Arts Grants offering Short-term Project Funding for Organisations in New Zealand

Deadline: 6 September 2019

Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa is offering short-term project funding through its Arts Grants Program for artists, arts practitioners and arts organisations in New Zealand.

This funding enables more sustainable careers, encourages innovation and the development of arts practice, and provides opportunities for diverse communities to access the arts.

Program Purpose

More sustainable careers for individual artists and arts practitioners- For instance, projects that allow individual artists and arts practitioners to:
- develop professional skills that support their careers
- grow national and international audiences for their work
- develop diverse sources of support
- develop skills and knowledge to ensure their artwork and practice is relevant to New Zealanders and international audiences.
Development of arts practice- For instance, projects which encourage the development of:
- individual artists and arts practitioners through improving their artistic quality, their ability to be innovative and share best practice with international peers, so that they can reach their potential and achieve their goals
- arts organisations through improving their artistic quality, organisational effectiveness, and financial health
- New Zealand’s arts infrastructure, arts communities and audiences.
Innovation in New Zealand arts- For instance, projects that allow artists, arts practitioners and arts organisations to actively investigate new ways of working and take artistic risks. Innovation may exist in the:
- form of the work
- process of creating the work
- way the work is presented
- ways the work engages with its audience
- way in which skills and techniques are passed on.
Opportunities for diverse communities to access and participate in high-quality arts experiences- For instance, projects that:
- remove barriers to access for audiences across New Zealand and internationally
- celebrate the arts of diverse cultures within New Zealand

Funding Information

For grants between $10,000 and $75,000, applicant’s project, or the stage of it for which they are seeking funding, must:

start after 15 November 2019
be completed by 15 November 2020.

Funding Criteria

Arts Grant funding enables artists, arts practitioners and arts organisations to:

research and create work
present and distribute their work nationally and internationally
develop skills including mentoring, internships, residencies, workshops and conferences
undertake community or collaborative projects
undertake projects with international connections
publish catalogues, monographs, journals, books and critical writing.

Eligibility Criteria

Individuals who are New Zealand (NZ) citizens or permanent residents.
NZ-based organisations
Arts organisations or NZ artists based overseas. But, the application must:
- show direct benefit to NZ arts
- be accompanied by a letter of endorsement from a well-established artist or arts organisation based in NZ.
To apply to Māori arts:
- the applicant must be Māori or applicant’s proposed project must be managed or directed by Māori
- organisations must be owned and managed by Māori. If an organisation is applying for funding on behalf of an individual, that person must also be Māori.