The following is issued on behalf of the Advisory Committee on Arts Development:
 
     The Advisory Committee on Arts Development (ACAD) today (November 12) launched the eighth-round funding exercise under the Arts Capacity Development Funding Scheme (ACDFS). The ACDFS provides funding support for innovative and impactful proposals that contribute to the capacity development objectives of arts practitioners, arts groups, art forms and/or the arts sector, programme/content development, audience building and arts education, including large-scale and cross-year arts and cultural initiatives and covering various art forms such as performing arts, visual and media arts, arts education, arts administration, community arts and multi-disciplinary arts. The ACAD hopes that the scheme will help cultivate a supportive culture for arts in the community and foster a tripartite partnership between the Government, arts groups and the private sector to promote arts and cultural development in Hong Kong.
      
     Assessment criteria for applications include artistic/professional merit, creativity and originality, impact on the arts sector and the community, technical feasibility and financial viability of the proposed initiatives and activities, as well as the experience and execution capability of the applicant and participating arts practitioners.
      
     The ACDFS will disburse an annual provision of approximately $30 million in the form of Springboard Grants and Project Grants.
      
     Springboard Grants are matching grants that support arts groups in their overall development, elevating them to a higher level of professional operation. The minimum pledged income or sponsorship of applicant arts groups is $1 million, of which not less than $250,000 has to come from non-government sponsorship and/or private donation. A 200 per cent matching grant up to a maximum amount of $3 million may be provided and the funding period may last for a maximum of two years. Successful applicants with proven performance may apply for a second Springboard Grant up to a maximum amount of $4.5 million with a funding period of three years at most. For a second Springboard Grant, the minimum pledged income or sponsorship for arts groups is $1.5 million, of which not less than $375,000 has to come from non-government sponsorship and/or private donation. It is envisaged that a maximum grant of $7.5 million for two terms of support in five years will help promote the growth of an arts group.
      
     Project Grants are direct grants which provide successful applicants with funding support up to a ceiling of $2 million to organise large-scale and impactful projects, which may require a longer duration for implementation. The overall expenditure of the proposed activities in an application should be at or above $800,000.
      
     The eighth-round funding exercise under the ACDFS is open for application from today to January 4, 2019 (up to 6pm). The Guide to Application and relevant materials have been uploaded to the website of the Home Affairs Bureau (www.hab.gov.hk). Application workshops will be held on November 15 and 22 and details can be found on the above website. ACAD expects that application results will be released around June 2019.

Ends/Monday, November 12, 2018
Issued at HKT 11:00

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