The Hodgman Liberal Government is a strong supporter of the arts in Tasmania.
We are very pleased that Arts Tasmania's successful Crowbar program, successfully piloted in 2014, is being offered again in 2015.
Arts Tasmania's Crowbar program aims to help artists and organisations test the market for projects or products, expand and grow their audiences and supporters and encourage a culture of individual investment in the arts.
Crowbar is a crowdfunding incentive program that encourages supporters to get behind a project by providing an additional financial contribution from Arts Tasmania when the crowdfunding project reaches its target.
Crowdfunding encourages people to invest small amounts of money in a project to help an individual or organisation to achieve a larger financial goal.
Crowbar was run as a pilot program in 2014. During the pilot, 18 projects were supported by Arts Tasmania with an investment of $31,150. This support leveraged $90,434 through more than 1,215 pledges from other supporters.
The Crowbar investment payment provided by Arts Tasmania is 50 per cent of the campaign target, capped at $2,000 for successful and approved campaigns.
Investors in projects in 2014 came from every state and territory in Australia, as well as from America, Sweden, Singapore, the UK and Canada.
Crowbar can be used to fund things that might not be normally eligible for Arts Tasmania investment, like purchasing equipment, CD pressing, book printing or awards.
It is open to Tasmanian artists, arts organisations and small museums and collections and will continue to be offered in partnership with Australian crowdfunding platform Pozible.
Applications for the 2015 program will open on March 1. For further information visit www.arts.tas.gov.au/crowbar
To view and support current campaigns please visit the Arts Tasmania Collection on Pozible: www.pozible.com/artstasmania