The Arts Foundation

Backing artists to make their mark, the Arts Foundation was established in 1998 to honour extraordinary New Zealand artists.

Launched in 2000, the organisation represents a collective of arts supporters who believe the arts are integral to a thriving Aotearoa New Zealand. As well as giving financial gifts to New Zealand’s most outstanding artists, they then set out to tell New Zealanders all about it – helping encourage the arts are for everyone - through videos, social media, mainstream media and a dedicated month in September to help show the value the arts have on Aotearoa.

Since they began, their generous community of arts lovers have gifted 259 outstanding artists right around Aotearoa New Zealand, with awards totalling $6 million and more recently a ground-swell of Boosted givers have given almost $8.4 million to artists or arts organisations through the crowdfunding website, totalling almost $15 million towards amplifying the arts.

The Arts Foundation’s major awards, the Icons, Laureates and recently Springboard celebrate New Zealand’s most outstanding artists in literature, dance and choreography, film, visual arts, theatre and performance, music, composing and multi-disciplinary and inter-arts.