Open Call: Regional Arts Development Fund (Australia)

Purpose

• RADF is delivered as a partnership between the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and eligible local councils across the state.
• RADF promotes the role and value of arts, culture and heritage as key drivers of diverse and inclusive communities and strong regions. RADF invests in local arts and cultural priorities, as determined by communities, across Queensland.
• RADF is a flexible fund, enabling local councils to tailor RADF programs to suit the needs of their communities.

Objectives

• RADF objectives are to support arts and cultural activities, strengthen communities through community grants programs and where applicable, council-led initiatives that:
  • Increase access to arts and cultural experiences in regional Queensland locations such as Townsville.
  • Grow employment and capacity building opportunities for artists across regional Queensland.
  • Deliver against local arts and cultural priorities and promote the value of arts, culture and heritage.

Categories

• Building Community Cultural Capacity
  • Support for professional career and capacity development activities for local artists and arts workers.
• Concept Development
  • RADF grants will support individuals and groups who wish to engage in professional research and the development of ideas and project proposals to the implementation stage.
• Collaborative Projects or Multiple Art Forms
  • RADF grants will support individuals or groups that incorporate collaboration with other artists or cross art forms, to build inclusive communities, and encourage partnerships and sharing of resources within the region.
• Community Involvement
  • Support for projects that reach the community through participation and audience experience.

Funding Information

• Applications for over $1,000 and up to $10,000 per application are invited.
• You can only receive one grant from RADF per financial year.

Eligible Costs

• Costs associated with engaging professional artists or arts workers to work on community projects or workshops within the Townsville community. Includes:
  • Travel
  • Accommodation
  • Registration fees
  • Professional fees associated with engaging a workshop facilitator
  • Consideration will be given for project wages to employ a person for the duration of the project. A documented case outlining the rationale for the need to employ a person for the project, their responsibilities and duties and calculation of wages and related costs must be attached to the funding application.

Ineligible Costs

• The following projects costs are excluded from the program:
  • Purchase of capital equipment – the purchase of office equipment (such as computers or photocopiers), portable shade structures/gazebos, machinery, vehicles, trailers, air conditioners, white goods, tables, chairs, PA systems, instruments, or capital equipment of any kind
  • Capital works – including the cost of repairs, extensions or renovations to buildings
  • Retrospective costs – including reimbursement of costs already incurred and funding for projects which have already taken place or began prior to the application being approved by council
  • Salaries and on-going related costs that are part of an organisation’s normal operations
  • Costs associated with the hiring of council owned or coordinated venues and public spaces such as waste fees, staffing fees and costs, council staff overtime, venue supervisor wages, and hire of council equipment free of charge
  • Prize money, prizes or trophies
  • Grant proposals that may lead to dependence on Council grant funds
  • Projects which support or oppose political or religious organisations, includes projects that are considered to primarily deliver a religious or political message
  • Projects that do not promote social cohesion or inclusiveness
  • Projects that duplicate existing services or programs
  • Projects deemed to be for primarily commercial purposes
  • Payment of debt or loans
  • Projects which are considered to be a requirement under an existing funding or service agreement with another organization
  • General operating expenses – funding will not cover expenses such as electricity, lease rent payments, telephone, uniforms etc that are part of an organisations ongoing expenses

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible to apply, applicants can be either:
  • An individual professional artist, emerging professional artist, arts worker, cultural worker or project coordinator who holds an Australian Business Number (ABN) or will be auspiced by a not-for-profit, properly constituted incorporated body or individual with an ABN, or;
  • A not-for-profit, properly constituted incorporated body or be auspiced by such a body which is able to accept legal and financial responsibility for the project.
• To be eligible to apply, applicants must:
  • Be based in the Townsville City Council Local Government area, or if based outside the council area, then be able to demonstrate how the project will directly benefit arts and culture in the council area;
  • Be free of debt to Townsville City Council and have no outstanding acquittals from previous Townsville City Council grant applications;
  • Hold, or have an auspicing organisation with, public liability insurance to the value of ten million dollars per claim; or occurrence giving rise to a claim; and
  • Be able to demonstrate how the project will meet a local demand or need within the Townsville community.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Government agencies or departments of state or federal government.
• Educational, religious or medical organisations, where the application is for the organisation’s core business.

Application Requirements

• If applicable to your application, the following support materials the following support materials should be supplied to support your application:
  • An eligibility check list for Professional and Emerging Professional Artists for each artist and arts worker involved in your project/activity
  • A brief CV for all key personnel that the RADF grant will pay for (no longer than one A4 page per person) and written confirmation of their participation (for organisations just the artistic / creative director). The purpose of this is to enable the assessors to determine the quality and suitability of personnel involved. CV’s more than one A4 page may not be fully read by the assessors
  • Letters of support and letters of agreement (detailing any funding commitments), which includes the contact details of the author.

For more information, visit City of Townsville.