The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is pleased to announce the recipients of the Australian Cultural Diplomacy Grants Program (ACDGP) for 2024–25.
This annual Program supports international projects that tell Australian stories, amplify First Nations voices, deepen bilateral partnerships and build cultural understanding and connections overseas.
The Program will support ten initiatives across Kiribati, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Canada, Norway and United States of America.
Grant recipients
Bangarra Dance Theatre – FuturesPast
Countries: United States of America and Canada
Project delivery dates: September – October 2026
Awarded grant amount: $40,000
Website: Bangarra
The North American tour will feature FuturesPast, a newly curated work structured in three acts—Old World, People & Country. This production offers deep insight into the power of First Nations storytelling and the enduring spirit of resilience that has shaped First Peoples' experiences. Drawing from Bangarra's 36-year history and repertoire, FuturesPast is a powerful celebration of culture.
Indigenous Literacy Foundation – Global Indigenous Literacy
Country: Norway
Project delivery date: June 2025
Awarded grant amount: $40,770 (ex. GST)
Website: The Indigenous Literacy Foundation
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) will attend the Norwegian Literature Festival to work with Sami Peoples promoting First Languages publication and literacy, as well as speaking at the World Expression Forum (WEXFO).
The ILF presence will directly enable them to promote and share First Nation Culture and Language to the world, and open up new opportunities to collaborate further with other First Nations Peoples from around the globe, whilst getting ILF books into the global commercial market expanding the representation of Languages and Cultures.
The University of Newcastle – Young people's story of the wetland's importance to their community
Country: Samoa
Project delivery date: July – December 2025
Awarded grant amount: $50,000 (ex. GST)
Website: The University of Newcastle, Australia
To bring these stories to life, the University of Newcastle will facilitate a youth-led video production in both Australia and Samoa. A group of 4–5 young people from each location will document their personal and community perspectives, placing their voices at the centre of the storytelling process.
A Samoan-led production company based in Australia will oversee the video creation, ensuring a culturally respectful approach. The company's 'village-centred model' is well-suited to capturing stories, amplifying First Nations voices and connecting them with Pacific narratives. This cross-cultural collaboration strengthens partnerships between Australia and Samoa.
The final video will be distributed among the schools attended by participating youth, serving as an educational resource.
Australian Art Orchestra – Ane Ta Abia
Country: Papua New Guinea
Project delivery date: August 2025
Awarded grant amount: $45,000 (ex. GST)
Website: Australian Art Orchestra
A new musical work, created by Australian Art Orchestra Artistic Director Aaron Choulai, and featuring Papua New Guinea's Tatana Village choir, Ane Ta Abia celebrates Motuan choral traditions of Peroveta (from Choulai's home village) paired with the distinct sounds of the Australian Art Orchestra.
Born from the 19th century colonisation of Papua, Peroveta transforms the traditional harmony, melody and rhythm of Western hymns into an entirely unique form of choral music – performed throughout daily life and rarely heard outside of these communities. The performance includes four short films that explore the shared history of Australia and Papua New Guinea.
The Threshold Centre – The Flying Canoe
Country: Kiribati
Project delivery dates: August 2025 – March 2026
Awarded grant amount: $37,560 (ex. GST)
Website: Threshold
'The Flying Canoe' is an immersive audio storytelling experience that transports families to the islands of Kiribati. Developed by Kiribati-Australian writer Marita Davies in collaboration with Kiribati artists and cultural consultants, it celebrates Indigenous storytelling and Australian innovations in digital theatre.
In 2025, the creative team of Threshold will travel to Kiribati to strengthen artistic and cultural partnerships, collaborating with local storytellers, educators and artists. Through this exchange, the team will document traditional knowledge, including canoe building, rope making, and community customs, embedding them into the digital experience as well as sharing them with Australian and international audiences.
Framed as a cultural ‘call and response' between Australia and Kiribati, this initiative fosters reciprocal artistic collaboration, deepening ties between the two nations. The Flying Canoe will be presented in education programs from 2026, amplifying Kiribati voices and showcasing the richness of Pacific storytelling traditions on an international stage.
Ngaiire Joseph – Musik Blok: A Music Mentorship Program
Country: Papua New Guinea
Project delivery date: October 2025
Awarded grant amount: $56,340 (ex. GST)
Website: Ngaiire
Musik Blok: A Music Mentorship Program will offer 8 young Papua New Guineans an intensive 2 weeks of workshops, master classes, instrument tuition, interactive group sessions as well as studio opportunities.
