Open Call: Creative Communities Funding Scheme (New Zealand)

Under the scheme ‘the arts’ are broadly defined as ‘all forms of creative and interpretive expression’. This includes creative participation in dance, performance, visual arts, music, arts education, toi Maori, literary workshops, digital storytelling and more.

Funding Information

• There is no limit to how much you can apply for, but most CCS grants tend to be under $5,000.

Funding Criteria

• Your project must meet one or more of the following funding criteria:
  • Broad community involvement – The project will create opportunities for local communities to engage with and participate in arts activities.
  • Diversity – The project will support the diverse arts and cultural traditions of local communities, enriching and promoting their uniqueness and cultural diversity.
  • Young people – The project will enable and encourage young people (under 18 years) to engage with and actively participate in the arts.

Eligible Projects

• The project must:
  • have an arts or creative cultural focus
  • meet one or more of the three funding criteria (see below)
  • be completed within 12 months after funding is approved
  • benefit local communities
  • take place within the city or district where the application is made, or benefit local communities within that city or district
  • not have started before funding is approved
  • not have already been funded through Creative New Zealand’s contestable funding programme for the same purpose
  • not have already been funded through Creative New Zealand’s multi-year funding programme.

Eligible Activities

• Types of projects or activities that could be funded include:
  • Exhibitions, productions, concerts, festivals, workshops and presentations that offer opportunities for community involvement in the arts
  • Activities that support the traditions and arts of ethnic communities
  • Youth arts events
  • Artist-led projects involving local communities
  • Materials for arts activities or programmes
  • Personnel costs for one-off, short-term projects
  • Promotion and publicity of arts activities to communities
• Types of projects or activities that cannot be funded include:
  • Activities that are not arts-focused
  • Activities that are the direct responsibility of schools or other education institutions
  • Ongoing administration costs not related to a specific project
  • Projects that are the core business of an organisation or service provider
  • Retrospective project costs (for projects already started or completed)
  • Fundraising activities
  • Travel for individuals or groups to attend events, presentations or shows
  • Developing facilities, such as gallery and theatre lights, stage curtains or building restoration
  • Buying capital items, such as computers, cameras, musical instruments, costumes or uniforms

Who can apply?

• An application can be from an individual or from a group.
• Individual applicants must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents.
• If you’ve previously received funding under the Creative Communities Scheme, either as an individual or as a member of a group, you must have completed a project report for the earlier project before any further applications from you will be considered.

For more information, visit Mackenzie District Council.