Multi-year support for outstanding theatre organisations

A three year grant for 2013-2015
Applications for this grant close 9 July 2012
Decisions will be advised in October 2012
Funded projects can start 1 January 2013

About the grant

Key Organisations—Multi-year funding supports a limited number of outstanding organisations to make high-quality theatre works, or to create opportunities for others to do so. Organisations need to demonstrate that they have a sustained national or international influence, are leading innovators and are acknowledged centres of excellence. Key Organisation - Emerging grants provide a pathway to this category.  

Key Organisations - Multiyear grants applications will be accepted only from organisations that have been in receipt of a Key Organisations - Emerging grant or Key Organisations - Multiyear grant for the preceding three years.

Organisations receiving a Key organisations - Multiyear grant may make four other applications to the Australia Council each calendar year, but they cannot apply again during this time to the Theatre Board, except for the Cultural leadership Program category. A Cultural Leadership category application counts as one of the four applications.

Contact

Potential applicants are encouraged to discuss their application with the relevant Australia Council team member. For further information, or to discuss your proposal, please contact:

Lyn Wallis
Director, Theatre Board
02 9215 9192, l.wallis@australiacouncil.gov.au

or

David Everist
Program Manager, Arts Organisations
02 9215 9112, d.everist@australiacouncil.gov.au

Multi-year support for outstanding theatre organisations

A three year grant for 2013-2015
Applications for this grant close 9 July 2012
Decisions will be advised in October 2012
Funded projects can start 1 January 2013

Eligibility

Only applicants who have been in receipt of a Key Organisations - Emerging grant for three years are eligible to apply.

Applicants must meet the general eligibility requirements including supplying required support material.

Selection criteria

Organisations applying to the Theatre Board's Key Organisations Multi Year category must demonstrate that they are one or more of the following:

• An organisation with a sustained national or international presence or influence
• A leading innovator that consistently stretches artform practice, or
• An acknowledged centre of excellence in its particular form of practice.

Each applicant for Key Organisations Multi Year funding will need to demonstrate that it is or can be such an organisation against the following criteria:

• An artistic rationale for your activity as a Key Organisation making a vital contribution to the development of high quality contemporary theatre in Australia
• Artistic or professional skills appropriate to the activity
• Contribution to the diversity of Australian theatre
• Good planning, governance and management, including effective use of resources.

There are three strands in the Key Organisations Multi Year category, with an extra criterion for each strand that the organisation must respond to.

1. Artistic Hubs
Artistic Hubs will be acknowledged leadership theatre organizations working within a rich mesh of networks and supporting a wide circle of artists. They may produce their own work under the direction of their artistic leadership or they may be a resource for a range of artistic visions, or both. They will be producing contemporary theatre work at a consistently high standard as well as offering opportunities for new artists or new companies to emerge.

Artistic Hubs will be assessed against the following extra criterion:

• A demonstrated commitment to strong support for the work of a wide circle of companies, groups and independent artists

  2. Artistic Explorers
Artistic Explorers will be organisations pursuing their own unique artistic goals to create distinctive contemporary theatre work. There is no expectation that they will act as a resource for other artists, but the quality of both the work and the vision animating it will be at the highest level. A change in artistic leadership would result in the organisation being placed under Council’s ‘Fair Notice’ protocol.

Artistic Explorers will be assessed against the following extra criterion:

• A record of achievement in the creation of highly distinctive, adventurous contemporary theatre.

 3. National Service Organisations
National Service Organisations will provide high quality nationwide services to theatre artists and companies and contribute to the creation of national networks. These services may be information, professional development, critical debate, resources, marketing, advocacy or touring opportunities. National Service

Organisations will be assessed against the following extra criterion:

•Demonstrated ability to provide high quality essential nationwide services to theatre artists and companies.

Organisations may choose themselves whether they wish to be assessed as an Artistic Hub or an Artistic Explorer.

Please note that National Service Organisations applications can be made by invitation only.

Selection process

The Board consider the applications and the required supporting material prior to the meeting, and scores the applications against the published selection criteria. During the meeting, the board and peers may choose to view optional supporting material to inform the discussion. The outcomes will be published as a Grant Assessment Report.

For more information on the assessment process, please see the page on Assessment of applications in the Information for applicants section of the Funding Guide for 2012.

Multi-year support for outstanding theatre organisations

A three year grant for 2013-2015
Applications for this grant close 9 July 2012
Decisions will be advised in October 2012
Funded projects can start 1 January 2013

How to apply

Only applicants who have been in receipt of a Key organisations - Emerging grant for three years are eligible to apply.

The Australia Council grant system in now online, so board members assessing the funding round will receive all applications and support materials as electronic files on USB's. You can submit files totalling up to 75mb of which one file cannot exceed 70mb.

 The online system supports the following file types:
• PDF (for text)
• JPEG (for images)
• MP3 (for audio files)

• one link to support material (a live URL link which is relevant and accessible - eg. up to 5 minutes of Vimeo/Youtube audiovisual material, or blog spaces which are created specifically for this application. This link must be saved in a .pdf document and uploaded with your application); OR

• MP4 (for video/moving image files)
• QuickTime files with the extension .MOV
Your support material will not be returned to you (and will be disposed of 45 days after the assessment meeting) unless you make a specific request to the client manager of key organisations theatre within that time.

Essential supporting material

Essential supporting material must be submitted as attachments with your application by the closing date or your application will be ineligible. Please create the following documents and upload them as attachment supporting material online.

1. Business Plan 2013-2015 - maximum of 30 pages in total. Additional pages will NOT be provided to the Theatre Board.

2. Audited Accounts 2011

Optional supporting material:

1. Video File (due with your application by the closing date)
A brief (maximum 5 minutes) video file. This could be an excerpt from a previous creative development for the work, or a selection from existing work of the artist or company, that demonstrates artistic intent. You will only be able to upload a 75mb in total (including all support material) to the application form. 

Application checklist

We encourage you to use this handy checklist to help them prepare and submit their application. You should:

1. read the Funding Guide for 2012, in particular the general eligibility requirements, the information on making an application and the information on how your application will be assessed;
2. read all of the information provided for this grant (across all the tabs above);
3. get in contact with the grant contact person to discuss your application;
4. prepare your application, being mindful that you address all of the eligibility and selection criteria for this grant; and
5. submit your application form online using the 'Apply online' button in the right-hand column.

Multi-year support for outstanding theatre organisations

A three year grant for 2013-2015
Applications for this grant close 9 July 2012
Decisions will be advised in October 2012
Funded projects can start 1 January 2013

General FAQs

We recommend you read the general FAQs for all grants and the FAQs for supporting materials submitted with your application.

Key organisations - Theatre FAQs

There are no specific FAQs for this grant at this time. Potential applicants are encouraged to discuss their application with the relevant Australia Council team member. For further information, or to discuss your proposal, please contact:

Lyn Wallis
Director, Theatre Board
02 9215 9192, l.wallis@australiacouncil.gov.au

or

Andrew Donovan
Acting Director, Key Organisations
02 9215 9124, a.donovan@australiacouncil.gov.au