Creative Australia has announced $13.72 million in funding for 278 creative projects across the country, backing initiatives that connect artists with communities and showcase Australian stories.

The latest round of investment spans projects supported through Creative Australia, Music Australia, Writing Australia, First Nations Arts and the Visual Art, Craft and Design Partnership Framework.

Among the major recipients is YIRRAMBOI First Nations Festival’s Weelam Ngalut (Our Home), which will expand the Uncle Jack Charles Festival Hub into a larger First Nations-led public arts precinct in Melbourne.

Also funded is Holly Austin’s Kite Choir: A Global Sky Symphony, a large-scale public artwork featuring hundreds of kites carrying recordings of children’s voices collected across Australia and overseas.

Kite Choir. Photo supplied

Regional arts projects are also prominent, including Catapult Dance Choreographic Hub’s Impact Festival in Lake Macquarie, which will provide opportunities for independent dance artists and strengthen First Nations programming in regional New South Wales.

The funding round also supports new writing and poetry collections by authors including Nam Le, John Kinsella and Jill Jones.

Acting Creative Australia chief executive Tim Blackwell said the investment would support First Nations artists, young people and regional communities while helping Australian work reach national and international audiences.