Runway ready: Hobart grants help local designers shine
Published on 20 June 2025
The City of Hobart has awarded a new round of community, creative, and event grants, supporting a diverse range of projects that enrich the cultural and social fabric of the city.
This round includes 34 grants totalling $257,482, with recipients spanning the arts, community development, and event sectors.
These range from ceramic burrows for Hobart’s little penguins (a $14,908 Creative Hobart medium grant), to concerts marking the 90th anniversary of the Thylacine’s extinction (a $5000 Creative Hobart small grant) and Home Base’s Community Christmas lunch (a $5000 Community grant).
Among the recipients is the Tasmanian Fashion Festival, which has been awarded $20,000 to deliver a two-day promotion and celebration of local fashion, creativity, and enterprise.
The festival will feature runway shows spotlighting Tasmanian designers and fashion houses, alongside workshops, live entertainment, and music performances.
A highlight of the festival is the Up & Coming Designer Showcase, an awarded runway that champions emerging designers from across the state. This initiative is particularly popular with young creatives, including students from Tasmanian high schools, colleges, and community organisations.
In addition to its own grants, the City of Hobart also delivers the Youth Climate Action Fund (YCAF) — a global initiative supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies. While the City facilitates the program, all financial support is provided by Bloomberg.
The YCAF empowers young people aged 15 to 24 to lead climate action projects in their communities, with grants of up to $7,500 available. Over two rounds, the City has awarded more than $200,000 of Bloomberg funding to 30 youth-led projects, ranging from sustainability workshops and creative arts initiatives to urban greening and clean energy installations.
For more information about the City of Hobart’s grants programs, visit hobartcity.com.au/grants.
For more about the Tasmanian Fashion Festival visit here.
Quotes to be attributed to Hobart Deputy Lord Mayor Dr Zelinda Sherlock:
“These grants are about empowering our community to bring their ideas to life — whether that’s through art, events, or grassroots initiatives.
“The Tasmanian Fashion Festival is a fantastic example of how our support can help elevate local talent and create opportunities for young people to shine on a public stage.”
Quotes to be attributed to Tasmanian Fashion Festival Incorporated President Tanya Ellis:
“The Tasmanian Fashion Festival places Tasmania alongside other Australian states that have long celebrated fashion through large-scale industry events.
“The support from the City of Hobart is instrumental in helping the festival grow into a nationally recognised event.
“This funding allows us to highlight local designers, engage young creatives and deliver economic value to the city through increased tourism, media exposure and business participation.”