Indigenous Languages and Arts program

Language and art form a large part of culture and are essential to the wellbeing and identity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and are integral to maintaining the vitality and strength of Indigenous communities.

The Indigenous Languages and Arts (ILA) program provides over $20 million annually to community-based organisations for projects that support participation in and maintenance of Indigenous culture through languages and arts.

The Australian Government has committed an additional $10 million of funding over four years, 2016–2020, to protect, preserve and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. The additional investment will complement the outcomes achieved through the ILA program by:

engaging and consulting nationally.
supporting digital solutions and partnerships for the ongoing capture and teaching of language.
supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' capacity to teach, preserve and revive Indigenous languages.

The funding of these projects will be administered through the ILA program in accordance with the program's funding guidelines.

In the first two years of this commitment (2016–2017 and 2017–2018) there was a focus on attracting and supporting language projects with a specific focus on digital initiatives that use technology in an innovative and culturally sensitive manner. In the remaining two years of funding the government is shifting the focus to encourage projects that support the career development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to teach, preserve and revive Indigenous languages.

Funding

The ILA program provides funding to organisations that support participation in, and maintenance of, Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures through languages and arts.

Funding under the Program is distributed annually through two grant opportunities:

a competitive grant round (called 'the Open Round') open to all eligible organisations wishing to submit applications for languages and arts projects
a restricted competitive grant opportunity (called 'the Direct Offer Round') for eligible organisations who have been invited by the ILA Team to apply.