Australia: Arts and Disability Mentoring Initiative 2019-21

Deadline: 7 April 2020

The Australia Council for the Arts is currently seeking applications for its Arts and Disability Mentoring Initiative 2019-21.

This program is for individuals with disability undertaking an artistic collaboration involving mentoring. The proposal should lead to a major step forward in the applicant’s arts practice, and build foundations for an enduring career. The purpose is to support collaborations that fuel ambition, embolden ideas and innovation, build networks and capacity, and strengthen future works.

The Council encourages applications from:

• Artists and arts workers with disability seeking to collaborate with a mentor.
• Artists and arts workers with disability seeking to be the mentor in a collaboration, including peer to peer mentoring.

This initiative has been developed in response to Australia Council research involving artists and arts workers with disability. The findings highlighted the importance of role models and mentors, and of disability-led practice. The research has informed the Australia Council’s three year strategic investment in artists with disability.

Funding Information

The Australia Council for the Arts is offering six grants of $30,000 in each Arts and Disability Mentoring Initiative round.

Eligibility Criteria

• Only individuals may apply to this category.
• You must be an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident.
• You must identify as an artist or arts worker with disability.

You can’t apply for a grant if:

• You received a grant, or administered a grant, from the Australia Council in the past and that grant has not been satisfactorily acquitted.
• You owe money to the Australia Council.

The council does not accept applications from legally constituted organisations in this category.

What you can apply for

You can apply for a range of activities. Your proposal should include a mentoring component. Some examples of the activities the Council funds are:

• Collaboration
• Professional skills development
• Residencies
• Experimentation
• Creation of new work
• Creative development
• Practice based research
• Presentation, promotion or marketing
• Inbound and outbound travel.

What you can’t apply for

You can’t apply for projects or activities that:

• Do not involve or benefit practicing artists or arts workers
• Do not have a clearly defined arts component
• Have already taken place
• Do not involve a clear mentoring component.

Assessment Criteria

You must address three assessment criteria in this category.

Under each criterion are bullet points indicating what the peer assessors may consider when reviewing your application. You do not need to respond to every bullet point listed.

• First Criterion:
  • Potential and calibre of the artist/art workers: Peers will assess the potential of the collaboration between artists / arts workers at the centre of your proposal, and the calibre of those involved.
    • They may consider the following:
      • Artistic merit of proposed project
      • Quality of work previously produced by the applicant and collaborator
      • Public or peer response to work previously produced
      • Demonstrated ability, skills and creative thinking
      • Level of innovation, ambition, experimentation or risk-taking.
• Second Criterion:
  • Viability: Peers will assess the viability of your proposal.
    • They may consider the following:
      • Skills and artistic ability of the people involved, and their relevance to the proposed activity
      • Effective use of resources, with realistic and achievable planning
      • Level of confirmation of proposed activities and partners
      • Adherence to relevant cultural protocols
      • Appropriate payments to participating artists
      • Relevance and timeliness of proposed activity
      • Evidence of considered consultation and engagement with participants, audiences and communities.
• Third Criterion:
  • Impact on arts practice and career: Peers will assess the impact that the proposed activity will have on your arts practice and career.
    • They may consider the following:
      • Capacity to strengthen skills and abilities of artists/arts professionals
      • Potential to extend arts practice, including working at greater scale or significance
      • Potential to discover and develop new markets, or meet existing market demand
      • Relevance and timeliness of activity
      • Significance of the collaboration, including contribution to arts and disability practice.

For more information, visit https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/funding/funding-index/arts-and-disability-mentoring-initiative-2019-21/