The future of the MusicACT Annual Music Awards (MAMAs) is unclear following a crucial misstep in the event’s funding process. With recent organisational changes made to the ACT Festival Fund and Events Assistance Program, the organisers of the MAMAs missed the grant proposal deadline.
As the Canberra Times reports, MusicACT president Gil Miller has said that without strides made to fill a $20,000 gap in the 2014 event’s budget, it is unlikely the annual MAMAs would take place. Miller told Fairfax that the funding shortfall amounts to “about a quarter of the total funding” needed.
This year’s MAMAs were held last month, supported by a $22,500 grant from the ACT government. But with the ACT Festival Fund and Events Assistance Program amalgamated into a single ACT Event Fund with a new applications process, organisers weren’t able to get a proposal in on time.
“There used to be two rounds a year,” Mr Miller told Fairfax. “It was our responsibility and not Event ACT’s fault, but we didn’t get the application in on time.” A spokesman for the ACT Minister for Tourism and Events said that information about the changes was mailed out and available online.
The grant applications process is highly competitive, with 79 individual applications submitted and $602,000 ultimately granted to 33 Canberra events for 2014. Events such as the Canberra Comedy Festival and Parties at the Shops will continue in 2014 as a result of the government grants.
Other MAMAs funding applications were denied, including a proposal made to artsACT. “We applied for three lots of funding from artsACT and didn’t get it. I was really hopeful there would be support from artsACT,” said Mr Miller, adding that organisers will now look to private sponsorship.
“We are trying to secure a major sponsor,” he said. “But it will most likely be a number of small private sponsors, which is a lot of legwork.” According to the report, Mr Miller is optimistic about the future of the MAMAs, insisting that they are important to the local Canberra music scene.
(Via Canberra Times)
