Visual Art, Craft and Design Partnership Framework

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Investment under the Visual Art, Craft and Design Partnership Framework (VACDPF) commenced on Thursday 1 January 2025 and replaced the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy (VACS).

Since 2003, the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy (VACS) constituted a valuable partnership between governments. In this time, it had been highly successful in meeting its original aim to ‘build a strong, sustainable and dynamic contemporary visual arts sector, characterised by a stable base of organisations [which] in turn supports the production and appreciation of works of artistic excellence.’

Investment delivered through the strategy is integral and essential to the sustainability of the visual art, craft and design sector. Cultural Ministers adopted the updated and renamed Visual Art, Craft and Design Partnership Framework 2025-2028 at the Cultural Ministers’ Meeting on 9 June 2023. It will be the sixth iteration of the strategy since its introduction.

The Visual Art, Craft and Design Partnership Framework promotes creative work by living visual artists, craft and design practitioners, and the organisations that support their practice.

The Visual Art, Craft and Design Partnership Framework is designed to sit alongside other art form frameworks delivered by Creative Australia and reflects Australian Government objectives under the National Cultural Policy, Revive.

Objectives

The following strategic objectives apply to all investment under Visual Art, Craft and Design Partnership Framework:

Support First Nations Australian artists to create new work by investing in First Nations artists, organisations, and exhibitions.
Support Australian artists to create new work and organisations that commission new works by investing in artists, organisations with annual commissioning programs, and major recurrent exhibitions and events that present new Australian artworks.
Support stability and sustainability in the Australian visual art, craft and design ecology through multi-year investment in organisations, including artist run initiatives6 and organisations that support national touring exhibitions.
Support the growth of audiences for contemporary Australian visual art, craft and design by investing in artists and organisations to present new work regionally, nationally and internationally.
Support the discoverability of Australian visual art, craft and design by investing in programs and initiatives that build and connect audiences and provide access nationally and internationally.

Investment framework

Investment for the Visual Art, Craft and Design Partnership Framework is a commitment of all governments in Australia, as agreed by Cultural Ministers. The Australian Government alongside the state and territory governments have committed investment for National Leadership Organisations and Individual Artists for the 2025-28 Framework cycle. These investments are based on a minimum agreed aggregate dollar value.

Investment for the Visual Art, Craft and Design Partnership Framework is currently delivered in two streams:

National priorities – the national stream delivers on Australian Government priorities and supports organisations and individuals that demonstrate their contribution to meeting the objectives of the VACDPF at a national level, while also demonstrating the value they add to states and territories.
State and territory priorities – the state and territory stream supports organisations and individuals that demonstrate their contribution to the VACDPF at a state and territory level, while also demonstrating the value they add nationally.

Organisations may receive investment from both streams and to the extent it is possible, streamlined administrative arrangements will be applied.

Creative Australia VACDPF investment for individuals and groups

The VACDPF Major Commissioning Projects funds new visual arts and craft commissions to be created for presentation nationally and internationally.

Creative Australia VACDPF investment for organisations

National priority investment delivers on Australian Government priorities and supports organisations that demonstrate their contribution to meeting the objectives of the VACDPF at a national level – while also demonstrating the value they add to states and territories.

This is an invitation only category for Australian visual art and craft organisations. State and Territory governments nominate organisations that deliver national leadership for consideration by Creative Australia in a competitive grant process. The invited organisations and the amount of investment awarded are determined by Creative Australia in consultation with the relevant state and territory investment agencies.

Invitations to apply for VACDPF organisational investment in 2025-2028 were issued in September 2022. Information on how and when to apply are included in the guidelines that accompanied the invitation to apply.

For more information contact: MYI@creative.gov.au.