CURRENT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

*dates listed are the closing dates for applications

ONGOING:

REGIONAL ARTS NSW QUICK RESPONSE GRANTS

Quick Response Grants are available on a monthly basis from February to November, with all applications being competitively assessed at the end of each month. The grant amounts vary, with individuals able to apply for up to $3000 and organisations up to $5000, though there is no minimum grant amount. It’s important to note that there is a limited funding pool, so accurate budgeting is crucial to ensure you are only applying for the amount you truly need.

These grants are designed to assist with urgent needs that may arise unexpectedly and are not covered by other funding rounds. This includes opportunities such as professional development, skills development, and small projects that require immediate attention.

Projects funded by the Quick Response Grants must begin within 2–12 weeks of the closing date of the round in which the application is made. Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their applications no later than 5 business days after the end of each month’s assessment.

Crisis Relief Grants

Grants are assessed for a current issue impacting ability to work in music and, if approved, will be provided through direct payment of bills or other personal expenses related to the crisis, rather than cash grants. Evidence of a current crisis will be required.

Community Benefit Payments

Funding amounts vary

For: Not-for-profit

Community Benefit Payments fund not-for-profits and registered charities to support the local community when a local venue is approved by the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority to operate more gaming machines.

Status: Ongoing

Glencore Community Grants

Glencore offer a range of community grant investment opportunities, investing in community infrastructure and programs across NSW, VIC and QLD. They are continually adding in new community investment opportunities.

Amount: varies between grants

Opens: always open

July 2026

The Regional Arts Fund: Project Grants

The Regional Arts Fund is an ongoing program that provides approximately $6 million per year to support artists and communities in regional and remote areas across Australia. The Regional Arts Fund is part of the Australian Government’s Arts and Cultural Development Program that supports participation in, and access to, Australia’s arts and culture through developing and supporting cultural expression.

The Project Grants fund high-quality arts projects benefitting regional or remote artists, arts workers, audiences and communities. The focus of the project could include any area of creative practice, multiple art forms or cross-disciplinary practice.

The Regional Arts Fund is managed by Regional Arts Australia on behalf of the Australian Government. Regional Arts Australia contracts Regional Arts NSW to deliver the program and award grants to artists, arts workers and organisations in NSW.Applicants can apply for up to $30,000.

The Regional Arts Fund Project Grants will open Wednesday 1st July, 2026 at 9:00am AEST.

Applications close on Monday 17th August, 2026 at 11:59pm AEST.

Community Foundation Grants Program - 2026 - Round 2

Opened: 1st of July 2026

Closes: 31st of July 2026

Value: Up to $20,000

Run By: GrainCorp Community Foundation (GCF)

Further Information: https://www.graincorp.com.au/community-fund/

The grants program provides financial support to organisations and projects that contribute to the development and promotion of the communities in which we live and work.

There are two types of activities that GrainCorp’s Grants program funds:

Community-related programs & activities (Maximum funding limit: $20,000)
Community infrastructure projects (Maximum funding limit: $20,000)

To be eligible for a grant, the organisation or project must:

Be based within a GrainCorp operational region or region linked to grain growing activities;
Be intended to have a positive effect on local communities in rural and regional areas;
Demonstrate a direct connection with community development; and
Align with at least one of GrainCorp’s Community Foundation Pillars.

GrainCorp opens two rounds every year for grant funding applications:

1 – 28 February
1 – 31 July

The Next Chapter - 2027

Closes: 31st of July 2026 - 5:00 pm

Value: Up to $15,000

Run By: The Wheeler Centre

Further Information: https://www.wheelercentre.com/the-next-chapter

The Next Chapter program elevates Australian stories that aren’t being told and nurtures a new wave of writers to tell them.

Each Next Chapter writer will receive a $15,000 stipend and be paired with a handpicked mentor to work closely with them over a twelve-month period as they progress a major writing project. The program also offers meaningful opportunities for the recipients to connect with peers, agents, publishers and readers.

Participants will also receive the opportunity to attend a residency at Varuna, The National Writers’ House, and attend an end-of year publishing intensive at The Wheeler Centre.

Of the writers selected, there will be one fellowship place dedicated specifically to a poet, The Malcolm Robertson Fellowship.

