- Minister for Equality
Community LGBTIQ events and festivals across Victoria will receive a funding boost from the Andrews Labor Government to help celebrate diversity and inclusion.
Minister for Equality Martin Foley today announced more than $150,000 in funding for 45 community events and festivals that celebrate LGBTIQ communities, diversity and social inclusion.
The Labor Government’s Pride Events and Festivals Fund supports a diverse range of events, such as LGBTIQ arts and culture, sports, literature, and community events.
Funded events include Minus18’s ground-breaking Queer Formal and the Geelong Pride Film Festival.
Events from rural and regional areas, such as Gippsland’s Pride Initiative’s 2020 Pride Gala and the Ballarat Frolic Festival, received almost sixty per cent of the funding pool.
These events are helping build LGBTIQ visibility and support in all communities across Victoria. No matter where someone lives or works – they should feel included, safe and free to be themselves.
The Pride Events and Festivals Fund was established with a $2 million investment through the 2018-19 Victorian Budget.
It aims to strengthen LGBTIQ community pride, recognise and support marginalised or isolated people, celebrate and build resilience in the face on ongoing discrimination and build visibility of LGBTIQ communities.
The latest announcement builds on almost $200,000 provided by the Labor Government in 2019 for larger established LGBTIQ events – Midsumma Festival, the Coming Back Out Ball, Melbourne Queer Film Festival, the GLOBE Awards, and the International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics (IGLA) Championships.
For the full list of successful funding recipients visit
As stated by Minister for Equality Martin Foley
“By supporting these pride events and festivals, we’re sending a loud message that in Victoria – who you are is not only good enough, it is worth celebrating.”
“We know from listening to LGBTIQ people in rural and regional Victoria that these events are a sign of hope for those experiencing discrimination and isolation, and we’re proud to support them.”
