2024 African-Australian Creative Media Grant Guidelines
Overview
Stories have the unique power to connect people, educate, and inspire.
The African Australian Creative Media Grants is an open grant round that supports African Australian platforms, individuals and organisations that operate in screen media, visual arts, podcasting, radio and written media. Through this grant we seek to amplify the voices and stories of African Australia creatives.
This grant is now administered and managed by Ubuntu Project – a Victoria based community led organisation committed to improving outcomes for Australia’s diverse African communities.
Why we’re doing it
This tailored grant program was initially designed in response to a series of roundtables with African Australian creatives which highlighted that African media in Australia is critically under resourced despite the wealth of vibrant stories that exist.
After receiving an overwhelmingly warm reception to the first two iterations of the program, we’ve decided to bring it back in 2024!
Program purpose
The African Australian Creative Media Grant seeks to invest in the creativity, capability and sustainability of individuals and organisations that make a valuable contribution to the narratives, storytelling ecosystem and creative innovation of African Australians.
Community voices
Vehicles for expression for emerging African creatives. Showcasing the diversity of experiences that exist within African communities in Australia.
Platform sustainability
Increasing overall reach and depth of engagement Financial growth and sustainability of African media platforms
Sector development
Greater diversity and representation in Australian media A mix of both emerging and established African Australian individuals, small and medium organisations.
Funding Streams
Applications are being accepted until 11:59pm on March 3rd, 2024. While you are welcome to submit separate applications for both streams, we will only fund one per applicant. Ubuntu Project is looking to fund a total of 10 successful applications.
Stream 1: Platform Development
$10,000 to support the improvement and continuation of platforms including websites, social media sites or other.
Who should apply: So, you’ve developed your platform and now you want to take the leap to get to the next stage. This stream is designed to help you set yourself up to grow and strengthen your platform. You may want to use the funds to advertise and market your platform, purchase items like cameras and microphones, or create/redesign a website to showcase content. Funds may be used in part to support the skills and development of the individuals involved with the platform.
Stream 2: Content Creation
$10,000 for the execution of original content and productions created by African Australians.
Who should apply: You are a storyteller, who wants to do what’s natural to you – tell stories! Applicants for this stream should demonstrate what they want to create and how they plan to market and engage this content with their desired audiences. Applicants might come from backgrounds like screen media, literature, social media channels, podcasts and a whole lot more.
Grant Eligibility
To apply for the program, you must have a current Australian Business Number (ABN).
We will accept applications from:
- African Australian individuals in any creative media industry – this includes film, tv, magazines, radio, podcasts, online and any other media.
- Media Platforms lead by African Australians – this includes social media platforms, magazines, blogs etc.
- Africans in Australia regardless of their background, visa or citizenship status.
- African community organisations with a project focused on stories and storytelling.
- Previous successful grantees are not eligible for this round.
Please note: Applications should not be submitted by large organisations on behalf of groups or individuals (the groups or individuals should apply directly).
Key selection criteria
Stream 1: Platform Development
- Relationships: The development of larger networks, additional collaborations or partnerships that may contribute to the platform
- Reach: How the funds are used to raise the profile of the platform and its content
- Operational capacity: Evidence of the applicant’s capacity to deliver the project
- Viability: Strategic approach to scale the platform
Stream 2: Content Creation
- Capacity: Evidence of the applicant’s capacity to deliver the project
- Voices: Description outlining how the project raises the profile of stories created by African Australians
- Originality: Statement on what inspired this project and its significance
- Reach: Evidence of promotional or marketing plan to reach project’s desired audiences
Supporting material
Applicants must supply CVs for creatives, producers and project managers associated with project. You are also welcome to include:
- Media: Visual/Audio files of previous work (direct links or mp4 format preferred).
- Direct links to show evidence of platform (Stream 1 only)
- Detailed project outline.
Selection panel
The Creative Media Grant will be assessed by a selection panel consisting of four prominent African Australian individuals from media and creative industries, two Ubuntu Project staff and one representative from the Scanlon Foundation. The creative industry representatives are:
Khalid Farah
Khalid is the founder of Kushitc Productions that provide specialised services for non-profits, social influencers, enterprises and governmental agencies. He is passionate about inspiring the next generation of African creatives through his educational programs including poetry, pottery and filmmaking to produce impactful and meaningful stories. Khalid’s current project "Neighbourhood Chronicles" delves into the historical migration of African communities and seeks to authentically portray the vibrant existence, close-knit communities and the nuanced struggles and successes of these groups, showcasing Khalid's continued dedication to storytelling and media production.
Aza Ismail
Aza lives on Kaurna country and has been a part of community organising her whole life. Often using art as the medium to connect with people, to create spaces of love and belonging. As a creative herself, she understands the importance of bringing art to the mainstream and using it to shatter the image of “perfect art”. She is known to be around in the underground art scene looking and searching for art that hasn’t been shared yet. She is of the belief that art will be the tool that liberates the world. Because art is freedom. Art is love. Art is beauty. And through art, we find people unified
Aysha Tufa
Aysha of Greater Dandenong uses her Oromo and Turkish heritage to infuse her art with familial nostalgia. While oil painting is her passion, her background is in communication design which centres local community programs and events. Over the past decade, she has contributed to various art activities, more recently including FOLA (2018), Emerging Writers Festival (2019), Night Mode (2023), and MAD Festival (2023). Aysha enjoys supporting young creatives and is committed to preserving African narratives and envisions a vast and creative future for the diaspora community in Naarm
Huna Amweero
Huna is a radio producer and screenwriter based on Gadigal land. A graduate of AFTRS, Huna’s short films have screened at film festivals including Sydney Film Festival, St Kilda Film Festival and Cleveland International Film Festival. In 2022, her first feature length film BLAZE premiered at Tribeca Film Fesitval. Huna was awarded the Betty Roland Prize for Screenwriting at the 2023 NSW Lit awards and Best Original Feature at the Australia Writers Guild. In addition to writing, Huna has a strong background in radio broadcasting (Radio Skid Row, FBi Radio) and digital media (Nova, SmoothFM). She began exploring podcasting through the audio series Hey Sis!, going on to work on Survival Guide - a ground-breaking podcast on gentrification in Sydney’s Inner City from an Indigenous perspective. In 2019, as station manager at Radio Skid Row she co-founded G.A.N.G Gang, a collective of diverse young people producing podcasts, web series and counter-culture events. In 2023, she was chosen to curate Film x Uplate at the Powerhouse Museum.
Key Details
- Applications open: 9 am,29 January 2024 (AEST)
- Applications close: 11:59 pm,3 March 2024 (AEST)
- All applicants will be informed of the outcome via email before 12 April 2024
- All activity is expected to commence no later than 1 May 2024
- The Round is now open, and applications can be made using bellow registration link:
Contact person
The African Australian Creative Media Grants are funded by the Scanlon Foundation
