Arts Activities Funding Frequently Asked Questions

Arts Activities funding is available through two categories: Up-to-$5K Funding and $5–50K Funding.

Up-to-$5K Funding is open all year round. Applications can be made at any time but must be submitted at least 6 weeks before the activity start date.

$5–50K Funding has two rounds per year, which open annually on 1 December, closing on 28 February (for activities starting 1 July), and opening again on 1 June and closing on 31 July (for activities starting 1 December).

This is an individual decision and will depend on the timing, the amount you require and the scope and stage of your activity. Determining what you need to successfully undertake your activity should assist you in deciding which category to apply for. Refer to the funding categories that are available.

Yes, you are permitted to apply and receive funding for both the Up-to-$5K Funding and $5-$50K Funding categories in the same calendar year, for a different activity or different stages of the same project.

You can only be the applicant for one application in each funding category. However, you can be a key creative in more than one application. For example, you may apply for your own activity and be listed as a key creative in another application, as long as you do not sign the application as the recipient of the funds or be listed as the office contact.

Both categories are highly subscribed, and funding is not guaranteed for either.

You can only submit one application at a time and receive funding once each calendar year in each of the Arts Activities categories (Up-to-$5K Funding and $5–50K Funding).

Applicants may receive funding through both categories for a different activity or another stage of your activity.

Up-to-$5K Funding: In exceptional circumstances, a second application may be considered when you have already been successful in the calendar year; however, you must discuss this with artsACT staff before applying.

If you are unsuccessful in either category, you may re-apply for the same or a different activity again in the future. You are encouraged to seek feedback from artsACT staff before submitting your application.

Yes, as long as you are applying for a different category, and your previous acquittal is not overdue. If your acquittal is due or overdue, you will be required to complete your acquittal report prior to being eligible for another grant.

You can apply a maximum of three times to the Up-to-$5K Funding category per calendar for the same activity. There is no limit to the number of times you can revise your application and reapply for the same activity in the $5-50K Funding category. You are encouraged to seek feedback before reapplying in either category.

Submitting your Up-to-$5K application at least six weeks before the activity start date ensures sufficient time for the assessment process, and if successful, execution of the Deed of Grant and processing of the funding payment before your activity begins.

Yes, artists at all stages of their professional practice, including emerging, mid-career, and professional artists, are welcome to apply.

Please note that activities where art is pursued purely as a hobby or without a clear professional or community-oriented objective may not be considered competitive for funding. Arts activity funding aims to support artists, groups or organisations whose work has a broad impact, such as advancing artistic practice, fostering community engagement, or contributing to the cultural vibrancy of the ACT.

Non-ACT residents may apply if their practice is primarily based in Canberra, typically if they live in the immediate Canberra region. To be eligible, you must demonstrate your connection to the ACT arts sector by addressing six key points, focusing on the past two years. These points include recognition as an ACT artist, involvement in local arts activities, and formal engagement with the ACT arts community.

Importantly, if you are an Aboriginal person with traditional ties to Ngunnawal Country, you are eligible to apply regardless of your residential address.

For detailed guidance on the six points, please refer to the Arts Activities Guidelines.

Unless you are able to demonstrate how you meet the eligibility criteria for non-ACT based applicants, you will not be eligible to apply for Arts Activities funding.

The purchase of equipment will not be supported unless it is an essential part of creating the artwork.

You must consider if the equipment is available to borrow or hire, particularly for any short-term usage. You should also include in the application whether the equipment will be shared with other artists, and if not, why not.

The purchase of computer hardware or software (including subscriptions to online software) will only be considered for highly specialised digital applications that are an essential part of creating artwork or content.

You may be eligible to apply for funding. However, if your activity is part of the Arts Centre’s or Arts Organisation’s program of activity you should speak with artsACT staff before applying. It is expected that funded organisations have budgeted for all program and administrative costs for artists to access their programs.

Funding to develop a body of work which may later be exhibited at an Arts Centre is an eligible activity.

If your relationship with the organisation is as a hirer of space, then you may apply for gallery or workshop hire fees and other costs associated with your activity. Please note that direct costs of an arts organisations’ operational costs including staffing will not be supported.