Pride Foundation Australia Small Grants - Round 2 - 2026

GrantOpened: 4th of May 2026 - 9:00 am

Closes: 13th of July 2026 - 11:59 pm

Value: Up to $1,000

Run By: Pride Foundation Australia

Further Information: https://pridefoundation.org.au/small-grants/

The Small Grants program supports projects proposed by individuals and or organisations and or communities who would otherwise be limited by the constraints of other funding programs.

The maximum grant has been increased to $1000 in 2022 and there will be more grants awarded (if successful) each round. The project needs to directly or indirectly assist, involve and benefit LGBTQIA+ people and promote positive social outcomes and mental health in the community.

They welcome applications that are particularly creative and innovative, and those that are put forward by individuals, communities and organisations that have not received small grant funding in the previous 2 years. They regard favourably projects that work as partnerships between individuals and organisations.

Round 1 2026
Funding priority to transgender, non-binary and gender diverse people and communities
Opens at 9am AEDT Monday 19 January 2026 and closes at 11:59pm AEST Monday 13 April 2026.

Round 2 2026
Funding priority to projects supporting healthy ageing for older people
Opens at 9am AEST on Monday 4 May 2026 and closes at 11:59pm AEST on Monday 13 July 2026.

Round 3 2026
Funding priority to regional and rural communities
Opens at 9am AEST Monday 3 August 2026 and closes at 11:59pm AEDT on Monday 16 November 2026.

The Windmill Trust Scholarship for Regional NSW Artists

GrantCloses: 13th of July 2026

Value: Up to $10,000

Run By: Regional Arts NSW

Further Information: https://regionalartsnsw.com.au/windmill-trust-scholarship/

Established in 1997 in memory of the artist Penny Meagher, the emphasis of the Windmill Trust Scholarship is to support visual artists from regional NSW to take up career development and/or presentation opportunities for their work.

The Windmill Trust Scholarship supports artists in various career aspects, including independent artistic research or practice, professional development, exhibiting and presenting work in new ways. Financial support encompasses studio rental, materials or labour costs, framing, space rental, promotion, artists’ fees, freight, installation, and documentation.

Funding Available

One individual or group will be awarded up to $10,000.

This scholarship provides assistance towards the cost of:

Exhibiting work, including space rental, artist fees, travel, documentation.
Professional development and education.
Independent artistic research or practice including studio fees, residencies and travel.

FRRR - ANZ Seeds of Renewal

ANZ Seeds of Renewal is a small grants program designed to help build vibrant and sustainable rural communities, to ensure the ongoing prosperity of regional Australia.

The program demonstrates ANZ’s ongoing commitment to shape a world where people and communities thrive. It is built on two key tenets:

Vibrant communities are diverse and inclusive with strong social capital, where everyone can participate and build a better life; and
Sustainable communities innovate, expand, and create opportunities that will deliver demonstrable medium to long-term economic benefit to the community, contributing to economic sustainability.
Opens July 2026

Saluting their Service Commemorative Grants Program - 2026–27 - Batch 1

GrantCloses: 29th of July 2026 - 9:00 pm

Value: Up to $150,000

Run By: Department of Veterans Affairs

Further Information: https://www.grants.gov.au/Go/Show?GoUuid=f6ed4eff-7fcd-48ed-9641-9409d12012b9

The Australian Government is inviting eligible organisations to apply for grant funding under the Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants Program (STS program).

The objective of the STS Program is to commemorate the service and sacrifice of Australia’s service personnel who served in wars, conflicts and peace operations, including National Service personnel, and their families.

The intended outcome of the STS Program is to provide funding for projects and activities that:

promote appreciation and understanding of the experiences of service, and the role of service personnel
preserve, add to the sum of knowledge on, or provide access to information about Australia’s wartime heritage.

1. Community Grants

Grants up to $10,000 are available for projects and activities that:

are focused on the local community
commemorate the service and sacrifice of local community members
are primarily accessed by the local community.

2. Major Grants

Grants between $10,001 and $150,000 are available for major commemorative projects and activities that are significant from a national, state, territory and/or broader regional perspective. These projects may include the construction of new war or peace memorials where none currently exist, as well as additions to existing memorials.

If your project relates to restoring or changing a memorial or other commemorative artefact, there may be heritage and conservation considerations.

