RFAs: Playing Australia Project Investment Program

Deadline: 04-Mar-2025

The Creative Australia is seeking applications for the Playing Australia Project Investment Program to support organisations to undertake performing arts tours to reach regional and remote communities across Australia.

The program supports costs associated with touring to regional and remote areas of Australia. There is no limit on the amount that can be requested. Touring activity must be confirmed prior to seeking investment through this category.

Eligible Costs

• From October 2024, changes have been made to eligible costs. Applicants may now apply for any costs they deem necessary for the completion of a successful regional tour with a confirmed itinerary.
• You can apply for support towards:
  • A tour that has a confirmed itinerary
  • Payment of fees and salaries for artists and touring party
  • Costs associated with remounting or rehearsing a work
  • Production costs associated with touring the work or delivering the activity
  • Touring costs including freight, transport, accommodation and travel allowances
  • Tour co-ordination
  • Costs associated with reducing the environmental impact of your tour
  • Costs associated with supporting the wellbeing of the touring company.

Eligible Activities

• Creative Australia acknowledges that flexibility is required when touring and supports a variety of touring models.
• Applicants may seek investment for alternative touring models that:
  • Propose activity such as residency models with live performance outcomes or concept touring
  • Present a tour that includes significant and targeted community engagement
  • Present an annual touring program for single or multiple works
  • Propose a digital tour.

Ineligible Activities

• You can’t apply for:
  • Touring projects that do not have a confirmed itinerary
  • Touring projects that do not include three or more locations
  • Tours for which the performers and artistic personnel are not paid at award rates
  • Tours of an international production
  • Tours that only include capital city or metropolitan presentations
  • Tours that only include presentations in schools, aged care facilities or other settings not open to the general public
  • Tours that have already taken place
  • Tours that show a budget surplus
  • Activities engaging with First Nations content, artists and communities that do not adhere to Creative Australia First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property Protocols

Eligibility Criteria

• Legally constituted organisations only may apply.

Ineligibility Criteria

• You can’t apply for a grant if:
  • You have an overdue grant report
  • You are an individual or a group
  • You are in receipt of Playing Australia Multi-Year Investment
  • You owe money to Creative Australia

Assessment Criteria

• Peers will assess your application against the following four criteria:
• Equity
  • Peers will assess the extent to which regional/remote audiences and communities and activities are supported. They may consider:
    • The regional and remote coverage or depth of engagement proposed by the itinerary. In general, there is an expectation that the majority (at least 60%) of your touring locations will be outside of metropolitan areas
    • Evidence of your relationships and conversations with presenting partners and communities, to support the regional reach of your proposed tour.
    • The rationale provided when an application proposes only intrastate touring and whether there are exceptional circumstances to justify investment through Playing Australia.
    • The balance of intrastate and interstate touring within an application where funds are sought for the intrastate leg, whether Playing Australia investment is justified.
• Quality
  • Peers will assess the quality of the artistic, presentation and touring activities. They may consider:
    • The quality of the artists and the arts workers involved in the project
    • The quality of proposed touring work/s
    • The quality of the proposed community engagement activities.
• Impact
  • Peers will assess the impact of the proposed activities for audiences and communities. They may consider:
    • Proposed impact of the performance outcome
    • Proposed impact for local artists or communities
    • Evidence of significant experiences offered to regional and remote communities, including audience attendance and participation, workshops, master classes and online/digital offerings.
• Viability
  • Peers will assess the viability of the proposed itinerary, activities and budget.
  • Please note, the Playing Australia Budget is now completed within the application form, you are no longer required to complete an Excel budget template. Applicants will be expected to provide a rationale for their budget items.
  • Peers may consider:
    • Evidence the budget is realistic and well-planned and considers potential impact for inflation on touring costs
    • The level of detail provided in the budget, to demonstrate clear breakdown of tour costs
    • Appropriate levels of support from other sources, particularly if an intrastate tour is proposed
    • Evidence of presenter confirmation for the delivery of the work in their location
    • Evidence of the home state of the proposed work
    • Evidence that the itinerary is the most efficient and logical trajectory for the tour
    • The calibre of the organisation, including demonstrated evidence of good planning, governance, and management
    • Capacity to deliver the tour
    • Evidence that the tour considers the overall health and well-being of the touring party
    • Where relevant, evidence of an environmental impact plan which may include cost benefits
    • Contingency planning and mitigation strategies (e.g. cancellations due to natural disaster; significant illness within touring company)
    • Consideration of any extenuating disruptions to the usual operating environment (e.g. effects of natural disasters or significant impacts due to inflation).

Application Requirements

• Production excerpt
  • You may submit a video or sound recording of up to five minutes of the work you plan to tour. For companies proposing to tour works yet to be produced, a video or sound recording of a recent work is acceptable. If you are touring a music production, you can provide a sound recording. Files must be provided as a URL link.
• Letters of support
  • Individuals, groups or organisations can write letters in support of your project. Presenters and venues may also wish to provide letters of support reflecting their commitment to the tour. A support letter should explain to the assessment panel how the project or activity will benefit the applicant, any communities involved, or the broader community. If relevant to your activity, letters of support must provide evidence of appropriate permissions and support from First Nations organisations, communities, and Elders. Please refer to the First Nations Protocols for more information. You can include up to five letters of support, submitted as a single PDF, with each letter not exceeding one A4 page.
• Reviews relating to the production (if applicable) Maximum 3 pages submitted as one PDF.
• Brief biographical information on principal personnel (if applicable) Maximum 3 pages submitted as one PDF.

For more information, visit Creative Australia.