CURRENT 2024 FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
*dates listed are the closing dates for applications
JUNE 2025:
3 JUN - VACDF Major Commissioning Projects (Individuals and Groups)
This program funds new visual arts and craft commissions to be created for presentation nationally and internationally.
Key dates
Applications close:
Tuesday 3 June 2025, 3pm AEST for project starting after 1 September 2025. (Noting: 3pm Queensland; 2.30pm South Australia; 2.30pm Northern Territory; 1pm Western Australia.)
Projects must start after 1 September 2025 and end by 30 June 2027.
Contact
If you need help with your application, contact an Artists Services Officer.
Related links
About the program
These grants deliver investment to individuals and groups as part of the Visual Arts, Craft and Design Framework.
Each year a designated number of grants are available to each state or territory reflecting the population spread of the country of which the Strategy is based.
Grants of $100,000 are available. The new commission proposed must be presented to audiences by 30 June 2027.
In the 3 June 2025 closing date, grants will be awarded to applicants residing in all Australian states and territories.
27 JUN - Audience Development Fund
The Audience Development Fund (ADF) offers public galleries in NSW assistance in targeting and developing new audiences. It encourages galleries to create innovative public programs that engage artists and the community. The fund is designed to support galleries to develop and trial new models for engaging audiences that will increase immediate and future attendance, access and participation.
Funds can be used for costs that support the development and implementation of public or educational programs, provide seed funding to trial new models for public engagement and/or build new partnerships for audience development. Examples of past programs supported include 1000 Words – Arts and Literacy program for schools at Northern Rivers Community Gallery, Argo Pacifico Kids Club at The Lock-up, Newcastle; Art Walks, a guided video tour of public art developed by Goulburn Regional Art Gallery; Bathurst Regional Art Gallery’s Youth Advocates program; and Connecting to Place, building new relationships with migrant and refugee communities run by Orange Regional Gallery.
Amount available: up to $9,000 for each grant (no minimum)
Closes 27th June 2025
Please refer to the 2025 guidelines below.
For further information email susanw@mgnsw.org.au
NOVEMBER 2025:
2 Nov - Leg Up Grants
Leg Up Grants are quick response skill development grants for workers in volunteer managed museums and Aboriginal cultural spaces throughout NSW. These grants fund various skill development projects including hosting or attending workshops, conferences or seminars in NSW, in addition to networking activities.
Previous Leg Up Grants have funded museum volunteers to attend conferences and workshops, and to gain training in areas of museum practice including paper conservation, oral history, disaster preparedness and significance assessment.
Amount available: Up to $500
Opening Date: 10th February 2025
Closing Date: 2nd November 2025
ONGOING GRANT FUNDING
‘Lights On, Doors Open’ – Stipend Program Supporting Volunteer-led Museums in NSW
The ‘Lights On, Doors Open’ stipend program has been established to relieve the pressures faced by volunteer-led museums and Aboriginal cultural spaces in NSW.
Various short-term, operational projects, such as (but not limited to) the following areas:
Bills for amenities
Small maintenance jobs
IT support
Small marketing projects
Fees for service
For more information head to the Museums & Galleries of NSW website.
Funding will be allocated based on the order of eligible applications received until funds are exhausted.
Regional Event Fund: Event Development Stream
This grant supports the strategic growth of proven events that demonstrate a clear rationale for the continued development of its tourism potential. The Event Development stream supports events that have previously received the maximum funding permitted through the Flagship Event stream and can present a strategy for future growth that includes the continued development of its tourism potential to drive overnight visitation to the event.
Grant amount: Up to $50,000
Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program (rPPP) - Stream One: Precinct development and planning
The RPPP Precinct development and planning offers grants up to $5 million to develop a precinct idea through to investment-ready stage in partnership with local stakeholders to benefit regional communities.
Destination NSW - Regional Event Fund
The Regional Event Fund identifies and supports events in regional NSW that have the potential to act as a ‘cornerstone’ or flagship tourism event for their area by attracting overnight visitation and delivering long term benefits to the region. Applications for the 2023/24 Regional Event Fund will open on Thursday, 2 March 2023 for events held between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024. Grants are available through the three streams listed on the website.
