The Acorn Foundation is partnering with the FAME Trust based in Tauranga.

Founded in 2007, the FAME – which stands for Fund for Acting and Musical Endeavours - Trust has long provided support for young and mid-career artists, plus funded national organisations like the NZSO, Toi Whakaari NZ Drama School, and the NZ School of Dance and local groups such as Opus Orchestra, Youth Philharmonic and BOP Symphonia.

Acorn will be managing several scholarship and awards programmes for the FAME Trust, including six Emerging Practitioner Awards this year through the team at Creative Bay of Plenty.

Outstanding performing arts institutions, including University of Auckland, University of Waikato, Victoria University of Wellington, University of Otago, Toi Whakaari and NZ School of Dance will each have a $10,000 award to offer to students who have completed at least their first year of study.

These talented students will have a focus in the performing arts in one of the following areas of study:

-Music: instrumentalists, operatic singers, composers, producers, conductors, taonga puoro players

-Contemporary Dance: dancers, choreographers, producers, kapa haka leaders

-Theatre: actors, directors, playwrights, storytellers, theatrical technicians

The successful FAME Emerging Practicioner candidates will demonstrate a high level of skill in their field and show the ability to have a successful career that will have a positive impact on the cultural life of New Zealand.

Award winners will be eligible to apply again in subsequent years while they are still studying.

There will be one funding round per year, with an announcement of the winners from each institution in November.

According to Annie Hill, Funding and Projects Advisor at Creative Bay of Plenty, the awards will be a step change for recipients in the performing arts sector.

'The FAME Awards will provide a major boost to the studies of some of our most talented emerging artists, enabling them to spend more time perfecting their craft so they can reach the highest levels of their disciplines.”

In addition, there are two other categories of FAME awards, beginning in 2022:

-FAME Mid-Career Awards of $15,000 each (up to a total of three per year) will be available on a one-time basis to support the advancement and recognition of an established, highly productive and inspirational New Zealand performing artist. This award can be used for travel within New Zealand or internationally to perform or work with other companies or to pursue specialised educational opportunities.

-FAME Special Awards may be used to support New Zealand performing arts practitioners who have been affected by disaster, extreme hardship, and significant loss of property or trauma. Up to $20,000 annually will be available when the need arises.

A professional panel will be established to evaluate applications in both these categories with applications awarded on a rolling basis with no cut-off date.

Acorn Foundation CEO Lori Luke says that the founders of the FAME Trust are passionate patrons of the arts who have long supported the development of artistic talent in New Zealand.

'We are so pleased that the Acorn team can use our expertise to assist the FAME Trust in supporting talented individuals across the country to achieve their dreams.

'We can't thank the trustees enough for this commitment to creative excellence!”