Sessions will be held 15 minutes out of Goroka town at Sogamaufa Village, 6 Mile. Each day will offer one-on-one and group sessions with professional musicians from the Australian music community. Papua New Guinean cultural music practices will also be explored, with each participant encouraged to present a traditional song from their villages to the group, with the idea that exploration of contemporary worlds will only be strengthened with an understanding, celebration and exchange of our cultures.
In addition, time for feedback, reflection, practice, composition and recording will be included with goals set to present or perform at the end of the week to an exclusive audience at a local venue.
Performing Lines Ltd – Hip Hop Cultural Exchange Residency
Country: Vanuatu
Project delivery dates: October – November 2025
Awarded grant amount: $39,367 (ex. GST)
Website: Performing Lines
Australian Choreographer Nick Power and collaborators Demi Sorono and DJ Total Eclipse will undertake a 2-week residency at Wan Smolbag (Port Vila, Vanuatu) engaging Ni-Vanuatu and New Caledonian artists. Building on an initial engagement in 2024, this return residency will include an all-female dance workshop series, a mixed gender dance workshop series and skills exchange, hip hop music workshops and a choreographic lab engaging emerging dancers and musicians from Wan Smolbag and New Caledonia interested in exploring contemporary performance making practices, grounded in hip hop culture. This residency deepens Australia-Pacific relations through cultural exchange, while driving tangible outcomes including a new, inter-cultural hip hop dance and music work, planned for 2026.
Moogahlin Performing Arts – First Peoples story THE VISITORS by Jane Harrison travels to AOTEAROA in 2026
Country: New Zealand
Project delivery dates: January – March 2026
Awarded grant amount: $60,000 (ex. GST)
Website: Moogahlin Performing Arts
On a sweltering day in January 1788, seven clan leaders gather on a sandstone escarpment overlooking the harbour.
The attendees, six of them Elders and one new initiate, catch-up, laugh together, share a meal and compare notes. But beyond the friendly banter, protocols, and hospitality, a momentous decision is waiting to be made.
A mysterious fleet of giant nawi is amassing in the harbour and as they creep closer, these seven representatives must choose unanimously: whether to send these strangers on their way or welcome them?
Visitors leave. Right?
Awarded Best Mainstage Production and Best Ensemble at the 2023 Sydney Theatre Awards, written by Muruwari playwright Jane Harrison, and directed by one of Australia's most celebrated directors, Quandamooka man Wesley Enoch. The Visitors is a riveting, deeply researched insight into one of the most impactful and painful days in Australia's history and a hugely entertaining study of how communities respond to change and the unknown.
Big hART – Tjaabi performance & cultural exchange
Country: Samoa and Solomon Islands
Project delivery date: May 2026
Awarded grant amount: $58,748 (ex. GST)
Website: Big hART
Tjaabi performance & cultural workshop series in Samoa and Solomon Islands consists of public theatrical music performances, arts and culture workshops for young people, and cultural exchanges between Ngarluma cultural leader Patrick Churnside and First Nations people in Samoa and Solomon Islands.
Tjaabi tour will highlight the tjaabi song form as a remarkable Australian cultural phenomenon to spark and inspire increased passion for culture and song; share First Nations voices and lived experience in the Pacific; build cultural understanding; increase peacefulness; strengthen relationships between cultural groups from the Pilbara and Pacific; and build international partnerships between arts organisations focussed on two-way skill development.
Project partners are Big hART, Dreamcast Theatre Solomon Islands, and SamoaGEM.
Queensland Museum – Say Our Name: Australian South Sea Islanders
Country: Vanuatu and New Caledonia
Project delivery dates: September – November 2025
Awarded grant amount: $13,700 (ex. GST)
Website: Queensland Museum
Queensland Museum has received an Australian Cultural Diplomacy Grants Program (ACDGP) grant to explore touring its exhibition Say Our Name: Australian South Sea Islanders to Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
Curated in collaboration with the Australian South Sea Islander community, Say Our Name: Australian South Sea Islanders marks 30 years since their official recognition as a distinct cultural group. Featuring rich tapestry of historical artefacts, personal stories, and contemporary artworks, the exhibition honours a legacy of resilience and offers visitors an immersive experience into the lives of Australian South Sea Islanders.
This initiative seeks to share these important stories beyond Australia, fostering deeper cultural connections and dialogue with our Pacific neighbours.
