Image Credits: Afro Dance Festival 2024, M3 Dance Association
City of Darwin is pleased to announce the recipients of its Community Grants Program, with funding allocated to projects that strengthen community connection, inclusion and participation across Darwin.
The program provides funding for community organisations to deliver one-off projects, activities and events that enrich cultural, recreational and social opportunities.
Lord Mayor Peter Styles said City of Darwin was proud to continue supporting initiatives that help create a more inclusive, connected and vibrant city.
"City of Darwin allocates $100,000 through the Community Grants Program to support one-off activities and events that benefit the community," Mr Styles said.
"This round attracted strong interest from the community, with the highest number of applications received in recent years across a diverse range of projects and initiatives.
"I'm pleased to see a variety of projects supported in this round of funding, including an immersive visual theatre experience based on Larrakia cultural knowledge, batik workshops led by Indonesian artists, dance battles that support local talent and an all-abilities netball game to encourage youth participation in sport," he said.
The full list of grant recipients is as follows:
- Darwin Community Arts will present Gunamidirra, a free immersive visual theatre experience based on Larrakia cultural knowledge, featuring live music, puppetry, dance and interactive workshops exploring saltwater country, marine life and custodianship.
- Sahul & Sunda will deliver four accessible batik workshops led by Indonesian artists, highlighting shared botanical knowledge between Northern Australia and Indonesia. Participants will learn techniques, create motifs and contribute to a collaborative artwork.
- M3 Dance will deliver the NT Street Dance Festival, a three-day program showcasing local BBoys, hip hop dancers and other street styles. The program also includes workshops, performances and dance battles that support local talent and promote street dance culture.
- Dementia Alliance Darwin will host the Community Walk/Jog for Dementia Awareness, a family-friendly event uniting community members to support people living with dementia. The event includes a 2km or 4km route option, as well as information stations and a shared morning tea, promoting inclusion and awareness as well as fundraising for local dementia-friendly programs and services.
- Nigerian Association Northern Territory Australia will deliver the Cultural Identity Lab Youth Dialogue Series, supporting African-descended young people in Darwin to explore identity, belonging and cultural pride through workshops, discussions and creative activities.
- Netball NT will host the Community Netball Carnival, an inclusive event featuring youth social games, all-abilities participation and walking netball to encourage community connection and lifelong participation in sport.
