Deadline: 14-Oct-2025
The Contemporary Music Touring Program provides grants to individuals, groups, or organizations to tour live music performances of original Australian contemporary music within Australia.
Tours that include regional and remote destinations, or which assist performers residing in regional and remote areas to tour, are a priority for funding. You can apply as an individual, on behalf of a group, or as an organization, for a tour that includes performances in at least three venues or locations outside of the performer’s hometown. Eligible touring activities can be a headline tour, support tour, opening slot, or a combination, and can also include festival or Biennale appearances and commissioned performances.
The amount of funding you can apply for ranges from $5,000 to $50,000, depending on the itinerary’s inclusion of metropolitan, regional, or remote locations. Joint tours with two or more independent performers are eligible and should be submitted as a single application, with the funding caps still applying.
Eligible costs include, but are not limited to, fees for artists and creative workers, agent and manager fees, flights, accommodation, and ground transport. You can also apply for insurance, freight, baggage, childcare, carer, and access costs. Additionally, costs associated with reducing the environmental impact of your activity may be included in the application. Access costs are considered legitimate expenses, and you are encouraged to include costs that make your activities accessible to a wide range of people.
Applications are assessed by peers against three criteria: Quality, Impact, and Viability. The quality assessment considers the calibre of the artists and arts workers involved and the music itself, looking at artistic support material and the track record of key artists. The impact assessment evaluates the tour’s effect on Australian culture, including any community activities, partnerships, and benefits to people in touring locations. Viability is assessed based on the project’s feasibility, the quality of the marketing and audience development strategy, available resources, and the strength of the people and partners involved. Where relevant, an environmental impact plan may also be considered.
You may not apply for tours that involve fewer than three venues or locations outside the performer’s hometown, overseas tours, or tours by non-Australian performers. Tours that are primarily schools-based are also ineligible, with the exception of applications for remote or very remote touring funds where the school is the primary venue.
For more information, visit Creative Australia.