Eligibility:

To be eligible, you must be one of the following entity types:

Company
Cooperative
Corporate State or Territory Entity
Incorporated Association
Indigenous Corporation
Local Government
Non-corporate State or Territory Entity
Non-corporate State or Territory Statutory Authority
Partnerships
Person
Sole Trader
Statutory Entity
Unincorporated Association – only for Community Grants (up to $10,000).

If you are applying as a Trustee on behalf of a Trust, the Trustee must be one of the eligible entity types listed above.

SEPTEMBER 2026

ARTS ON TOUR -BACKROADS

OPEN on Monday 3 August at midday AEST

CLOSE Wednesday 2 September at 5pm AEST.

Backroads connects communities throughout regional and remote NSW to small-scale, high quality performing arts events. The initiative aims to extend and support the reach of professional productions to regional towns that do not have performing arts centres as well as support small hall activation and the work of independent producers and artists.

Backroads is best suited to adaptable, low-budget NSW-based productions that would feel at home in a community centre, old town hall, or small, independent theatre. Tours need to be self-sufficient, able to produce, mount and market their work in regional and remote towns.

Applicants from NSW can apply for one of three $7,000 grants to support a tour to 1-3 independent or community-run venues. More venues are okay if your budget allows i.e. other sources of income and/or costs amortised across locations. The tour may include major performing arts centres but Backroads funds cannot go towards the delivery of those performances.

Visual Arts General Grant Program 2026 - Round 3

GrantCloses: 30th of September 2026

Value: Undisclosed

Run By: Gordon Darling Foundation

Further Information: https://www.gordondarlingfoundation.org.au/guidelines.php

The Gordon Darling Foundation is a perpetual public charitable trust, established in 1991 to "support Australia-wide, activities of importance in the Visual Arts."

The Foundation can only provide funding to Public Institutions in Australia. Applicant organisations must have Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. Individuals wishing to apply for funding for projects must partner with a Public Institution which then takes on responsibility for the project.

Funding may be provided for:

catalogues and publications:
- that are scholarly, with well-researched new information.
- that provide a permanent record of an exhibition, collection, or work of an artist or movement.
professional education initiatives, including individual professional development.
collection management initiatives, including database development, digitisation and conservation.
research projects leading to the recognition and publication of material of significance.
internationally known speakers for symposia.

OCTOBER 2026

Playing Australia Project Investment - 2026 - Round 3

GrantCloses: 13th of October 2026 - 3:00 pm

Run By: Creative Australia

Further Information: https://creative.gov.au/investments-opportunities/playing-australia-project-investment

Playing Australia Project Investment supports organisations to undertake performing arts tours to reach regional and remote communities across Australia.

The program supports costs associated with touring to regional and remote areas of Australia. There is no limit on the amount that can be requested. Touring activity must be confirmed prior to seeking investment through this category.

Who can apply

Legally constituted organisations only may apply.

What you can apply for

You may apply for any costs necessary for the completion of a successful regional tour with a confirmed itinerary.

Creative Australia acknowledges that flexibility is required when touring and supports a variety of touring models. Applicants may seek investment for alternative touring models that:

propose activity such as residency models with live performance outcomes or concept touring
present a tour that includes significant and targeted community engagement
present an annual touring program for single or multiple works
propose a digital tour.

You can apply for support towards:

a tour that has a confirmed itinerary
payment of fees and salaries for artists and touring party
costs associated with remounting or rehearsing a work
production costs associated with touring the work or delivering the activity
touring costs including freight, transport, accommodation and travel allowances
tour co-ordination
costs associated with reducing the environmental impact of your tour
costs associated with supporting the wellbeing of the touring company.

2026 Closing Dates

Tuesday 3 March 2026
Tuesday 2 June 2026
Tuesday 13 October 2026

NOVEMBER 2026

Regional Arts Australia – Practice in Community

Round 2: Opens 28 September

Closes: 6 November 2026.

This program aims to place creativity at the heart of community life and supporting the arts to respond to community-identified priorities by acting as a catalyst for social connection, cultural expression, and long-term impact.

The objectives of the program are to:

Increase community participation in the arts by creating exciting community-led projects.
Provide vital support for artists by offering multi-year financial resources, mentoring, and professional development that sustains artistic practice and wellbeing.
Invest in the sustainable development of the CACD sector through practice-led learning, shared knowledge, and stronger networks for artists embedded in community.
Contribute to social impact outcomes through building connections, generating exchange, and creating opportunities in regional, rural, and remote communities.
Measure and communicate this impact through a responsive and rigorous learning and evaluation approach.

