Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund for Organisations in Australia

Deadline: 14-Apr-25

The Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund supports leading Australian creative organisations and key industry stakeholders with grants to create and deliver exceptional opportunities for Australian writers, journalists, editors, publishers, English and literacy teachers, and visual artists, and especially for those from First Nations and diverse backgrounds.

Priorities

The Cultural Fund’s priorities are:
- Commissions and paid opportunities for writers and visual artists through audience development projects
- Targeted leadership and sector development projects for the writing, publishing and visual arts sectors
- To complement Reading Australia, they are interested in supporting targeted writers-in-schools programs for Australian writers whose work is featured on Reading Australia or is used in the classroom

Funding Information

Amount of Grant: $10,000 to $30,000 per project
These grants are for a single project for up to a year

Eligible Projects

The Cultural Fund will consider applications for the following projects:
- Audience Development
  - Audience and reader development projects
  - Payments to creative writers published in literary magazines and journals
  - Reviews of new Australian books in national publications
  - Projects connecting teachers with Australian Literature
  - Writers/artists-in-residence/schools/universities
  - Literacy-based projects for children involving professional writers
  - Significant national writers’ awards for payments to writers (excluding prizes offered by publishers and literary journals)
  - Publishing commissions to write new work by First Nations and culturally diverse authors
  - Commissions for visual artists to create new work and whose work will be exhibited in galleries or institutions in Australia
- Sector Development
  - Publishing industry – leadership initiatives and opportunities for First Nations and diverse editors, publishers and journalists
  - Visual arts sector – leadership and policy development and opportunities for First Nations and diverse curators at galleries and cultural institutions

Eligible Activities

Activities supported include:
- Awards and prizes
  - For writers
- Commissioning fees
  - Creative writers’ and picture book illustrators’ commission fees for new works of exceptional cultural significance by Australian book publishers
  - New commissions for visual artists exhibited at art galleries
  - Playwright commissions for work presented by mainstage Theatre companies
- Career development
  - Priority to support sector development by funding trade associations, and career development/leadership projects for First Nations and culturally diverse publishers, editors, and curators
  - Opportunities for First Nations and culturally diverse people working in publishing, editing, and galleries
  - Residencies for writers and visual artists
- Publishers
  - The Cultural Fund offers support for a small number of publishers’ commissions for work by First Nations and diverse writers. The publisher agrees to match the Cultural Fund’s contribution and all money must be paid to the authors.
  - This does not replace royalties or an advance on royalties.

Eligibility Criteria

Legally constituted Australian organisations and incorporated associations may apply
If applying as a University, only one application from the University may be submitted per round. You must confirm this before applying.
Applicants may submit only one application per round to the Cultural Fund
Applicants must have acquitted any overdue Cultural Fund grants to be eligible to apply for further funding.