If your activity type is not outlined in the Arts Activities Guidelines, you could still be eligible to apply for artistic components of your project. For example, you may be eligible to apply for costs associated with the visual art, filming or sound design of an activity, which will benefit you as the applicant and produce strong artistic outcomes. Please contact artsACT to discuss your proposal prior to applying.

Arts Activities funding is not intended to employ artists for long-term, self-directed projects. However, if your activity meets the funding criteria, you may be eligible to apply for artist fees. If you are seeking funding for your own time on a self-directed activity, particularly for extended periods, it may be more appropriate to apply for funding for living expenses instead of artist fees, as this aligns better with the intended purpose of Arts Activities funding.

All submitted applications are checked for eligibility, including whether an applicant has outstanding acquittals from previous grants. If your application is ineligible for any reason artsACT staff will notify you by phone and/or email to discuss.

Up-to-$5K Funding applications are assessed by artsACT staff on their own merit. External peers may be consulted, if required.

$5–50K Funding applications are peer assessed in a competitive round with recommendations being made to the Minister for the Arts, who is the final decision maker.

Arts Activities applications are assessed against the following criteria:

1. Eligibility: Is the application from an eligible applicant, for an eligible activity and artform?
2. Funding Strategies: How strongly the activity meets one of the three strategies – Create, Develop or Promote.
3. Quality: The quality of the activity and how it progresses the artform and/or benefits your career.
4. Planning: Can the activity be successfully completed within the budget and timeline; is the budget reasonable; and do the key personnel have the necessary skills and experience to deliver the outcome?

The criteria of Funding Strategy, Quality and Planning are all weighted equally.

The three strategies are outlined in Canberra: Australia’s Arts Capital – a statement of ambition for the Arts. To determine which strategy best aligns with your activity, consider the stage your activity is at, the type of support you need and how this funding will impact you and your practice.

• Create: This strategy may be most relevant if your activity focuses on creative development and participation.
• Develop: This strategy may be most relevant if your activity focuses on developing your artistic practice or art form.
• Promote: This strategy may be most relevant if your activity focuses on expanding audiences, connecting with others nationally or internationally, or showcasing work to a broader range of viewers.

Activities can meet more than one strategy. However, you are encouraged to focus on addressing the strategy most relevant to your activity.

All strategies support positive arts outcomes for the ACT, and none is favoured over the others. To determine which strategy best applies to your project:

1. Develop your idea or activity first: Start by defining what your project is, including its goals, activities, and outcomes.
2. Assess which strategy aligns best: Review the details of each strategy and identify which one most closely matches your activity's purpose and objectives.

This approach assists you to align your project with the most relevant strategy.

Successful applications propose quality art activities with clear, realistic planning that meets one or more of the three funding strategies: Create, Develop or Promote. Your application should be clear, detailed, and factual, directly addressing each assessment question. Support your claims with solid evidence to enhance the competitiveness of your application. Ensure that key aspects like the activity budget, timelines, and anticipated outcomes are realistic and justified.

Remember, assessors can only evaluate what is provided in the application. Focus on facts and avoid generalisations. Instead of aspirational statements like "tripling your audience" or "achieving fame", provide detailed, grounded explanations about the specific activity and measurable outcomes. This approach will make your application more compelling and competitive.

To submit a competitive application, it is important to understand the objectives of Arts Activities funding and the associated criteria. To achieve this, you should familiarise yourself with the Arts Activities Guidelines or seek guidance from artsACT staff before submitting your application.

