The Malta Arts Fund is currently undergoing a total rehaul that is set to offer applicants more funding options, less red tape and centralisation of the different strands of funding schemes – both local and international – under the portfolio of the Arts Council Malta.

The initial stage to the proposed restructuring is currently in progress and is focused on internal research and consultation. This will be followed by an extensive public consultation process with beneficiaries and stakeholders which is envisaged to start in June.

Arts Council Malta director of strategy Toni Attard.

The new system will come into play next year with funds being more effectively channelled, according to Arts Council Malta director of strategy Toni Attard, who is spearheading the process.

“Our starting point is to focus on what the sector is in need of most urgently. Since the Arts Council is not a govern-ment department, its arms’ length status allows us to act as the middleman to negotiate the interests of both sides,” Attard said.

The resulting strategy will cover the 2016 to 2020 period, with one of the priorities being to establish a relationship with non-cultural organisations – such as Malta Enterprise - in order to push an agenda for the arts across the board.

“The Arts Council is the champion of the sector and it needs to make sure that its voice is strong. We do not intend to sit back and see what money lands in our laps. We will certainly be taking a more proactive approach when it comes to securing funds, for instance by joining forces with other organisations to match funds.”

Asked about what changes, if any, will be made when it comes to the actual process of fund adjudication, Attard said that the council will be more focused on facilitating conversations between artists and entities and between artists themselves.

“Rather than us telling applicants whether their art is good or not, whether it deserves X amount of money or not, the idea is to support the creative process in a more holistic manner. We will do this by centralising all portfolios and by directing the funds towards projects and initiatives that will enrich Malta’s cultural landscape.

“We certainly intend to make it easier for the creatives behind such projects to both identify which funds are best suited for their purpose and to apply for them.”

This, Attard said, will be achieved by implementing a simpler application process. At present, whether applicants are asking for €2,000 or €20,000, the process is the same, with many complaining that it is an unnecessarily laborious and time-consuming effort.

We do not intend to sit back and see what money lands in our laps

“We are aware that the present system can cause frustration to artists. We want to reduce the administrative burden on the applicant and also introduce an element of flexibility. There have been situations where an applicant would be refused funds on a technicality and we are working to avoid this happening again. One of the ideas is to offer the option of an online application for certain funds.”

Attard is insistent on the fact that the funds are not intended to offer a sponsorship in the traditional manner by simply filling a gap in the finances of an artist’s project.

“The council will invest in the process and it needs to be present during the artistic journey, from research down to fruition. It is not about applying for funds at the conclusion of an idea, but more about us supporting the research and development process.”

Attard uses the case of a visual arts exhibition as example. The Arts Council, he explains, should not be approached for funding of the final component. Rather, it is meant to support the process that comes before. What about the final component itself? How will artists make that a reality without funding?

“Private sponsorships are essential. Public funds are not there as a bailout for when you are short of budget. They are there to strengthen the landscape. We are aware that it is difficult for artists to secure funding through private sources, so we are looking at expanding on the current tax incentives for donations and other funding mechanisms such as crowd funding.

“It would be very short-sighted of us to give the message that everything is fine, because government will pay for your exhibition, your recording or whatever.”

He mentions how budget cuts negatively impacted publicly funded organisations across Europe. Having no other source of money many cultural entities had no choice but to shut down. With €43 million set aside for culture every year, Malta is one of the few countries that didn’t suffer budgeting cuts in the sector in the past year. Of these, Arts Council Malta has a portfolio of €1.3 million in terms of public funding programmes.

“We are looking at a more dynamic cultural ecology with a longer termplan that brings together public cultural organisations, cultural NGOs and creative entrepreneurs. To give one example, we are currently investigating ways to establish a regular funding mechanism that will invest in cultural organisations over a three-year period to partner with the council in its delivery of our strategic objectives.

“We would also like to incentivise further the start-up process of the creative industries to ensure sustainable growth of a developing sector.”

The new structure will offer a mix of strategy-led initiatives – such as funding for educational programmes, festivals, etc – and specific funding. The latter will be targeted at both young, emerging and experimental individual artists as well as large scale international productions and co-productions.

“However, it’s not just a question of ticking the boxes. Artists will be able to navigate between different funds for different facets or stages of their project. There will also be an element of training, as artists need the necessary support and networks to leverage both national and international funds, how to approach companies and so forth. The council will act as the broker in this relationship.”

Funding, Attard says, will cover anything from the smallest training session to a whole festival and includes every-thing that furthers the artistic process such as training, experimentation,documentation process, ex-portation of ideas and so forth.

“A centralised funding portfolio will ensure that artists and creative professionals are able to navigate through a structured system with better support services that go beyond the funding of projects. We can also reassure government that every euro spent in culture is an investment worth strengthening with exceptional added value to our society and the economy.”

For more information on the Malta Arts Fund call the Arts Council Malta on 2339 7000 or send an e-mail to funding.mcca@maltaculture.com.