Grant FAQs

Yes, provided you meet the eligibility requirements of the Australia Council.  We encourage first time applicants to have a look at the Grants program information on the website.  If you have any further questions about our programs, please contact the Grants Enquiry Team.  enquiries@australiacouncil.gov.au

Yes. Applications are assessed by peers with specific areas of arts practice expertise. Peers also bring other skills relevant to assessing applications to our grant programs, including expertise in market development, audience and international engagement.

Yes, they can be. Applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people or organisations can be assessed by our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Panel, consisting entirely of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peers. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants may instead choose for their applications to be assessed by any of our other peer panels (e.g. music, theatre etc). 

No.  As part of the application process, you can nominate a panel of multi-art form peers to assess your application.

Our multi-art form peer panels are made up of artists and arts workers from a range of art form areas. Peers may include those from specific art form areas (e.g. music or visual arts), peers who work across a number of art forms, and/or peers who work in interdisciplinary practice. You can have your application assessed by the multi-art form peer panel if your project involves multiple separate art form-specific activities. This could include, for example: a festival that incorporates music, literature and theatre, or a project that has no one specific arts practice focus.  However, if your project does involve more than one area of arts practice, you still have the option to choose one of the single art form panels, which you think will best relate to your work, to assess your application.  

Emerging artists can apply to all art form panels. General characteristics of ‘emerging and experimental arts practice’ include the exploration of challenging new concepts in the creation and experience of arts and culture. It plays with or invents new forms, methodologies, technologies or explores non-material ideas.  These sometimes include art/science research collaborations, bio art, live art, socially engaged practices and new technologies. For more information about Emerging and Experimental Arts we suggest you read through the EEA - Frequently Asked Questions.

If you’re unsure about which art form panel best fits with your project, we recommend you contact the Grants Enquiry Team to discuss further.

No. Applications to Government programs run by the Australia Council will not count as an application to Australia Council Grant programs.  In 2016 applicants will be able to submit up to three (3) applications to the Australia Council’s core grants program, as well as applications to the Government programs.

We aim to notify you of the outcome of your application no later than 12 weeks after the relevant closing date.  Please see the program page for the grant category you are interested in for more details.

We provide funding to practising artists or artsworkers. While you may not regularly earn income from your practice, you must be identified and recognised by your peers as a practising artist or artsworker. This may include cultural practitioners, editors, producers, curators and arts managers.  

The Australia Council requires that organisations be registered under law (for example, incorporated associations, companies limited by guarantee) or created by law (for example, government statutory authorities). Organisations that are not legally constituted are not eligible to apply for funding to grant categories open to organisations only. Organisations may be required to provide a certificate of incorporation or evidence of their current legal status.  Funding programs for organisations are not intended for sole traders or partnerships. 

We define a group as two or more individuals who do not form a legally constituted organisation.  This can include co-collaborators and collectives.  Groups are not eligible to apply to programs open only to organisations.

Yes. However, the contact person for Group applications must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident. 

Yes.  The Australia Council expects that artists professionally employed or engaged on Australia Council-funded activities will be remunerated for their work in line with industry standards. Payment of artist fees should be reflected in your application budget. 

For further information on artist fees and industry pay scales see Payment of Artists.

Funding is available to support projects with a clear start and end date. If you need funding towards your administration costs to be able to deliver your project, you can include them in your grant request. However, you need to be aware that competition for funds is very high and peers will look at the diversity and scale of any co-funding when assessing the viability of your project. Projects that include a high percentage of administration costs may be less competitive.

While we can support screen-based art, we do not generally support activities associated with feature film, television or documentary. See Screen Australia, the Federal Government’s primary agency for production of Australian screen activity. http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/

We encourage our applicants to seek funding from other sources to cover the complete costs of their projects. While it does depend on the size of your grant request to us, we would expect that applicants with large grant requests would also secure funding from elsewhere to cover all costs associated with a large scale project. 

Yes, a grant to an individual is considered income and taxable. We encourage you to discuss the impacts of receiving a grant with your accountant or financial adviser.

Please note we pay our grants in the financial year which they are approved. We will not adjust payment timelines to the particular circumstances of individuals. You must accept the conditions of your grant and invoice us for payment within one month of notification of the outcome of your grant. If we do not receive an invoice within this time-frame we may withdraw our offer of the grant.

Grants fund necessary business expenses incurred in establishing and running an arts practice, creating a new work or delivering a project. Although they are not used for day to day living, grants are considered income for social security purposes. The amount is generally assessed as a lump sum and will affect your social security payment for the financial year. However, artists who are running a business (even on a small scale) may have their grant treated differently. 

Artists should contact Centrelink on 13 28 50 for more information. Additionally, Centrelink’s Financial Information Service (FIS) is an education and information service available to everyone in the community and may be of great benefit to artists who also receive assistance through the social security system. To contact FIS phone 13 23 00.

Yes, provided you meet the general eligibility requirements, you can make your application in any language, for projects and activities in any language (including Auslan).

If any aspect of your application requires translation, please contact the Grants Enquiry Team before the closing date of the round to which you are intending to make a grant submission. Please be aware that, if you do not contact us before the closing date, we may not have sufficient time to meet your translation needs.

We can arrange the translation of the content of your application form, and, where appropriate, support material. We can also arrange the translation of the guidelines and application forms. In some cases we will engage an industry expert to provide the peers with an evaluation of creative content submitted in a language other than English.