Some common mistakes in unsuccessful applications include:

• Providing limited or irrelevant details, making it unclear how the activity aligns with the funding criteria
  A vague description of your project makes it hard for assessors to see how your activity aligns with the funding objectives. Be specific about the goals of your project, the target audience, and how the activity will meet one or more of the strategies: Create, Develop, or Promote. For example, if your project is focused on creating opportunities for community engagement in the arts, providing information on the community you are targeting and how they will benefit will increase the clarity of your application.
• Limited evidence to support that the activity is suitable for your experience or skills
  Applicants should show that the activity matches their experience. For example, if you are applying for funding to create a new art installation, provide a portfolio of past works that demonstrate your capability to undertake this type of project.
• Including interstate or international collaborators without a strong rationale
  If you plan to include collaborators from other regions or countries, explain why their involvement is essential. For example, if a collaborator from overseas is providing unique expertise that is unavailable locally, outline how this contributes to the overall success of the project.
• Submitting inaccurate or unbalanced budgets, or failing to justify expenses (e.g., inflated or underrepresented costs)
  Ensure your budget is realistic and detailed. For example, if you are budgeting for materials, provide quotes from suppliers to justify costs. An unbalanced budget, such as one where your projected income exceeds your expenses or costs are not well-supported, will raise questions about the viability of your activity.
• Omitting quotes for major budget items
  Always include quotes for significant budget items such as venue hire, materials, or professional services. For instance, if you are renting equipment, include written quotes from the rental company to justify your request for funding.
• Including artist fees without referencing industry rates or providing adequate justification
  Provide clear breakdowns in the Budget Statement of artist fees based on standard industry rates. For example, if you're hiring a set designer for a theatre production, refer to the standard daily or weekly rate for this role in your area. Justify the fee based on the scope of work.
• Failing to submit key creative CVs
  Don’t omit CVs for key personnel, including yourself. If you are the lead artist, provide a CV that details your experience and qualifications, demonstrating why you’re the right person to carry out this project. Don’t assume the assessors know who you are.
• Omitting marketing or promotional plans for projects that create products
  If your activity will result in a product (like a book or a digital game), you must include a marketing plan. For example, explain how you will distribute the product (through online platforms, bookstores, etc.), and how you plan to engage your target audience through social media, events, or other channels.
• Submitting weak or irrelevant support material, or providing support material that does not directly enhance the proposal
  Include only the most relevant support material that demonstrates your capability and the potential impact of your project. For example, if you’re applying for a visual arts project, include high-quality images of your previous work rather than irrelevant media or outdated examples.

Addressing these issues can help create a more competitive application.

It is not mandatory for activities to demonstrate additional income or funding support outside of the grant being requested. However, securing additional financial support - such as other grants, sponsorships, or in-kind contributions - can enhance your application by demonstrating broader community support and sustainability.

If you have confirmed financial support for your activity, it is important that you include evidence of these commitments in your supporting documentation. This helps to provide transparency and adds credibility to your budget. Ensure that all funding sources are realistic, relevant to your activity, and properly aligned with the scope of your activity.

An artist fee is a payment made to you or others based on industry standards or rates, typically calculated on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis but sometimes on a project basis (for example, you are commissioning an artist for a work).

A living allowance reflects the costs that an individual will be required to pay while undertaking the activity. This may include rent, utilities, groceries, or childcare for example. This often suits applicants who are undertaking a self-directed project over a longer period of time such as writing a manuscript or creating a series of paintings.

The exact amount will depend on your individual circumstances and the requirements of your activity. It is reasonable to consider what you will need to successfully complete your project.

Please note artist fees are generally not supported for activities like mentorships or professional development opportunities, such as workshops or conferences. For further details, please refer to the Arts Activities Guidelines.

Providing context on past, current, and future stages of the larger activity can demonstrate a comprehensive and strategic approach, helping assessors understand the full scope and long-term vision of the project. While it's essential to focus on the specific stage you're applying for, giving a clear picture of how this stage fits into a broader plan can strengthen your application by showcasing its alignment with broader artistic goals. However, ensure the information is relevant to the stage you're seeking funding for, as excessive detail could distract from the main focus of the application.

Yes you can, especially if your project relies on specific expertise that isn't available locally. No matter whom you engage as key creatives it’s important to provide a strong rationale for why their skills and expertise are necessary. If your application includes creatives from outside the region, consider demonstrating how their involvement will enrich the local arts landscape or offer broader benefits to the community.

artsACT recognises that AI may be used as a tool in the drafting of application responses however assessors can easily discern when AI has been misused. AI does not guarantee the success or failure of an application.

