Minderoo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Andrew and Nicola Forrest’s empire, has given Western Australia’s regional arts sector a “game-changing” $3.3 million boost.
The Forrests’ donation cements Minderoo’s partnership with Regional Arts WA and will help strengthen a sector of the arts community that does not get the attention nor the investment enjoyed by their metropolitan counterparts.
The investment will be shared with 20 not-for-profit arts organisations across the state.Credit: Picture: Bec Sheedy-Ryan
The cash injection aligns with Regional Arts WA’s investment framework — Thrive! — which is aimed at supporting, strengthening and promoting arts outside of Perth.
“We believe in the transformative power of the arts to connect, inspire and uplift communities, especially in regional Western Australia,” Nicola Forrest said.
“Through Thrive!, Minderoo is proud to support a strategy that will expand access, deepen participation and ensure that regional voices continue to shape the cultural landscape of our state.”
Minderoo’s $3.3 million investment will be shared among 20 not-for-profit arts organisations which are part of the Regional Arts Network, among them Margaret River Arts, Esperance Community Arts and the Kimberley Arts Network.
“It is a ten-fold increase on anything that has gone before. It is a game-changer for us.”
Regional Arts WA chief executive Dr Pilar Kasat
These organisations, which play a critical role in generating and facilitating arts activity within their respective regional communities, employ more than 200 creative workers and 1200 artists and engage more than 2000 volunteers each year.
Minderoo Foundation chief executive John Hartman said Regional Arts WA’s Thrive! investment framework would help build more vibrant and connected communities.
“This partnership is about strategically aligning resources and amplifying impact to give the regional arts sector and artists the long-term support they need to thrive,” Hartman said.
Regional Arts WA chief executive Dr Pilar Kasat described the partnership with Minderoo as a pivotal moment.
“Minderoo has been supporting Regional Arts WA since 2019. But this takes the investment to a whole other level,” Kasat said.
“It is a ten-fold increase on anything that has gone before. It is a game-changer for us.
“This is the beginning of something much bigger and an open invitation for others to help shape and strengthen the future impact of the regional arts sector.
“This money will be used in a very strategic way to enable all those organisations in the Regional Arts Network to source funds locally and obtain further funds from the state and federal governments.”
Kasat believed one of the major problems for regional arts organisations was the fragmented nature of funding.
Regional Arts WA chief executive Dr Pilar Kasat, Minderoo Foundation chief executive John Hartman, Penny Dakin, executive director, communities at Minderoo, and RAWA chair Josephine Johnson.Credit: Daniel Carson
Each time an organisation plans a program they have to apply to a range of bodies at a federal, state and local council level as well as approach philanthropic organisations such as Minderoo.
“The subsidised sector is extremely grateful for the support we receive. But it is a problem when so many resources are consumed in applying for that funding. There has to be a better way of supporting regional organisations,” Kasat said.
“One of our aims with the Minderoo partnership is to pilot what we are calling the Creative Collaboration Fund. Hopefully, we will be able to streamline the process of applying for funding and open up new avenues for support.”
Kasat said another major problem facing organisations such as Regional Arts WA was that investment typically does did cover the cost of running the company or administering the projects.
“In the Pay It What It Takes report published in 2022, Social Ventures Australia came up with a figure saying that any not-for-profit organisation needs to put aside 25 to 30 per cent of the total amount of funding to cover your own costs so you are not depleting your own organisation,” Kasat said.
“This is why the Minderoo partnership is so important. Over 70 per cent of the resources will be directed to 20 organisations who are part of the Regional Arts Network and their communities while less than 30 per cent will come to Regional Arts WA to deliver this project and continue our advocacy.”
The partnership with Minderoo also means they are backing the vision of Thrive!, an investment framework Kasat and her team spent many months evolving.
Kasat believed supporting regional arts had never been more important because of the challenges faced by those who lived outside the metropolitan area, including higher rates of mental health issues.
She also believed it was important to challenge the notion that art produced in the regions was not as significant as art produced in the city.
And in some aspects of the arts, such as a work having a sense of place, rural artists excel even more than those in the city.
“Not everyone wants to exhibit, for example, but everyone should have the opportunity to engage with art,” she said.
“It is the same with sports. Not everyone is going to play sport at the elite level. But you need a mass engagement with a sport to produce elite athletes.”
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