Screenrights CEO Simon Lake.
Copyright society Screenrights has launched an annual cultural fund, designed to foster the creation and appreciation of screen content in Australia and New Zealand, with the total pool of funds available in this year’s round coming to $200,000.
The focus of the fund will change each year in response to trends and issues. This year, the focus is be on education and, more specifically, solutions to overcome barriers to access and use of screen content for teachers and students.
Applicants are invited to apply for funding of up to $50,000.
“Technology creates a wealth of opportunity, but not one which is shared equally. There remain geographical, technological, skills-based and financial barriers that restrict access for students and educators to meaningful screen content,” said Screenrights CEO Simon Lake.
The cultural fund is not a production fund, but can support a wide range of activities. This includes:
- projects which break down barriers to access, which bring the outside world in to remote and isolated communities
- workshops that foster inclusive collaboration
- services that deliver content to users in innovative ways within the education sector
- start-ups that upend existing business models to support the creation, delivery and use of content
- forums that bring together creators, educators and students to leverage their knowledge, skills and resources to build new ways of learning
- initiatives that support the curating of digital resources and the teaching of critical awareness to enable teachers and students to confidently navigate the online environment and create a positive long-term digital footprint
- projects that shape conversations and/or debate in our society.
Applications for this year’s fund will be assessed by a panel that includes Australian Children’s Television Foundation CEO Jenny Buckland; Former Screen Australia head of business and audience Richard Harris; NITV channel manager Tanya Orman, and New Zealand Writers Guild executive director Alice Shearman. Peter Banki, partner in law firm Banki Haddock Fiora, will act as chair.
More information about the fund can be found at: https://www.screenrights.org/cultural-fund/
Applications are now open and close July 6.