Deadline: 30 April 2025
Applications are now being accepted for the New South Wales Government’s Contemporary Music Festival Viability Funding Program.
This program is designed to grow and support the live music ecosystem in NSW through investment in the operations of established music festivals, alleviating short-term financial challenges and improve business and job retention during the cost-of-living crisis.
Funding Information
- Funding up to $500,000 can contribute to:
- government-related costs including police, medical and ambulance, and fees for NSW government-owned venues
- operational costs including insurance, venue hire, security, production, staffing.
Eligible Costs
- Funding can support government-related and operational costs for contemporary music festivals.
Ineligible Costs
- Artist fees
- Marketing and promotion.
- Alcohol supplier costs.
Eligibility Criteria
- A music festival that:
- is presented in NSW
- programs new and original contemporary music
- has music as the primary focus of the festival
- has approved event capacity of 15,000 and above per day
- has evidence of previously delivering festivals over 15,000 capacity
- is a paid and ticketed event
- has occurred in NSW at least five times over last ten years
- is to be held within 3 months of application submission
- is Australian owned or has part international ownership
- can demonstrate/legally declare solvency
- does not have NSW Government Hallmark status.
Ineligibility Criteria
- A music festival that:
- has already taken place
- is presented outside of NSW
- does not program new and original contemporary music
- has approved event capacity of 14,999 and under
- a festival that has approved event capacity over 15,000 or more for the first time
- is a free event
- hasn’t occurred at least five times in the last ten years
- won’t occur in the next 3 months
- has 100% international ownership
- cannot demonstrate or make a legally binding declaration of solvency
- has announced it has sold out
- has NSW Government Hallmark status.
Application Requirements
- Applicants are required to include:
- an approved safety management plan (SMP) or health plan
- audited accounts for the last two financial years
- balance sheet for the current year to date and the last two financial years.
For more information, visit NSW.
