Arts & Culture Organisations · Marzipan
Websites for arts and culture organisations that serve audiences, not algorithms.
Digital stewardship for arts organisations, community arts groups, and cultural institutions — accessible, secure, and maintained to the standard your funding obligations require. Sydney-based. Board-ready reporting included.
An arts organisation's website carries more weight than most people inside the organisation realise. It is where grant assessors look before they read your application. It is where community members decide whether a programme is for them. It is where journalists, philanthropists, and government partners form their first impression of your work.
Most arts and cultural organisations are producing extraordinary work. The website rarely reflects that. It loads slowly, fails on mobile, sits on a neglected platform, and drops in search results when no one is watching. The gap between the quality of the work and the quality of the digital presence is a risk — to funding relationships, to audience reach, and to the organisation's long-term credibility.
We work with arts and cultural organisations, not alongside them. That means we understand grant acquittal reporting, Creative Australia funding cycles, the realities of small teams running large programmes, and what it means when the only person who knows how the website works has left.
What we do
What we do for arts and culture organisations
Accessible by design, not as an afterthought
WCAG 2.1 AA compliance built in from the start, not retrofitted. For arts organisations — particularly those serving people with disability, or those in receipt of government arts funding — accessibility is both a condition of funding and an expression of your values. We audit, remediate, and monitor so that a complaint or a funding review does not catch you off guard.
Search visibility for the people who want to find you
When someone searches "community arts programme Sydney" or "artist residency NSW", your organisation needs to appear. We build search presence on substance — correctly structured service and programme pages, geographic relevance, and schema markup that search engines can read. Not tactics that erode when algorithms shift.
Programme and event pages that work on mobile
Arts audiences are on their phones. A ticketing link that times out, an event page that loads slowly, or a programme PDF buried three clicks deep is a lost audience member. We ensure your public-facing content is fast, findable, and functional on every device.
Google Ad Grant setup and compliance
Arts organisations registered with the ACNC qualify for up to $10,000 per month in free Google advertising. Most are either unaware of this, or managing the Grant in ways that risk suspension. We handle application, campaign setup, ongoing compliance, and optimisation — so your free advertising continues to reach the audiences and communities you serve.
Ongoing stewardship, not a build-and-disappear project
We remain accountable after launch. Security patches, accessibility monitoring, content updates, and quarterly reporting — handled quietly and consistently, without you having to chase us. No surprise invoices. No project creep.
Risk management
The risks we help you manage
Arts and cultural organisations serve public audiences, operate under funding conditions, and often have limited internal digital capacity. These are the specific digital risks your organisation carries.
Grant assessors look at your website
Funding bodies — Creative Australia, state arts agencies, philanthropic trusts — review your digital presence as part of their assessment process. A slow, outdated, or inaccessible website signals organisational instability. We ensure your site reflects the professionalism and care you put into your programmes.
WCAG non-compliance is a condition of funding risk
For arts organisations in receipt of government funding, an inaccessible website is not just an ethical failing — it can constitute a breach of funding conditions. The Australian Human Rights Commission has made clear that inaccessible websites can constitute discrimination under the Disability Discrimination Act. We audit, remediate, and monitor compliance on an ongoing basis.
An unpatched platform is an unlocked door
Outdated CMS platforms and unmaintained plugins are actively exploited. For a cultural institution or community arts organisation, a compromised website means reputational damage, potential data exposure, and the prospect of a notifiable data breach under the Privacy Act. We manage security updates proactively — not after something goes wrong.
Key person dependency is a quiet crisis
Many arts organisations have one person who manages the website. When they leave — and they do — no one knows the passwords, the hosting provider, or how to make changes. We document your digital infrastructure, manage access controls, and ensure continuity regardless of staffing changes.
Being unfindable means smaller audiences and a weaker funding case
Poor search visibility is not just a marketing problem. It weakens your case for community reach when reporting to funders, reduces programme enquiries, and makes it harder to attract philanthropic partners. We build and maintain the search foundations that keep you visible to the people who matter most.
How we work
How we work with arts and culture organisations
We are a small practice. We take on fewer clients so we can remain genuinely accountable to each one. Here is how we begin.