The assessment questions included in Arts Activities applications request specific information to unique and individual art activities. Assessors are interested in applications that strongly meet the assessment criteria by clearly describing what the activity is, outlining how it will benefit the applicant and strongly demonstrating how it meets the funding strategies.

artsACT does not specify the types of activities you should apply for. Arts Activities grants support a wide range of art forms and outcomes. When considering your proposal, think about why the activity is important to you, how you plan to deliver it, and the level of funding required to support it.

To see what types of activities have been funded in the past, visit the Current Funding Recipients section on the artsACT website.

Your budget must outline all the income and expenditure that you predict and require to successfully undertake your activity.

Your budget must demonstrate that you have considered, researched and costed all elements of your activity. It is expected to be supported by quotes for major expenditure items. A sound budget provides confidence for assessors that your activity is achievable.

Please note that your income and expenditure must balance.

Income means all the money, including your funding request, and in-kind contributions that you expect to receive as part of your activity. You should include income through ticket sales, product sales, performance fees, artwork sales, merchandise sales, other grants, crowdfunding, sponsorship or your own contribution. In your budget, only include the income you will receive during the funding period. You should justify any income sources with evidence or substantiation of the estimate.

If your budget includes income from crowdfunding, you should demonstrate you have the ability to run a successful crowdfunding campaign. All funding and sponsorship being sought from government agencies (state, territory and local), Creative Australia, and other philanthropic sources should be included, whether or not this support has been confirmed.

Your expenditure budget should reflect all the essential costs required to deliver your activity, tailored to its specific needs. Common expenditure categories include administration costs such as insurance, internet, and office supplies; marketing and promotion expenses like advertising, audience engagement, and material production; and creation and production costs related to materials, venue hire, and accessibility requirements. Salaries, fees, and living allowances for key personnel should be justified and, where possible, aligned with industry standards. Travel and freight expenses, including fares and equipment transport, should also be clearly outlined and relevant to the activity.

Ensure all costs are realistic, necessary, well-documented and justified, as this strengthens your application. For further detail on what expenses are eligible or how to calculate costs appropriately, refer to the Arts Activities Guidelines.

This is one of the most challenging aspects of building a budget, because it may be difficult to predict with certainty what the income from your product or box office sales will be.

For performance income, factor in the number of performances, average ticket price and projected venue capacity. Be realistic in your projected audience attendance and ticket sales, based on evidence or previous history.

Similarly for merchandise or artwork sold at exhibition, be realistic on the number of sales you predict. It is best not to over-inflate your revenue budget as this may put a successful outcome of your activity at risk.

When applying for funding for just one stage of a larger activity, you should focus your budget on the specific stage you are seeking funding for, rather than the entire project. The budget should clearly outline the costs directly associated with the activities, personnel, and resources required for that individual stage.

This approach ensures clarity and helps demonstrate to assessors that the requested funding is appropriate to the stage of the activity for which you are applying.

When your budget includes significant revenue from sources like ticket sales, the funding request can still be considered good value for money if it demonstrates how the requested funds will support parts of the project not covered by that revenue. For example, funding might be used for artistic fees, production costs, or aspects that enhance the project's cultural or artistic value but do not generate immediate income. It is important to show that the funding is essential for the success of the activity, rather than being a replacement for income already anticipated.

In short, the key is to justify how the funding request fills necessary gaps in your budget and contributes to the overall value of the activity.

While Arts Activities funding cannot be used for retrospective activities, applicants may decide to purchase flights, book accommodation or accept invitations to attend events before being notified of the outcome of their application. The purchase of these budget items or invitation acceptances do not constitute retrospective activities because they are for the activity which ideally has a future start date. Please note if you do decide to purchase items from your budget before the notification of the application outcome, you do so at your own risk.

You cannot use grant money to cover contingencies in your budget. Contingencies must be covered by other income sources.

In-kind support are expenses that may be offered free or at a discount. For example, access to equipment or a studio, professional services provided at no charge, volunteer labour (including your own), negotiated fees and allowances.

To include in-kind income in your budget, you must put a value on the contribution. This amount should be agreed between you and the person or organisation making the contribution.

