SHAH ALAM, Sept 25 — Funding and government grants are among the main requirements sought by arts practitioners in efforts to further expand the creative industry, said state executive councillor for youth, sports, and entrepreneurship Mohd Najwan Halimi.
Based on feedback during the Selangor Creative Economy Expo 2025 (SCEE25), he said most arts practitioners face capital constraints, which hinder their works from progressing and growing.
As such, Najwan hopes that appropriate allocations will be announced in the 2026 Selangor Budget to empower and advance the orange economy in the future.
“They want to see how the state government can assist through grants and funding to help them start or run their enterprises.
“We hope for the proper allocations in the budget. Applications and discussions with certain parties have already taken place, and we have been informed that the Menteri Besar has responded positively,” he told Media Selangor.
Najwan added that the CRE8 programme, involving a RM80,000 allocation, held in conjunction with SCEE25, was an initial step in providing funding to help arts practitioners secure capital.
“Participants submitted their proposals, and we will assess them based on needs and uniqueness. From this, we can see that industry players clearly require funding.
“Moving forward, we will determine the most suitable forms of assistance as well as other needs that can support them,” he said.
Yesterday, Selangor successfully hosted SCEE25 for the first time, serving as a platform to elevate the state as a regional creative hub with a gross domestic product (GDP) target of RM20 billion by 2035.
Over its two-day run, the programme, co-organised with the Selangor Youth Community (SAY), highlighted six key drivers, including talent development, market access, and financing.
Also emphasised under the theme 'Re:Imagine Selangor — Creativity is the New Economy' were infrastructure readiness, digital empowerment, and strong governance.
