The Australia Council for the Arts has announced the results of its latest project grant round representing $7.2 million of investment in Australian arts. In total, 270 projects have received funding as part of the first of three grant rounds for 2017, including $2.7 million for 158 individuals, $0.9 million for 36 groups, and $3.6 million for 76 arts organisations, many of which fall into the vulnerable small-to-medium category.

The major winners include Australian Dance Awards organisers and art form advocates Ausdance ($50,000) and aerial theatre giants Legs on the Wall ($96,079) – a welcome result for one of the companies “de-funded” as a result of the 2015 Federal budget cuts. Other sizeable grants went to Austistic theatre pioneers Company AT ($47,820), Sydney’s Monkey Baa theatre for young audiences ($53,602), Melbourne puppetry company Snuff Puppets ($52,693) Queensland community participatory arts outfit All the Queens Men ($39,000), South Australian political documentary makers Tallstoreez Productionz ($100,000) and the Sharing Stories Foundation who aim to help Indigenous communities to protect, maintain and grow language, stories and cultural heritage ($99,500).

“The Council’s grants programme supports all facets of the creative process, enabling Australian artists to undertake professional development, create new work through individual and collaborative processes,...