Support for international tours and one-off presentations of contemporary performing arts

An initiative to support international touring of Australian contemporary performing arts
Applications for this initiative must be received eight weeks prior to the project commencement date
Decisions will be advised within six weeks of the receipt of the complete application
Funded projects can start from the specified project commencement date

About the initiative

Going Global supports international touring opportunities for Australian contemporary performing arts in order to:

• increase artists’ income levels and diversify their income streams
• facilitate the demand triggered through market development initiatives managed by the Australia Council, such as APAM, international visitors programs and Australian delegations at key performing arts markets
• extend the life of Australian contemporary works
• maximise visibility, audience knowledge and appreciation of Australian contemporary performing arts worldwide.

Background

The Australia Council for the Arts has provided international touring support through various schemes and initiatives over the last decade. In 2008-09, the Australia Council launched Going Global - a fund to support international tours and one-off presentations.

Scope

This fund provides support for the following activities:

• one-offs - defined as one presentation or a series of consecutive performances in the same city, town or venue
• tours - defined as a series of at least three consecutive performances in three different cities, towns or venues
• ‘Go-See’ support for international presenters - to support international presenters and/or producers to see Australian work on tour overseas.

Support is available for original, contemporary Australian work only.

Please note: support for presenters to see performances in Australia is not supported under this program. Please see the Go See grant for information on support for Australian programmers and presenters to view Australian contemporary performances in Australia.

Applicants supported through Going Global are encouraged to read the Green Agreement for International Exchange and Green Rider template developed by Julie’s Bicycle through the IETM-Australia Council Collaboration Project, and to consult their Industry Green tools.

Market Priorities

Market Development has established market priorities which include:

Asia: China and Republic of Korea

North and South America: USA, Canada, Mexico and Brazil

Europe: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

These priorities are based on the country's capacity and interest in presenting international artists, touring infrastructure and/or growing economy to support their engagement within the international arena.

Amount available

• for one-off presentations, the maximum amount is A$20,000 per trip
• for tours, the maximum amount is up to A$50,000 for an extended international tour
• for ‘Go-See’ support for international presenters, the maximum amount per application is up to A$4,000.

Support will not exceed 40 per cent of a project's total expenses.

For one-offs and tours, the final funded amount is based on travel (international airfares and visa costs) and freight costs not covered by the international presenter/s.

In the case of tours of international co-productions, Going Global covers costs for the Australian members of the touring party only.

Presentation fees should reflect the scale of the touring party and the region in which the presentation is located.

Salaries/fees and per diems to artists and other creative personnel must comply with industry award rates.

For 'Go-See' support, applicants can apply for airfares, accomodation and/or ground travel costs only.

This fund does not cover the cost of per diems.

Please note: If you receive a grant for $50,000 or over, your acquittal report must include a financial report certified by a qualified accountant in public practice.

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:

Ellen Dwyer
Program Officer, Market Development
Phone 02 9215 9051 (direct) 1800 226 912 (toll free), Email e.dwyer@australiacouncil.gov.au

Support for international tours and one-off presentations of contemporary performing arts

An initiative to support international touring of Australian contemporary performing arts
Applications for this initiative must be received eight weeks prior to the project commencement date
Decisions will be advised within six weeks of the receipt of the complete application
Funded projects can start from the specified project commencement date

Selection criteria

These funds are highly competitive. The panel assesses submissions within a national comparative context based on the suitability of the tour/presentation and the status and touring history of the company/artist and against the following four (4) criteria:

1.    A demonstrated understanding of the region and the market proposed for the tour

How did the invitation to tour come about? Why are you touring this work to this city/region/venue/festival? What is the curatorial style of the venue/festival and how does this support your work? What opportunities does this presentation/tour offer for your work (i.e. fees, audience reach, long-term relationship building outcomes, connecting to other presenters of a similar style/scale)?