For the purpose of the program, CACD is a collaborative and participatory practice that engages communities in creative activities that are meaningful to them.

A total of eleven grants will be awarded:

Five grants in the first round (cohort one)
Six grants in the second round (cohort two)

Each grant is structured so that:

50% of the funds provide an artist fee for the artist.
50% of the funds support project delivery, enabling artists to work with their communities and community partners to design and deliver creative initiatives.

In addition to funding, artists will also receive:

Mentoring and professional development, delivered through one-on-one and group sessions within the national cohort.
Mental health and wellbeing support throughout the program.
Support from an evaluation specialist to develop and implement a localised evaluation plan for their project.

Grants valued at $160,000 are available over two years.

The funding round dates are:

Eligible Activities

Eligible projects must:

Be rooted in a specific geographic location, but the community you work with may be a particular group within that place (for example, young people, elders, migrant communities, or other locally significant groups).
Have deep, targeted, and sustained impact, to help a community respond to an identified priority.

Who Can Apply ?

Eligible applicants include individual artists who are committed to working with regional and remote communities through creative practice.

Eligible applicants must be:

An Australian citizen or permanent resident.
Holding or be able to obtain, an ABN.
Over 18 years old.
Living outside a Major City of Australia, as defined by the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Remoteness Structure – this means artists living in Inner Regional, Outer Regional, Remote, and Very Remote areas around Australia are eligible.
A resident within 100km of the community in which the proposed project will take place. Will consider outperforming arcDUG status.
A professional, independent artist with at least five years of experience in Community Arts and Cultural Development (CACD) or community-engaged practice.
Able to demonstrate an established history of working with communities through creative projects.
Available to undertake the program over the relevant two-year term for their cohort, on a part-time basis.

Main Assessment Criteria

The main assessment criteria include:

Community engagement and collaboration: The strength of the applicant’s connection with the community, evidence of invitation or support, and the approach to collaboration and co-design.
Artistic and cultural merit: The quality of the artist’s practice and the potential for the project to contribute to cultural expression, creativity, and community identity.
Social impact: The potential of the project to deliver meaningful social outcomes, building community connections, generating exchange, and creating opportunities.
Viability of the project: The feasibility of the proposed project, including clarity of approach, realistic planning, use of resources, and the artist's capacity to complete or substantially progress the project in the time period.
Cultural safety and ethical practice: The extent to which the project demonstrates respect for cultural protocols, inclusivity, accessibility, and ethical engagement with communities. Strong applications will show capacity to work safely and responsibly, supported by testimonials or evidence from previous projects, and a clear commitment to doing no harm.

Restrictions

The following are ineligible for funding:

Organisations, collectives, or groups (applications are only open to individual artists).
Artists who plan to deliver the project as part of their employment with another employer.
Those employed directly by, or serving on the Board of, Regional Arts Australia or Minderoo Foundation.
Artists currently funded through Minderoo WA Artist Fund.
Anyone with an actual conflict of interest with Regional Arts Australia, Minderoo Foundation, or the Practice in Community program – including staff, board members, and their immediate family members or partners.

https://regionalarts.com.au/practice-in-community

Clubgrants Category 3 Infrastructure Grants - Community Infrastructure

Amount: Up to $250,000

Opens: 24th November

Closes: 15th December

Provides funding to support community infrastructure such as a multipurpose community hub or a service for an eligible community group.

The objective of the Clubgrants Category 3 Infrastructure Grants program is to fund the costs of construction, alteration, renovation, completion and fit-out of buildings and community infrastructure to deliver outcomes for disadvantaged NSW communities

Who can apply:
- Not-for-profit organisations that will be responsible for operating and/or maintaining the infrastructure
- Schools: applicants must consider if and how the infrastructure project is accessible to the public outside school hours
- Local councils: applicants are required to cash-match the funding amount requested.

PRIDE FOUNDATION AUSTRALIA - Small Grants

Round 3 2026 - Funding priority to regional and rural communities

Opens at 9am AEST Monday 3 August 2026 and closes at 11:59pm AEDT on Monday 16 November 2026.