Australia: 2021-22 Arts and Cultural Funding Program

Deadline: 18-Aug-21

The NSW Government is offering 2021-22 Arts and Cultural Funding Program (ACFP) to enhance the quality of life of the people of NSW.

The ACFP supports excellence in arts and culture by funding creative development and presentation, investing in artists and arts and cultural workers and supporting cultural visitation and participation.

The Program supports the telling of stories that reflect NSW’s diverse history and contemporary life. This approach supports NSW as a world class centre for the arts and for culture.

Objectives

The ACFP is guided by three key objectives:

Enhance creative leadership and programming excellence in NSW
- By fostering world-class arts and cultural ambition through investment in creative leadership and programming excellence – including artistic practices, the delivery of new work and programs that bring arts and culture to new audiences.
- By supporting organisations, artists and arts and cultural workers that represent a diversity of cultural and artistic practices and deliver creative encounters that help to build a cohesive and open society.
- By enabling organisations and artists to tell NSW stories that grow NSW’s cultural capacity.
Grow NSW arts and cultural activity that drives community and social benefits
- By acknowledging Aboriginal arts and culture as a key pillar of arts and culture in Australia and promoting new opportunities for self-determined Aboriginal professional development, and leadership.
- By advancing arts and cultural activity that benefits the many people of NSW, including the wide variety of creative communities across the State.
- By enabling accessible, creative experiences that nurture skills, improve wellbeing and enable a widely engaged and diverse community of artists in NSW.
- By increasing equity of access to resources and opportunities among underrepresented groups across the state.
Strengthen NSW as a leader in arts and cultural governance and financial management
- By funding projects and programs that exemplify financial resilience backed by best-practice governance, budgeting, marketing and strategic planning that demonstrates increased creative production, sustainability and activation in NSW.
- By advocating for the continual improvement of the sector through activities that deliver professional development opportunities, strengthening leadership and delivery.
- By supporting projects that demonstrate their economic viability through strategic partnerships, a diversity of income streams and funding from alternative sources.

Funding Streams

Annual Organisation Funding: It is provided on an annual basis to support arts and cultural organisations (including service organisations) to deliver multiple arts and cultural activities. Funding can contribute to any aspect of an organisation’s program throughout a single calendar or financial year. It aims to:
- increase access by and engagement of diverse audiences and artists
- improve the quality and excellence of arts and culture in NSW
- ensure the best practice and sustainability of arts and cultural organisations.
Project Funding for Organizations: It supports innovation, vibrancy and creativity within the NSW arts and cultural sector. It aims to:
- deliver a dynamic and diverse range of arts and cultural experiences to communities across NSW
- contribute to the development of a vibrant and accessible arts and cultural sector, and
- support the employment and development of professional NSW-based artists and arts and cultural workers.

Funding Information

There is no maximum request amount for Annual Organisation funding. However, if you are applying for more than $140,000.
The amount of funding that you can apply for under Project funding is $60,000. However, if as an organisation you wish to apply for more than $60,000 this requires:
- matched funding from non-NSW government sources and
- consultation with Create NSW staff three weeks prior to the closing date

What can I apply for?

Funding is available for a wide range of arts and cultural activities, including but not limited to:

creation of new arts and cultural work, practice-based research or experimentation, and professional
development
production, exhibition, presenting, publishing or recording, touring and festivals
promotion and marketing
audience growth and development
conservation and/or development of collections and archives (including Aboriginal Keeping Places)
business development activities including new responses to environmental changes
partnerships, capacity building and sustainability.

Eligibility Criteria

Arts and cultural organisations are eligible for Annual Organisation, Annual Project and Strategic funding.
To be eligible to submit for Organisation funding you need to meet the following three criteria:
- Applicant type
  - You must be an arts and cultural organisation located in Australia.
- Focus
  - Your annual program or project must have clearly defined arts and cultural activity at its core.
- Benefit
  - Your core program or project must benefit NSW by either:
  - employing NSW artists or arts and cultural workers; and/or
  - providing arts and cultural experiences to the people of NSW.