Creative Communities Grant: Supporting Local Arts, Diversity, and Youth Engagement (New Zealand)

The Creative Communities Scheme provides grants for local arts and cultural projects in the Far North District that promote participation, diversity, and youth engagement. Funding supports materials, short-term personnel costs, venue hire, and promotion, helping communities access and participate in creative activities.

Overview

The Creative Communities Scheme invites applications from groups and individuals engaged in local arts and cultural projects in the Far North District. The scheme aims to strengthen participation, celebrate diversity, and enable young people under 18 to engage in creative practice.

Funding Objectives

Projects must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Encourage Participation: Provide opportunities for local communities to actively engage in arts and cultural activities.

• Support Diversity: Reflect and support the diverse artistic and cultural traditions within local communities.

• Enable Young People: Promote participation in the arts among individuals under 18 years of age.

Grant Details

• Typical grant amount: $2,000 or less; requests of $3,000 or more require attendance at the committee meeting.

• Available funds: $57,862 allocated to Far North District in 2025.

• Eligible costs include:

  • Materials used in arts activities or programmes

  • Venue or equipment hire for project-specific purposes

  • Personnel and administrative costs for short-term projects

  • Promotion and publicity related to the project

• Ineligible costs include:

  • Ongoing administration or operational costs unrelated to a project

  • Travel outside the local area

  • Capital purchases or equipment acquisition

  • Fundraising activities, entry fees, prize money, awards, or royalties

  • Purchase of existing artworks for collections

  • Non-arts focused projects or film festivals presenting work from outside the funding area

  • Council projects or facilities/venue upgrades

  • Projects that fall within the core responsibilities of other organisations

Eligibility

• Open to all groups and individuals involved in local arts and cultural projects.

• Arts include creative practices related to:

  • Language and literature

  • Performing arts

  • Visual arts

Application and Assessment

• Applications are reviewed by a local committee, with higher-value applications ($3,000+) requiring the applicant to answer questions in person or online.

• Projects are assessed on alignment with the scheme’s objectives, community impact, inclusivity, and the feasibility of the proposed activities.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: Who can apply for funding?
A: Any group or individual involved in arts and cultural projects within the Far North District.

Q2: What types of projects are eligible?
A: Projects that encourage participation, support diversity, or enable young people under 18 to engage in creative arts.

Q3: What expenses can be funded?
A: Materials, venue or equipment hire, short-term personnel costs, administration specific to the project, and promotion/publicity.

Q4: What cannot be funded?
A: Ongoing operational costs, travel outside the area, capital purchases, fundraising, awards/prizes, existing artworks, non-arts projects, council projects, and venue upgrades.

Q5: How much funding can I request?
A: Most grants are $2,000 or less; requests of $3,000 or more require attendance at the assessment meeting.

Q6: Do projects have to be arts-focused?
A: Yes, projects must involve creative arts including language, literature, performing arts, or visual arts.

Conclusion

The Creative Communities Scheme empowers Far North District communities to engage in arts and cultural activities that are inclusive, diverse, and youth-focused. By providing funding for materials, venues, personnel, and promotion, the programme enables meaningful participation and supports the development of local creative talent, fostering vibrant cultural life across the region.