The value of any in-kind support must be included as both income and expenses so that they are visible and to balance the budget. Please see the italic items in the budget example below for explanation:

In this example, the value of the in-kind exhibition space is shown as $500 in income and $500 in expenses.

Including in-kind contributions in your budget highlights the full value of your activity, demonstrating both cost-effectiveness and the support of others through donated goods, services, or volunteer time. It shows assessors the scale of resources involved, builds credibility, and aligns with expectations for transparent budgeting. Be sure to assign realistic values to in-kind contributions and explain their relevance to your project.

You should only include the income and in-kind expenses that are realistic and directly related to the funding period for your activity. Avoid over-estimating or inflating contributions, as this can make your budget appear unsustainable. For example, claiming 10,000 hours of volunteer support over six months prior to the activity start date is inappropriate, as it falls outside the funding period and misrepresents the scope of the project.

In-kind support should be relevant, confirmed, and appropriately valued. Contributions should reference industry-standard rates where possible, and confirmation in writing is recommended to strengthen your application.

Including support material is critical for your application. In particular, it can strengthen applications that seek larger funding requests or are for more complex activities. Support material can demonstrate your planning, expertise, and readiness. Key materials include a relevant CV for key personnel, recent examples of your artistic work, and quotes for major expenditures.

If relevant you should also provide confirmation of involvement from key project personnel, such as agreements from venues or collaborators, and letters of support from relevant mentors, peers or industry representatives. Depending on your activity, additional materials like a marketing plan, detailed project timeline, and accessibility plan may be required. For full details on specific support materials to attach to your application, please refer to the Arts Activities Guidelines.

Letters of support are written recommendations or endorsements from mentors, peers, and industry representatives that can help demonstrate your skills, experience, or capacity to undertake the proposed activity. These letters should be directly related to the activity and offer specific insights; generic or undated letters are not suitable.

For applications requesting up to $5,000, one to two letters of support may be appropriate, while for applications ranging from $5,000 to $50,000, two to three letters can be helpful. Always ensure the letters are relevant and provide meaningful context for your project.

Letters of confirmation are different from letters of support. They are provided by key creatives or collaborators who will contribute to or be compensated for your proposed activity. These letters should confirm the individual's role, payment details, the timeframe of their involvement, and outline their expertise, contributions, and interest in the project.

Letters of confirmation can be important to your application because they show a commitment to your project, support the validity of your budget and quotes, and demonstrate solid planning. Including a letter of confirmation from each key creative listed in your application provides clarity and can strengthen your application.

If your activity involves creating a product - such as a book, EP, or digital game - intended to engage audiences or access new markets, including a marketing plan is essential. It demonstrates sound planning, ensures that you have researched and understood your target audience, and if forecasting revenue that your estimates are realistic. Your marketing plan should detail how you will engage and distribute your product to your audience or market. If you plan to work with a marketing agency, outline their strategy for promoting your activity.

Yes, including a path to market in your marketing plan can strengthen your application. The path to market shows how you plan to take your product or activity from development to audience engagement or sales. It illustrates your approach for reaching potential buyers, whether through distribution channels, partnerships, or promotional strategies. This helps further demonstrate your understanding of the market and your ability to successfully promote your activity or product.

You will be sent a Deed of Grant along with information about your grant payment and acquittal requirements. Please note that the grant amount may take up to 30 days to be paid following the receipt of your signed Deed of Grant.

Following the receipt of your signed Deed of Grant it may take up to 30 days for the grant money to be paid to you. You must factor this timeframe into your plans for your activity start date, and please be responsive to communications from artsACT staff regarding your grant acceptance and payment processes.

If your application is unsuccessful, it is important to seek feedback to understand how you can improve for future submissions. The feedback might highlight areas that need more attention, such as technical issues (e.g., an imbalanced budget or missing CV) or more nuanced points (e.g., providing a clearer response to the assessment questions or offering a more comprehensive marketing strategy).

You may reapply for the same or a different activity. While seeking feedback and reapplying won’t guarantee success, it can provide valuable insights into the assessment process and what assessors are looking for. This understanding can help refine your approach and improve your future applications.