We’re excited to re-introduce Pride Elevates & Pride Empowerment for Auckland Pride Festival 2027, and Expression of Interests are now open for both programmes.

About Pride Elevates:

Following its success in the 2025 Auckland Pride Festival, Pride Elevates returns to Q Loft for the Auckland Pride Festival in 2027.

Pride Elevates seeks to illuminate how complexities and nuances of Takatāpui and Rainbow identities shape artistic expression and contribute to our shared narratives. We welcome all forms of creative expression and are excited to provide a platform for artists to reflect on the multifaceted nature of identity, connection, and resilience.

It is important to note that this programme requires artists who have the necessary experience and skills to develop, refine, and stage a work within the context of a festival and to do so within a four-month timeframe. We’re looking for artists who are ready to engage deeply with their craft, with ready-to-present works, and who bring a high level of professionalism and dedication to the creative process and the Auckland Pride Festival.

Pride Elevates is dedicated to providing artists with extensive support to ensure the success and longevity of their work. While Auckland Pride will financially contribute, we also offer a wealth of resources designed to enhance both the creative process and the visibility of your project, as well as connection to a whānau and lineage of queer arts practice in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Pride Elevates allows a journey that will challenge you to delve into a deeper understanding of how your practice resonates within and beyond our communities. If you have the experience and the passion to meet this challenge, we want to hear from you.

What you’ll get as a Pride Elevates Artist

• Q Theatre Loft full hire for a 5 night season
• A dedicated Production Manager and Venue Technician who will oversee your entire season
• Artistic development opportunities such as wānanga, workshops, and regular check-ins. We expect full engagement in this collaborative process. This is an opportunity to refine your practice within a supportive environment that fosters creative growth, mutual respect, and the sharing of ideas and experiences.
• A publicity and marketing package
• $10,000 towards artist fees, production and material cost support

Who Can Apply for Pride Elevates

Pride Elevates is designed to uplift and amplify the voices of our diverse creatives. This programme aims to create a vibrant rich tapestry of performances that truly inspire, speak to and resonate with our audiences. We invite applications from a wide range of individuals and groups who are passionate about their art and looking to make a meaningful impact through creativity. We specifically seek applicants who have prior experience in staging their chosen show or a show to a similar scale. Below are the categories of applicants eligible to apply:

1. Collectives
2. Individuals
3. Community Groups
4. Established Performance Groups

Find out more about Pride Elevates in this info pack.

You can apply now via this written form or video submission.

Pride Elevates EOIs close Sunday 25 October 11:59PM.

Pride Elevates Info Sessions

1. Information Session 1: Friday 09th October 5.30PM - 6.30PM

REGISTER FOR INFO SESSION 1 HERE

1. Information Session 2: Wednesday 14th October 5.30PM - 6.30PM

REGISTER FOR INO SESSION 2 HERE

About Pride Empowerment:

Auckland Pride is excited to re-introduce The Rule Foundation Pride Empowerment initiative, a celebration of community, resilience, and the transformative power of collective action during the annual Auckland Pride Festival. This initiative is more than just a seed funding opportunity; it is a commitment to uplifting the many unique communities within our Kāhui Takatāpui and Rainbow Communities, enabling them to tell their stories, amplify their contributions, and foster a profound sense of belonging within our broader whānau.

As a membership organisation we understand the power of a collective journey, and together, we will continue to build an Auckland Pride Festival that honours the self-determination of artist-run spaces, groups and collectives. Through The Rule Foundation Pride Empowerment fund, we acknowledge how collective practice is our lifeblood, we recognise and celebrate the vital role shared visions and collective action play in nourishing our sense of self and belonging, both within the city, throughout the region but more importantly within our own neighbourhoods.

What’s New: Pride Empowerment delivered in Partnership with The Rule Foundation

Following the success of a more informal funding disbursing relationship in the 2026 Auckland Pride Festival, The Rule Foundation and Auckland Pride have teamed up to reignite the formerly known ‘Pride Empowerment’ initiative through a formalised partnership to offer our communities resource to bring their ideas to life during the 2027 Auckland Pride Festival.

What you’ll get as a Rule Foundation Pride Empowerment Artist

• A grant of up to $3000 
• Publicity and marketing support
• Connection to Auckland Council Proud Centres and other partner venues if you need support with a venue for your work

Who Can Apply for Pride Empowerment

We invite applications from a wide range of collectives and groups who are passionate about their communities and looking to make a meaningful impact during the 2027 Auckland Pride Festival. Below are the categories of applicants eligible to apply:

1. Collectives
2. Community Groups
3.  Artist Run Spaces

Find out more about Pride Empowerment in this info pack.

Apply now via this form.

Pride Empowerments EOIs close Sunday 8 November 11:59PM.