Deadline: 21-Mar-25
The Aboriginal Affairs NSW Cultural Grants Program provides funding to Aboriginal community organisations across NSW to celebrate Aboriginal culture and hold key cultural events and activities.
Objectives
- The Cultural Grants Program:
- Supports Aboriginal communities to strengthen, protect, and maintain traditional and contemporary expressions of Aboriginal culture
- Supports Aboriginal cultural events and activities
- Contributes to Aboriginal community wellbeing and healing through the use of Aboriginal culture and community connection
- Facilitate sharing of Aboriginal cultural knowledge and skills between generations.
Funding Information
- Grant amount: From $500 to $20,000
- The project should be started by 1 January 2025 and the project must be completed by 31 December 2025.
Eligible Costs
- Funding can be used for:
- Consumables – such as catering, equipment and materials for activities (excluding alcohol) – for the purposes of the project or event.
- Hiring equipment to be used for the period of the project or event.
- Engaging contractors such as facilitators, trainers and teachers.
- Eligible costs associated with holding key state-wide and/or regional Aboriginal sporting and cultural events.
- Purchasing minor equipment for event activities up to the value of $5000.
- Administering the project, with up to 10% of the requested AANSW funding amount being able to be used for this task or as auspice fees where there is an auspicing arrangement.
- Eligible sole trader/business applicants may include up to 10% of the requested AANSW funding amount to cover remuneration costs.
- Purchasing merchandise such hats, t-shirts, trophies, medals etc up to 10% of the requested funding amount.
Ineligible Costs
- Funding cannot be used for:
- Costs for sports teams or cultural groups to attend competitions or events
- Capital costs – any type of building, construction, major equipment, or capital works including renovations to a building, housing related costs or the purchase of land
- Purchase of vehicles
- Wages and salaries and on-costs for ongoing staff
- Wages, salaries and remuneration for sole traders or consultants
- Sitting fees, travel allowance or costs associated with membership of boards/councils
- Activities that may create an ongoing dependency on cultural grant funding, such as funding that is required over multiple years
- Costs that are not directly associated with the delivery of the project
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible for an Aboriginal Affairs NSW Cultural Grant you must be:
- A not-for-profit, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO), working with Aboriginal communities in NSW, and one of the following organisation types
- An Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth)
- A company incorporated in Australia under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)
- A Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (NSW)
- An Incorporated Association (incorporated under state legislation, and commonly have ‘Association’ or ‘Incorporated’ or ‘Inc’ in their legal name)
- An Incorporated Cooperative (incorporated under state legislation, and commonly have ’Cooperative’ in their legal name)
- An incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust;
- An Aboriginal sole trader or business whose primary business activity relates to cultural expression or revitalisation (noting project applied under Cultural Grants Program must not be profit making in nature);
- A not -for-profit unincorporated Aboriginal community group with an eligible not-for-profit auspice Applicants or their auspice organisation must also:
- Be an eligible legal entity located in NSW, and able to enter into a funding Deed with Aboriginal Affairs NSW (AANSW), Premier’s Department and have an Australian bank account;
- Have public liability insurance of at least $10 million per claim or be willing to purchase it and include the cost of insurance as part of the asked project budget within their application.
Ineligibility Criteria
- You are not eligible to apply if you are:
- An individual (unless you are an Aboriginal sole trader whose primary business activity relates to cultural expression or revitalisation)
- Non-Aboriginal groups or organisations (except for eligible auspice organisations auspicing an unincorporated Aboriginal community group)
- Incorporated not-for-profit organisations not controlled or operated by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Federal and State Government agencies and bodies, including NSW public schools and hospitals
- Unincorporated organisations or groups without an eligible auspicing organization
- Organisations that have not met project requirements, including acquitting and reporting for any grant funding received from Aboriginal Affairs NSW (AANSW) in the previous two years.
- Organisations with redress sanctions as described in the National Redress Scheme.
For more information, visit Australia Government.
