arts organisation, with a reputation for excellence in training and performance, and for supporting Brisbane’s renowned circus sector. Flipside's vision is to empower communities through circus, guided by values of celebration, experimentation, creativity, wellbeing, and agility. Flipside delivers training, community, and social circus programs across Queensland, including extensive remote and regional residency and touring programs. Flipside recently opened its purpose-built training and performance facility, the Brisbane Circus Centre.
Flying Arts Alliance is an arts and cultural development organisation which has been delivering visual arts projects and services to regional and remote Queensland since 1971. The Alliance has played a significant role in inspiring artists and communities, as well as helping to overcome the impacts of regional isolation and remote living. The signature offering in the Flying Arts Alliance calendar is the Queensland Regional Art Awards, which tour the state the following year.
Gunawuna Jungai (GJ) is a newly formed community-controlled organisation established as the cultural authority representating Indigenous family groups in Doomadgee. Aiming to strengthen families, communities, culture, and country, GJ is committed to reshaping service delivery models to address the compounding problems of entrenched disadvantage. GJ’s community-led principles refer to a model of development that privileges community leadership to determine the needs, aspirations, priorities, and solutions of the Gangalidda and Waanyi people.
Museums & Galleries Queensland is the peak professional body for the public museum and gallery sector in Queensland, established in 2004. It strives to foster understanding, knowledge and excellence in museums, galleries and keeping places; and to ensure a future where these institutions are relevant, accessible and valued by their communities. Museums & Galleries Qld offers a range of services and programs to organisations and artists, including training and mentorships, exhibition development and facilitating touring throughout the state.
musicNT is the peak body for contemporary music in the Northern Territory. With offices in Darwin and Alice Springs, it supports a membership of 3,500 individual musicians annually. musicNT delivers a suite of development programs and platform opportunities for NT musicians, as well as growing other vital skill sets for a strong industry. Its flagship event is the National Indigenous Music Awards. musicNT pioneered the All Good Project creating safer venues, and its advocacy efforts have increased gender equality.
Opera Queensland is the state opera company for Queensland, bringing the joy of opera to all Queenslanders. Recently celebrating its 40th anniversary, Opera Queensland has been central to the evolution of the art form in Queensland and nurtured the careers of some of the country’s most renowned artists. Through its Learning, Regional and Community program, the organisation has established and grown The Festival of Outback Opera, in collaboration with communities in Winton and Longreach.
Outback Futures’ mission is to nurture and empower outback communities by renewing hope, building resilience, and strengthening relationships. Particularly focused in Greater Western Queensland, Outback Futures recognises and prioritises developing trusted relationships with rural and remote communities, aiming to create an effective, long-term, whole-of-community mental health and well-being solution.
Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) is Queensland’s flagship symphony orchestra, celebrating 75 years in 2022. QSO’s vision is to be a great orchestra on and off the stage that entertains, inspires and educates Queensland. QSO Connect umbrellas education, community and regional activities, bringing together musicians, community members and students around the state.
Seed Foundation is focused on growing the health workforce of Australia’s First People. With a vision to nurture the true potential of the young people it supports; Seed Foundation provides wraparound support services to Year 10-13 students seeking health-related career pathways. In additional to growing a First Nations workforce, Seed inspires and promotes self-determination through education, health, and employment.
Storyfest grew its reputation as the leading children’s literary festival for the Gold Coast and surrounds, through its origins with Somerset College. Now with the TFFF’s support, Storyfest is implementing its new strategy from 2024 including a commitment to deliver three regional festivals annually in partnership with schools and communities. After two outstanding years in Longreach piloting Storyfest Out West, the vision is expanding to ensure children, youth, families, and teachers across Queensland can experience Storyfest in their own backyards.
Topology is an award-winning arts organisation, encompassing a professional quintet of musicians, a Creative Academy arts education program, and its Creative Communities community and cultural development service. Topology identifies its role as fostering cultural connections, creating pathways to greater community resilience and agency. Creative Communities reaches schools, towns, festivals, and stations across Queensland, from Normanton to Mount Isa to Texas, developing and celebrating regional artistic expression.
Umbrella Studio is an independent contemporary and experimental arts organisation in Gurambilbarra (Townsville). Founded almost 40 years ago as an artist collective, Umbrella Studio works to express and amplify distinctive and authentic North Queensland voices, while connecting regional perspectives across Australia and the world. It achieves this through onsite and touring exhibitions, new commissions and residencies for the region’s artists makers, professional development programs, creative studio access, and a biennial festival, Pop Up North Queensland (PUNQ).
Since 2005, Yalari has been providing boarding school secondary education scholarships for Indigenous children from regional and remote communities across Australia, supporting students to maintain cultural and family connection in their journey towards cultural competency. Yalari’s Pathways Program begins in Year 10 and is designed to support Alumni in leadership, professional and personal development, and to empower civic contribution upon graduation.
Yiliyapinya was founded in response to the observation that the impact of toxic stress and adversity on brain development was contributing to declining brain health among Indigenous communities. Yiliyapinya delivers culturally responsive neuroplasticity programs to break the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage, prevent youth crime, and help First Nations people live healthy, meaningful lives.
Youth Insearch is Australia’s leading peer-led youth trauma recovery organisation, dedicated to supporting at-risk youth aged 12-25. Youth Insearch provides wrap-around, trauma informed support, advocacy, leadership training, and employment opportunities for young people through multidisciplinary teams embedded within communities.
Operating since 1990 as a response to youth homelessness, Youth Link provides a ‘One Stop Shop’ of services that support at-risk young people from 12-24 years of age. These services include the Youth Cre8 Kuranda Initiative (Cre8). Established in 2013, Cre8 is a place-based program on the Atherton Tablelands delivering a range of activities to empower young people towards a positive future.
1Co-administered through the Australian Cultural Fund’s Amplify Program. Applications approved in previous financial years are not included in total FY24 Resilience funding approved and distributed.
