First Nations Creative and Professional Development - 2026/27

Status: Open
Grant amount: Up to $30,000
Applications opened: 20 August 2026
Applications close: 21 September 2026, 2:00pm

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This grant supports NSW Aboriginal and/orTorres Strait Islander artists and acts to create, record and promote new,original contemporary music. Funding can also go toward professionaldevelopment and the purchase of career-essential equipment.

The program is funded by the NSW Governmentand administered by Sound NSW, part of the Department of Creative Industries,Tourism, Hospitality and Sport.

Eligible artists must identify as Aboriginaland/or Torres Strait Islander, be 18 or over, have lived in NSW for at least 12months, and have at least one publicly available release. Acts must havemajority First Nations membership or First Nations creative control, with allmembers 18 or over and at least half currently living in NSW. Music businessesmay apply on behalf of an eligible artist or act.

Funding can cover recording, mixing andmastering, producer and collaborator fees, pressing and manufacturing,marketing and content creation, workshops, camps, mentorships and residencies,and equipment up to $5,000. It cannot cover a first release, costs incurredbefore the project start date, touring, or activity already funded by anotherNSW Government program.

Projects must run between 7 December 2026 and31 March 2028. Only one application is allowed per round.

Applications are submitted through theSmartyGrants portal.

For questions, contact Anna Healey, Manager,Music Investments and Partnerships, at info@sound.nsw.gov.au or (02) 9240 8508.

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