State Heritage Register Emergency Works Funding NSW - State Heritage Register Emergency Works Funding NSW
State Heritage Register Emergency Works Funding provides owners and managers of heritage items with funding to help protect and repair damage caused by unexpected events, including extreme storms or accidents.
First Nations Tourism Mentoring Program (FNTMP) - Free mentoring support for First Nations tourism businesses
This program provides free mentoring support to eligible First Nations tourism businesses.
Screen NSW - Regional Filming Fund
The Regional Filming Fund offsets costs associated with shooting in regional areas of NSW.
The objectives of the program are to:
Increase economic activity in regional NSW, by encouraging NSW screen productions to film outside of metropolitan areas
Enable regional NSW to benefit from the growth of film and television production in the State.
Funding amount: Up to $175,000
Applications open: 31 October 2023
Screen NSW - Location Scouts and Inbounds Program
The program offers long-form footloose productions scouting assistance for location surveys for eligible projects and may include covering some of the costs associated with location surveys including accommodation, domestic flights, vehicle hire and location manager services. Eligible projects are feature films, telemovies, mini-series, TV series or reality programs.
Funding amount: Up to $3,000
Applications: Open
Screen NSW - Made in NSW
Screen NSW’s Made in NSW Program is a five-year funding program to support the advancement of NSW as a production destination for feature films and major television drama programs.
Screen NSW - Digital Games Rebate
The NSW Government is offering a 10 percent rebate on eligible digital games.
Screen NSW - Development Program
Screen NSW Development funding supports writers and producers to develop fiction or unscripted (documentary) and online projects with distinctive ideas and ambitious stories.
Funding amount: Up to $50,000 depending on the project type and level of market interest
Applications open from Monday 30 October 2023
Screen NSW - Strategic Opportunities
The Strategic Opportunities Program supports initiatives and events that strengthen NSW’s screen industry. The Strategic Opportunities Program is a big-picture funding initiative administered by Screen NSW to strengthen the NSW screen industry. This ongoing program supports initiatives and events that demonstrate long-term benefits to the NSW screen industry. Projects and events with high artistic quality, particularly those involving people from underrepresented groups and priority areas, are highly valued in the competitive assessment process.
Funding amount: From $2,000
Applications: Open
Screen Australia – First Nations Program: Sector Development (Travel Grants)
The Travel Grants program is designed to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander filmmakers in travelling to key international and Australian events. Professional development is a key objective.
Screen Australia – First Nations Program: Documentary Production
This program seeks to support strong and distinctive documentary projects primarily to assist in the professional development of the key creative team.
Lights On, Doors Open’ – Stipend Program Supporting Volunteer-led Museums in NSW
The program has been established to relieve the pressures faced by volunteer-led museums and Aboriginal cultural spaces in NSW and aims to support eligible organisations, reduce the burden of constant fundraising, and allow them to focus on collections, maintenance, and best practices. Grants of $2,000 are available for eligible applicants. Up to 113 organisations will benefit from this initiative. Note: Funding will be allocated based on the order of eligible applications received until funds are exhausted.
Innovate Grant
Provides grants to artists and photographers to act as sparks of financial support that ignite your creative development. Grant cycles are open 4 times a year (Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter). Each quarterly cycle: Two (2) US$550.00 grants awarded and four (4) honorable mentions. All recipients will be featured and recognized on Innovate’s website.
These small and mighty bursts of financial support aim to help you:
– Develop New Ideas
– Experiment with New Forms
– Create New Work.
Creative Partnerships Australia Australian Cultural Fund
Helps raise funds for Australian artists, via a donation-based fundraising platform.
The Australian Cultural Fund is a fundraising platform for Australian artists. It is managed by Creative Partnerships Australia and was established by the Australian Government in 2003 to encourage donations to the arts. Through the ACF, artists upload their project, start their fundraising campaign and invite art lovers and supporters to donate.
EMERGENCY HERITAGE WORKS GRANTS
The Emergency works grants are open all year round to eligible applicants and subject to available funding. These grants support the protection or repairs to declared Aboriginal Places, items listed on the State Heritage Register, or items with a current interim heritage order that have been damaged by unexpected events (such as an extreme storm or accident) and where your insurance does not cover this cost.
Grant amount: Up to $10,000
Application opened: 1 July 2023
Application closes: 30 June 2025