Major boost for arts education: $30 million philanthropic partnership for WAAPA

Premier Roger Cook announced the development of eight new theatre spaces for the forthcoming WAAPA City Campus on 25th October 2024, along with a landmark philanthropic contribution by the Minderoo Foundation.
Making the announcement, Premier Cook said “ECU City and WAAPA will transform the face and very fabric of Perth’s CBD… The relocation of these Western Australian institutions will draw thousands of students, staff and audience members into our city centre, driving economic activity, supporting businesses and creating a thriving and vibrant CBD day and night… Today we are excited to unveil the development of WAAPA’s exceptional city performance theatres, which will put our State on the map as a world-leading centre of arts and culture.
The bigger picture for the future of performing arts in WA is beginning to emerge, with remarkable talent set to pass through the doors of ECU City WAAPA in 2026 – as our new $233 million Perth Film Studios welcomes its first productions and the revitalised Perth Cultural Centre opens to the public. The vision for ECU City and WAAPA is coming to life, and I welcome ECU’s partnerships with leading philanthropic organisations such as Minderoo Foundation…”
Edith Cowan University (ECU) and Minderoo Foundation have entered a $30 million, 25-year philanthropic partnership in support of the state-of-the-art new home for the university’s Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).
The biggest-ever gift to the performing arts in Australia is one of the largest donations received by a WA university and in the top ten of all philanthropic contributions to any Australian university.

​The partnership with Minderoo Foundation builds on the $853 million investment made between ECU, the Western Australian Government and Australian Government in the new ECU City campus through the Perth City Deal. The new ECU City campus is currently under construction in Perth’s CBD and on track to open in semester one of 2026. ECU City will bring more than 300 public performances a year to world-class theatres in the heart of Perth.
As the centrepiece of the $1.7 billion Perth City Deal, ECU City will bring together creative industries, business and law, and emerging technologies. The 65,000m² university is set to bring a community of more than 10,000 staff and students to the Perth City Link precinct.
The specialist fit-out grant will equip WAAPA’s six public performance venues and two performance-capable rehearsal spaces with advanced acoustics, box-in-box engineering and best-in-class technology. With cutting-edge design inspired by the world’s best theatres, the facilities will create exceptional opportunities for students to hone their craft.
The eight new theatres planned for WAAPA City Campus include a Recital Hall, Playhouse Theatre, Dance Theatre, Jazz and Contemporary Music Studio, Flex Theatre and Aboriginal Theatre, as well as Music Rehearsal and Playhouse Theatre Rehearsal spaces.
The agreement also establishes investment in a new Premier Visiting Artists Fund, which is intended to foster deep, sustained training for WAAPA students across residency programs, teaching and other high-impact formats, led by world-renowned artists. The fund will enable the delivery of an ongoing program of teaching excellence that attracts teaching talent to Perth, building WAAPA’s global profile.
Outgoing WA Culture and the Arts Minister David Templeman said: “This partnership is great news for the future of the arts in our State and nationally… WAAPA is an important cultural institution in Western Australia, and it is incredibly exciting to bring it to the cultural heartland of Perth – our city centre.  
Future generations of homegrown performing artists will learn from the very best in world-class training and performance venues, before going on to exceptional careers that will see them take to the finest stages in Perth, and across the globe. Together with our investment into the revitalisation of the Perth Cultural Centre and the future Perth Film Studios, our city is set to be transformed into a thriving, vibrant beating heart, with WAAPA at ECU City the jewel in the crown.”
The $853 million ECU City project is part of the $1.7 billion collaboration between the Albanese Federal Government, the WA Cook Labor Government and ECU, to deliver Perth’s first inner-city comprehensive university campus. 

​Learn more on the City Campus website, or explore renderings of the new facilities in this CX Magazine article.