Fundraising and the future of the arts
21 October 2025
Some thoughts on why we are raising money this AusArt Day & what the future of arts funding in Australia is.
After months building up to giving day, we are about to hit the big day. The inaugural AusArt Day happens on Thursday 23 October. At Regional Arts NSW we have been working hard to explain our campaign, the reasons why we need financial assistance and how you can help.
In the past we’ve never quite known where to start. For a service organisation like us, we were always worried that people would not respond to an organisation not known for producing tangible outcomes like exhibitions or shows. But the more we thought about it, the more we realised that the work we do in creating more opportunities in the arts for people living in regional NSW is relevant and even attractive to some funders. So many of us care about the regions and about the arts and creative industries. Our regional places are better for the work we do – both at professional level and with communities. We have therefore joined many other arts organisations in requesting your support – either through donating to us directly or by sharing our funding information with others who may wish to do so.
We called our campaign Save Regional NSW because we really do desperately need financial help. We are not being melodramatic. When I joined RANSW in January 2022, I knew what I was walking in to. The previous Arts Minister and Create NSW had decided to reallocate the funds of RANSW to be spread across the RADOs, leaving the organisation with no NSW State Government revenue. We needed to diversify our income while also rebuilding both our program and our reputation. We have done that. We were successful in this year’s funding rounds in having NSW income re-instated, we have strengthened our relationship with arts practitioners, organisations and all levels of government and we have run highly successful strategic programs such as Work of Art for regional women and our current RALLY program to support arts-led regional regeneration while also managing a number of funding programs. However, despite very careful management of our resources we have depleted our reserves in the process. We still need additional funds to ensure that we are securely ‘back in the black’.
The Australian Government has handed the lead on arts philanthropy to Creative Australia as part of the Revive policy initiatives and I can’t speak highly enough of the support that Michelle Boyle at Creative Australia has given us at RANSW. But there is a bigger issue here that all need to think about. The need for philanthropy in the arts is linked to the diminishing contribution of governments to the arts ecology. How comfortable are we with moving Australia closer to an American model in which donations are a much more significant part of arts funding? We are all buying into this shift out of necessity, but it is worth interrogating the question of what an ideal arts funding balance in Australia would ideally be.
In the meantime, I am proud of what we at RANSW are contributing to the arts ecology. Any donation – no matter how small – will be greatly appreciated by us here. I wish all those participating AusArt Day all the best in their fundraising efforts. Let’s celebrate what our sector achieves and why the voices, stories and imaginations of our sector are so valuable.
– Tracey Callinan, Regional Arts NSW CEO
If you value the advocacy, support and leadership we provide to regional artists and organisations, please consider making a small contribution to our Save RANSW campaign.
Every little bit helps!
Help us reach our goal of raising $10 000 before AusArt Day ends on Thursday at midnight.
