National Arts Council launches Creation Grant (Singapore)

Through a rigorous creation process, they seek to expand the range of Singapore-made works that engage audiences at home and abroad. Recognising that the creation of an artistic work is not a solitary process, the Creation Grant goes beyond mere funding for your creative process and provides the resources for you to attend a residency, research your work or even to engage an external party to help you test and refine your work, be it a curator, editor or dramaturge.

Categories

• The following genres are supported:
  • Fiction
  • Creative/Literary Non-Fiction (including literary biographies, memoirs, essays on ideas, culture and the arts, etc.)
  • Young Adult Literature
  • Graphic Novel
  • Poetry
  • Translation

Funding Information

• The grant is capped at $50,000 per applicant for Performing, Literary and Visual Arts.

What does the Creation Grant Support? 

• The grant supports your creation process of up to 18 months within the Performing, Visual, Literary, Digital and Multi-Disciplinary art forms. This includes supporting:
  • The creation of original new works;
  • The adaptation and redevelopment of works across artistic disciplines (e.g. from book to musical), or across other media to the arts (e.g. from film to play with priority given to the adaptation of Singapore content;
  • Translating Singapore works by authors of established literary merit (preferably Asian) into any of Singapore’s official languages. Priority will be given to translating1 Singapore works into Singapore’s official languages.
  • Funding is prioritised towards proposals with effective national, and preferably international, marketing and distribution plans.
  • For the 2025 cycle, projects with strong use of digital technology as part of their creation process and/or as a platform to present its mini-showcase will be prioritised for funding under the Creation Grant.

Eligible Costs

• The Creation Grant covers direct expenses of the creation and developmental process, including the following costs:
  • Artists’/collaborators’ professional fees
  • Dramaturge/mentor/curator/consultant fees
  • Developmental costs including research and editorial consultancy
  • Experimentation/workshop/devising expenses, material expenses
  • Travel expenses, residency expenses etc
  • Mini-showcase costs

Eligibility Criteria

• The Creation Grant is open to:
  • Individuals who are Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents (PR), preferably residing in Singapore and actively contributing to the local arts scene (e.g. artists, collectives, performers, writers, presenters, curators, producers, impresarios, dramaturges and other people working in the arts).
  • For collaborative projects, the lead applicant must be Singapore citizen or PR, and must assume full administrative, legal and financial responsibility and must play a key role in the conceptualisation and creation process. All co-applicants should also have a strong track record. Proposals that involve collaborations with foreigners are eligible. Priority will be given to applications where at least 50% of the artistic team is Singaporean or PR.
  • The Creation Grant is for artists with a strong track record of artistic achievement and production.

Ineligibility Criteria

• NAC will not be able to support your application if you:
  • Are a group/organization
    • Constituted for non-secular purposes;
  • Are a Company Limited by Guarantee
    • Receiving Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) or NAC organisational funding
  • Are proposing a project that
    • Has already commenced prior to 31 October 2025
    • Does not have a clearly defined arts component, including projects primarily aimed at promoting religious causes;
    • Is currently receiving funding under NAC’s Major Company;
    • Is presented or commissioned by Major Company (MC)
    • Is held at a religious venue;
    • Is not intended for public consumption;
    • Is intended for fundraising purposes;
    • Is presented under the auspices of a school or tertiary institution, or is part of its curriculum;
    • Is intended for academic purposes; (where relevant) is unable to obtain an Arts Entertainment Licence.
  • Have pending/outstanding
    • Evaluation reports on the use of previous grants from NAC;
    • Outstanding debts with NAC (you are eligible to apply once you have cleared your outstanding debts).
  • If you/any of your collaborators:
    • Have been awarded the Creation Grant 3 times within 5 financial years (FYs) of the first award.

For more information, visit National Arts Council.