Grow Cultural Tourism Fund

The Grow Cultural Tourism Fund (the Fund) seeks to enable the growth of arts and cultural events and experiences across the state by strengthening the local arts sector’s capacity and activating communities to achieve the state’s vision of establishing Queensland as an iconic cultural tourism destination – a place visited for its arts, culture and heritage.

The Fund will support delivery of Towards Tourism 2032, and its vision for Queensland to be Australia’s destination of choice for domestic and global visitors seeking the world’s best experiences by 2032.

The Building Bush Tourism Fund and the Growing Future Tourism Fund also support the Queensland Government’s Toward Tourism 2032 strategy, and are available to eligible tourism operators, not-for-profit organisations and local governments to deliver new and enhanced tourism infrastructure or experiences.

Objectives

The Grow Cultural Tourism Fund:

• Supports the development of new arts and cultural events and experiences that can drive cultural tourism outcomes for Queensland.
• Enables the expansion of traditionally non-arts events to feature significant Queensland arts and cultural programming.
• Boosts existing arts and cultural events to drive increased visitation and support inclusive participation
• Provides new employment opportunities for Queensland’s arts and cultural workers.
• Builds the capacity of communities to deliver cultural events that drive regional development through cultural tourism.

Funding

Proposed new cultural tourism focused events and festivals can apply for matched funding (1:1) up to $30,000 to support costs associated in the development of a feasibility study to explore the new event or festival concept.

Growing arts and cultural programming for non-arts events can apply for matched funding (1:1) up to $50,000 to develop sustainable Queensland arts and cultural programming within an event or festival that activates locations, attracts new audiences, builds local capacity and employment, and provides communities and visitors with access to local, high-quality arts and cultural activity.

Existing signature cultural events can apply for matched funding (1:1) up to $80,000 to support the employment of creative expertise to produce, present, and promote arts new arts programming and/or initiatives that will increase the scale and impact of existing signature cultural events or festivals.

Applications from all Queensland events and festivals are welcome as well as those exploring ideas for new festivals and events. However, during 2023 and 2024 the Fund will seek to prioritise supporting opportunities for activity outside of South East Queensland.

*For the purpose of this fund, South East Queensland is defined as: Brisbane, Ipswich, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Noosa, Moreton Bay, Logan and Redland Local Government Areas.

How to apply

Visit the Arts Queensland website for more information and to apply.