2.    Commitment from presenters to pay a reasonable fee and support the presentation/tour adequately

What fees did you secure and how did you negotiate them? Has the venue, festival or event presented your work previously? If so, how have you built on the previous engagement (i.e. fees, season length, and audience development)? How will the presenter promote/market the show? Will you undertake any additional marketing and publicity activities to support the presenter?

3.    A demonstrated ability to manage an international presentation/tour

Have you managed an international tour previously? If not, where are you seeking support and advice to assist you? If yes, what is your approach to tour management? How will you support the artists and crew on the road (i.e. managing number of performances with travel and rest days; managing scheduling of freight, air, road and ground transport)? Do you plan to undertake any other activities while on tour (i.e. workshops, master classes, meetings, media etc.)? Was the work designed to tour internationally? If not, how will you modify the work to ensure a smooth and efficient tour?

4.    The impact of the presentation/tour on developing future international opportunities for the artist/company

How does this tour fit with your international market development plan? Why is this tour strategic in terms of extending your reach internationally and/or enhancing the professional development of you or the company? Will this presentation/tour provide the opportunity to secure other future international tours?

 We request the budget, touring personnel list and tour summary to assess the stability of each project. This information is also used by the Australia Council to compile data over time on the level of investment, fees generated and scale of touring activity for Australian artists and organisations.

Selection process

An external assessment panel reviews applications against the assessment criteria above, with advice from Market Development and Arts Funding staff. While your application may meet the stated assessment criteria, you are not guaranteed support. Support from this fund rests on the merits of the proposal against the stated assessment criteria in comparison with other applicants and available resources.

The assessment panel considers the viability of the project as demonstrated by guarantees, other sources of income, fees and expenses paid by the presenter. Applicants may not be awarded the full amount requested, depending on the number of requests, the scale of activity as part of the proposed tour and the evaluation of the overall proposal.

Assessment does not incorporate artistic appraisal of the work. The assumption is that the presenter committed to programming and covering the costs of the presentation has assessed the work from an artistic perspective.

Support for international tours and one-off presentations of contemporary performing arts

An initiative to support international touring of Australian contemporary performing arts
Applications for this initiative must be received eight weeks prior to the project commencement date
Decisions will be advised within six weeks of the receipt of the complete application
Funded projects can start from the specified project commencement date

How to apply

You are encouraged to apply online for this category. To begin an online application, use the 'Apply online' button in the right-hand column. For other ways to apply, please see the information on making an application in the Funding Guide for 2012. 

You must submit complete Going Global applications at least eight (8) weeks prior to the project commencement date. However, you are strongly encouraged to submit your application well before the start date to make alternate arrangements if your application is not approved for funding.

Applicants must submit:

• a statement of claims against each of the four (4) assessment criteria listed on the Eligibility and Selection tab
• a budget, list of touring personnel and tour summary in the required format. Please use the Going Global spreadsheet provided in the supporting materials section below
• letters of offer from the presenters, confirming performance dates, venue, the final fee and any other expenses to be paid by the presenter
• for one-offs, a list of presenters you will target to attend the performance/s and why - to demonstrate how the one-off presentation will develop future international touring opportunities for the artist or company
• international touring history for the past 18 months. 

Applicants requesting ‘Go-See’ support for international presenters must submit:

• written confirmation of attendance from the buyer/s
• the presenter’s name, position, festival/venue, city and country
• a brief rationale as to why the presenter has been selected
• which performance they will attend
• a brief budget outlining the funding required to off-set the buyer’s travel costs.

You may submit ‘Go-See’ applications at either the time of your Going Global application or closer to the performance dates. If you are submitting a ‘Go-See’ application after your successful Going Global application, you must contact Market Development staff first and submit the application by email, not through the online system.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants will not be contacted if applications are incomplete.

Applications will not be returned to the applicant.

Supporting materials

For your application to be eligible for consideration for funding, you must include the support material described below with your application at the closing date. Your support material should be your own work and the work of other key artists involved in the project. Support material should be recent and relevant to the project for which you are applying.

Going Global Spreadsheet 

Application checklist

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