Para/Site Art Space, Hong Kong’s leading independent, non-profit arts organization, has been awarded a Springboard Grant by the Advisory Committee on Arts Development (ACAD) in Hong Kong. It is the only visual arts organization to receive the grant, which is part of a new support scheme announced by ACAD in June last year.

The new grant scheme is part of the Arts Capacity Development Funding Scheme, a program built around the development and promotion of "local artists and arts groups."

The Springboard Grant is a matching grant that requires the recipient to provide equal funding, with a minimum one quarter to come from non-government funding.

When announcing the establishment of the grant program Chairman of ACAD, Mr Chung Shui-ming, said, "The Funding Scheme seeks to fund applications that contribute to the objectives of program/contents development, audience building, arts education and capacity development.  It aims to supplement existing funding schemes for the arts and, in particular, to provide new funding opportunities to enhance capacity development for promising arts groups and practitioners, and activities/projects of a large scale and/or of a long time frame."

Since its founding in 1996, Para/Site has established itself as a leading voice for alternative cultural development in the region, representing Hong Kong in the 50th (2003) and 53rd (2009) Venice Biennale as well as the 4th Gwangju Biennale (2002.)  The institution is responsible for bringing influential artists to Hong Kong such as Ai Weiwei, Dennis Oppenheim, Franz Ackermann, Tsang Kin-wah and Vito Acconci.

Speaking to BLOUIN ARTINFO Hong Kong Para/Site executive director/curator Cosmin Costinas said “the Springboard Grant allows us at Para/Site to continue to remain faithful to our promise to the Hong Kong public to be one of the leading independent art institutions in Asia.”

The ACAD has awarded HK$2.8 million to Para/Site which Costinas says will go into “the development of the structural integrity of the institution, funding the development of all the components that are not exhibition based such as conferences, books and research projects.”

Para/Site will be eligible to apply for the grant again this year with a possible HK$4.5 million available in funding. There is a maximun funding period of three years with a HK$7.5 million cap.

Although clearly pleased with the support Costinas did sound a note of caution: "the Hong Kong Government needs to be clear that matching funds are great but they cannot provide this high level of funding and then just pull out completely. There must be an understanding on both sides about sustainability."