Surabhi Kar, a Master of Public Policy student at UWA specialising in Economics, recently helped strengthen Perth Festival’s ethical funding framework through a McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship, with her efforts earning her a nomination for the Centre’s Outstanding Intern Award.
“Perth Festival is a not-for-profit arts organisation that provides a platform showcasing music, visual arts, literary performances, and films in Perth every summer,” Surabhi said.
“My internship was with the Partnerships and Development Team, who work to secure grants and funding required to organise the summer festival and other programs hosted by Perth Festival.
“In recent years, there has been growing demand for the arts sector to reject funding from fossil fuels and similar industries responsible for causing environmental damage; Perth Festival is conscious of this and has been developing an Ethical Funding Framework to essentially screens potential partners through several criteria to see if the funding is values-aligned with Perth Festival.
“My project was to test this framework on their current list of partners and evaluate how well this applied, identify gaps and produce further recommendations,” she said.
Internship supervisor Anna Lee Normann, Perth Festival’s Partnerships Manager, said Surabhi had gone above and beyond expectations, making significant contributions to the Ethical Funding Framework.
“Surabhi's efforts have brought about a transformation in how Perth Festival will approach partnerships and funding decisions.
“The Framework's focus on ethics, sustainability, transparency, and accountability will have a profound impact on the community, fostering meaningful relationships and strengthening the Festival's reputation as a socially responsible and impactful organisation,” Ms Normann said.
In addition to helping Perth Festival progress the project, Surabhi said that the internship experience had given her unique development opportunities.
“Working in the arts sector and on a project like this was a first for me… I had the opportunity to join various meetings by different teams within the organisation and learn a lot about different initiatives taking place in the organisation.
“The Access and Inclusion Advisory committee are working to ensure that the Festival is accessible and inclusive to everyone within the Perth community, a Noongar Advisory Circle also advises on projects concerning Aboriginal culture or the diverse choice of films and performances reflecting different cultures, local or international.
“Prior to my project, I was unaware about issues such as ethical funding and I am grateful to have been able to learn so extensively about the arts sector,” she said.
“Perth Festival implementing this framework would ensure that partners have an ethical and sustainable background or are actively working towards it… if other arts organisations also begin to actively adopt these kinds of frameworks, corporations and other partners will be challenged to actively work towards sustainable practices leading to positive impacts across various industries.”