Yes, if you have support materials such as letters from project partners, collaborators or participants that are in languages other than English (including Auslan), we can arrange translation or captioning. Please contact the Grants Enquiry Team before the closing date of the round to which you are intending to make a grant submission. Please be aware that, if you do not contact us before the closing date, we may not have sufficient time to meet your translation needs.

Our online application form also has a checkbox at the top which you can tick if you have attached materials in LOTE. This alerts the Grants Team that you have submitted these materials.

Yes, provided you meet the eligibility requirements for the Four-year funding program. As competition levels will be high, and competitive organisations will need to be able to articulate a five-year vision for their organisation, we strongly recommend that you contact the Enquiry Team to discuss your application first.

Organisations with national impact, that deliver services to one or more areas of the arts, can apply. You will be assessed in competition with other like organisations against relevant criteria.

You can include costs associated with international activity in your application for Four-Year Funding. We encourage you to project and factor these costs into your four-year funding period where necessary. Please speak to the Enquiry Team for further information.

We draw our peer panels from our pool of registered peers. Peers are chosen by virtue of their knowledge and experience and are equipped to make a fair and informed assessment of artistic work and grant applications. Your application will be assessed by one of our nine arts practice specific panels. 

Yes. While you can supply your 2016 budget in any format you like, you can choose to use the template that the Australia Council’s existing multi-year funded organisations use here.

Yes. Any information previously submitted by your organisation may be considered during the assessment of your application.

The Australia Council makes decisions independently; however we do take into consideration any co-funding arrangements with State and other funding agencies and consult with them where necessary.

No. If you receive Four-Year Funding you will not be able to apply for grants for the duration of your funding agreement (excluding Playing Australia and the Contemporary Music Touring Program), which will start in 2017.

 No. You are not required to provide a budget with your application.

The capacity to accommodate children and partners varies from provider to provider. Please check the program descriptions for specific requirements. At present, residencies that could potentially accommodate a family (dependant on the number of individuals) include HIAP in Helsinki, ACME in London, and BR Whiting in Rome. Please note that the programs that are limited to the participating artist only, have various limitations e.g. communal living and/or working space or modest living quarters.

Yes. If successful, you are required to have travel insurance for the duration of your residency. The Australia Council covers travel insurance for artists travelling up to six months. The Australia Council travel insurance will only cover you in the country of your residency and only for the period of your residency. For all other travel you must take out your own travel insurance. 

If you are self-organising your residency and applying through Development Grants for Individuals, you will not be provided with travel insurance by the Australia Council. In these instances, we highly recommend purchasing travel insurance and including it in your budget for grant applications.

If you are planning to bring your partner or family over to the country of residence, they will not be provided with travel insurance by the Australia Council and will need to take out their own.

Unless stated otherwise in the program description, all residencies are offered for fixed dates and periods of time.

No. The Australia Council cannot provide any advice on visa or immigration matters. You must contact the relevant embassy and DFAT to get current information. We suggest you allow plenty of time to apply for all international visas.

No.

The grant is contribution from the Australia Council toward your travel and living costs during the residency period. Applicants are expected to research the cost of living in the residency location they are travelling to. You may need to supplement the grant with your own funds depending on your projected costs for the residency period.

The Australia Council will offer residencies annually, and the round will fall in the second half of the calendar year. The International Residencies Program is dynamic and responsive and the programs on offer may shift from year to year. Please check our website prior to the annual closing date for information on which residencies will be offered.

Yes, but this will be at your own cost and the Australia Council will not be able to provide additional funds towards the extension or an extension on travel insurance.

You can apply for up to three residencies per round. However, you will need to consider how the panel will perceive your commitment to a particular residency program and/or market if you have applied for multiple residencies. Each residency requires a separate application and will count towards your limit of three applications per calendar year.

The Australia Council partners with established and reputable residency providers and each program is unique. Successful applicants will be provided with detailed information about each residency and introductions to the residency providers who will assist artists with making local connections. Australia Council staff are able to provide further advice and contacts, as requested. Australia Council’s International Development Managers, across North Asia, Europe, and North America, are also available as an additional resource. 

Artists are also expected to have their own resources, contacts and project plans for the residency.

The grant is not intended to cover lost income or rent at home and applicants will need to consider their capacity to undertake the residency prior to applying.

Yes. Each residency requires a separate application and will count towards your limit of three applications per calendar year.

Yes.

No. Under our eligibility rules, if you receive a grant through Arts Projects for Individual and Groups, Development Grants for Individuals and Groups or Fellowships you are not eligible to apply at the next closing date for those categories or for Residencies. Please note that this guideline does not apply to expressions of interest submitted under Council initiatives, or to applications to Government programs such as Playing Australia. If you are unsure whether you are eligible to apply please speak with a Grants Officer.

There is no requirement for you to provide a timetable of your activities.

Yes. The next closing date for this category is 4 October 2016. If you are looking for some tips on organising your residency or programs in the region you’re interested in, check out the resources on our International Residencies Program web page.

These programs have been discontinued. Many artists have benefited from these programs in the past. The Australia Council has decided move away from a real estate model to a partnership model for international residencies. Australian artists can still apply directly to ISCP in New York and the British School at Rome for a residency and come into the Development Grants for Individuals to fund it.