Awesome Black announce new First Nations creative initiative, Voices Rising Fund

A First Nations creative social enterprise has announced a brand new initiative aimed at elevating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creative voices.

The announcement:

The Awesome Black Foundation – a First Nations creative social enterprise – is proud to announce a brand new initiative, the Voices Rising Fund, for elevating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creative voices. The fund are also pleased to unveil the first ever recipient of the fund, Western Sydney-based hardcore band Homesick, and share their first key partners, publishing house Allen & Unwin and First Nations music label Bad Apples Music.

Designed to support the creation of publishable works across literature and music of all styles and genres – from music and photography to poetry, novels, non-fiction media forms and more – the fund focuses on enabling culturally significant projects to move from concept to publication, bridging the gap between creation and commercial distribution.

Uniquely, the fund invests directly into the development of such projects, providing resources and support to bring them to fruition. Awesome Black acts as a hands-on cultural and creative intermediary, ensuring artists, publishers, and labels work together in a collaborative and equitable way, and assisting with negotiations on the terms of project delivery.

Travis De Vries, Creative Director of Awesome Black, says: “We built the Voices Rising Fund to give Blak artists the freedom to make the work they want to make without waiting for permission or being boxed in by old systems. It’s about paving our own ways for stories that need to be told. I’m incredibly passionate about publishing work and being able to put something into the world that has staying power.”

The Voices Rising Fund is open for applications year-round. Assessments will take place twice annually, with a maximum of $60,000 distributed across a minimum of two projects per year. The assessment panel comprises representatives from major and independent music labels and literary publishing houses, First Nations arts workers and curators, and members of the Awesome Black team.

Head to https://awesomeblack.studio/foundation for more information, eligibility, requirements, and to apply. With no closing date, artists can apply at any time. They are advised to frame their application in the form of a pitch, including as much information as possible about their project or idea.

Source: Thinking Loud