Young People: First Nations Arts & Culture Project Fund (Australia)

The opportunity aims to build the capacity of First Nations young people’s skills development, career pathways, marketing, and audience development to maintain and elevate their practice and engagement in the arts and cultural sectors and creative industries.

This new initiative is part of Creative Australia’s First Nations First industry development programs. The programs have been developed in response to extensive community consultation on priorities and needs of the sector in response to Pillar1, First Nations First – Revive, the Australian Government’s shared vision for Australia: a place for every story and a story for every place. These new initiatives aim to elevate existing programs and deliver new funding that build on a 50-year legacy of First Nations leadership and investment at Creative Australia.

Funding Information

• Grants are available from $10,000 to $20,000.
• Duration: 12 months.

Eligible Activities

• Activities can include but are not limited to:
  • professional skills development, including mentoring, masterclasses, workshops, and residencies
  • Creation of new work
  • Practiced based research
  • Creative development
  • Experimentation
  • Collaborations and exchanges
  • Touring
  • Productions
  • Exhibitions
  • Performances
  • Publishing
  • Recording
  • Promotion and marketing
  • Market development activity
  • Materials costs associated with a particular project/program
• Please note: Activities can take place nationally, internationally, online, in-person, or in combination.

Eligibility Criteria

• Australian First Nations artists or arts and culture workers who are between the ages of 18 and 35 years
• Living in Australia
• You can only submit one application for this grant initiative.

Ineligibility Criteria

• You can’t apply for this grant if:
  • You are not an Australian First Nations practicing artist or arts and culture worker
  • You are a group or organisation
  • You are a manager or agent of a First Nations artist or creative
  • You are based outside of Australia
  • You have already received funding for the same project from Creative Australia
  • You have an overdue grant report with Creative Australia
  • You owe money to Creative Australia

Assessment Criteria

• A First Nations Industry Advisory Panel will review eligible applications against the following assessment criteria:
  • Project Quality:
    • This may include:
      • Clear project vision, process, and outcome
      • demonstrated art form experience and skills
      • quality of evidenced previous work
  • Project Impact:
    • This may include:
      • significance of the work within the relevant area of practice
      • clear benefits to career development, and/or to artistic and cultural practice
      • contribution to cultural expression (if applicable)
  • Project Viability:
    • This may include:
      • realistic and achievable project timeline
      • realistic and achievable budget, along with breakdown
      • relevant support material including letters of support from Elders, mentors, and community.
      • evidence that the Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts have been adhered to (if applicable).

Application Requirements

• The application form will ask you to provide:
  • a title of your project
  • a project summary
  • an explanation of how this project will benefit your career and professional development
  • a detailed outline of what you would like to do and key steps
  • details if you are working with other people as part of this project
  • activities details
  • statistical Information
  • a detailed project budget that includes income and in-kind support (optional), expenses for your activity, including any access costs related to the project
  • any support material relevant to your project including examples of your previous and current work, short bios and letters of confirmation from additional creatives involved, partnerships, participants, communities, and First Nations Elders, or organisations.
• You should submit support material with your application. The First Nations Industry Advisory Panel will review your support material to help them gain a better sense of your project.
• There are four types of support material you may submit:
  • Artistic support material:
    • This should include relevant, recent examples of your artistic or cultural work.
  • Biographies and CVs:
    • You can include your current brief bio or curriculum vitae (CV) of the applicant and key artists, personnel or other collaborators involved in your project.
    • Please note: Brief bios or CV information should be presented as a single document no longer than two A4 pages in total.
  • Letters of support:
    • Individuals, groups, or organisations can write letters in support of your project. A support letter should explain how the project or activity will benefit you, other artists or arts professionals, participants, or the broader community.
    • If relevant to your activity, letters of support may also provide evidence of appropriate cultural protocols, and permissions or outline the support of key project partners. You can include up to five letters of support with each support letter not exceeding one A4 page.
  • Letters of confirmation:
    • If your application involves an invitation to a residency, to present your work or attend a conference, either nationally or internationally, you must evidence this by providing letters of confirmation. Each letter must include confirmation of any invitations, partner fees, or contributions to the activity, whether cash or in-kind.
    • Please provide a single link to all letters or scan them into one PDF file and attach it to your application. You can include up to five letters of confirmation, with each letter not exceeding one A4 page.

For more information, visit Creative Australia.