Digital Capacity Diagnosis
We start with a structured review of your website, search presence, accessibility, security, and digital operations. The output is a plain-English, board-ready document that prioritises risk and action. $1,500 + GST. No obligation to proceed further.
Digital Stewardship Programme
From there, most organisations move into ongoing accountability for your digital presence at a fixed monthly retainer. Predictable cost. No project creep. No surprise invoices. We take quiet, consistent responsibility for the things that would otherwise fall through the cracks.
Quarterly reporting in plain English
We report quarterly. Your board and executive director do not need to understand Google Analytics to understand our reports. Everything is written for leadership, not developers — with clear findings, risk ratings, and recommended next steps.
What clients say
What purpose-driven organisations say about working with us
“Working with Marzipan Media was a great experience, especially for our not-for-profit community group. With our shoestring budget, we needed a website that was affordable but still welcoming, accessible, and effective — and Marzipan Media delivered exactly that. They took the time to understand who we are and who we support, creating a site that feels warm, inclusive, and easy to navigate. They also helped us improve our visibility online through smart content structure and search-friendly design. Since the new site launched, we've seen a steady increase in visitors and more people reaching out for support and information. Marzipan Media combined professionalism with genuine care for our mission, and it shows in the results. We're grateful for their help and would happily recommend them to other community organisations looking to help more people by strengthening their online presence.”
Sanctuary BPD Carer Support Group
“We've been working with Ben to improve our law practice's online and digital presence, and the experience has been outstanding. Ben is the owner of Marzipan, and that shows in the level of care, accountability, and consistency he brings to his work. He is refreshingly transparent about expectations, under-promises, and consistently over-delivers. His calm approach and genuine honesty are, sadly, a rarity in the digital agency space. We've seen material improvements in our organic SEO ranking and AI recommendations. We always feel well-informed and supported. I would highly recommend Ben to any business looking for reliable, ethical, and highly effective digital support.”
Chad Nolan
Principal, Nolan Lawyers
We work with arts and cultural organisations across Australia. If you would like to speak with a current client before enquiring, we are happy to arrange that.
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Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Do arts organisations qualify for the Google Ad Grant?
Yes, provided the organisation is registered with the ACNC as a charitable organisation. The Google Ad Grant provides up to $10,000 per month in free Google Ads spend. Eligibility requires Google for Nonprofits registration, which we can assist with. We also manage ongoing compliance to prevent suspension.
What are our website accessibility obligations as a funded arts organisation?
WCAG 2.1 AA is the recognised standard for web accessibility in Australia. For arts organisations in receipt of government funding — from Creative Australia, state arts agencies, or local councils — inaccessible websites carry real legal exposure under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, and can be a condition of funding issue. We audit your current position, remediate what needs fixing, and monitor compliance on an ongoing basis.
We have no in-house digital capacity. Is that a problem?
No — it is precisely the situation we are designed for. The Digital Stewardship Programme removes the ongoing management burden from your team entirely. You receive a predictable monthly cost, quarterly plain-English reporting, and one accountable point of contact for everything digital.
Our website was built by a volunteer or a past staff member and we don’t really understand it. Can you still help?
Yes. We start with a Digital Capacity Diagnosis that documents what you have, identifies the risks, and gives you a clear picture of your options. Many organisations come to us in exactly this situation — uncertain about their infrastructure and with no one internally who can answer basic questions about it. That is what the Diagnosis is designed to address.
How much does a Digital Capacity Diagnosis cost?
The Diagnosis is $1,500 + GST. It covers your website’s security, accessibility, performance, search visibility, and digital governance. You receive a plain-English, board-ready document with prioritised recommendations. There is no obligation to proceed to ongoing stewardship — the fee is credited in full toward any subsequent engagement.
Do you work with organisations outside Sydney?
Yes. While we are based in Sydney, we work with organisations across Australia. Most of our ongoing work is managed remotely, and our processes are designed for clear, structured collaboration regardless of location. We also work with community legal centres and mental health organisations.
Start here
Start with a Diagnosis.
A Digital Capacity Diagnosis is a structured review of your website, search presence, accessibility, and digital operations — with board-ready findings in plain English. A practical starting point, not a sales process.
Learn about the Diagnosis
Digital Capacity DiagnosisOngoing digital accountability
Digital Stewardship ProgrammeFree Google advertising
Ad Grant eligibility check