What is the Cultural Development Fund (Projects)?

The Cultural Development Fund (CDF) grants program has been developed by Council to support artists, arts and cultural organisations and creative community projects in the City of Port Phillip.

Projects should contribute to the Council Plan strategic directions to guide our program priorities for the future.

Proposed reduction of funding to the CDF program will directly impact funding opportunities for six to ten individual artists annually. Up to approximately 20,000 community members may be indirectly impacted annually, based on attendance at those funded events in previous years.

You can read more about the CDF here.

How did the proposed reduction of funding come about?

A Cost Review was carried out between July 2022 and February 2023, to identify:

  • Any possible cost reductions Council could make
  • The impacts these cost reductions might have
  • Any compliance, regulatory or contractual requirements of these cost reductions
  • Any engagement with the community that would be needed if cost reductions were made
  • How Council could provide the community with more transparency about costs.

A list of proposed changes was developed out of this Cost Review and Council endorsed the proposal to reduce the Cultural Development Fund (Projects) from $187,000 to $100,000.