The City of Sydney has expanded the immediate and future support it is offering business, the city’s cultural and creative industries, and the community impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. A second package of financial support worth $47.5 million was endorsed at an emergency council meeting, conducted online on Monday to discuss COVID-19 support measures. This brings the estimated value of total support to $72.5 million.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore at the City of Sydney meeting to discuss COVID-19 measures, conducted online on Monday

In the 2019/20 financial year, the City of Sydney budgeted $4.8 million for existing grants programs to support cultural and creative organisations. In light of the devastating impact of COVID-19, that figure has been expanded to $8.3 million to support the viability of the sector by honouring existing grants – whether or not the organisation is able to deliver the program – and by establishing three new funding initiatives.

The Cultural Sector Resilience Grant Program, valued at $250,000, will provide immediate financial support to non-for-profits and sole traders working in the cultural sector who are often reliant on individual grant rounds and project based funds to maintain their minimal staff...