Ongoing support for leading community arts and cultural development organisations

A grant of up to $250,000 per annum for sustained program delivery
Expressions of interest close 31 May 2012
Decisions will be advised on 13 August 2012
Full proposals close 28 February 2013
Decisions will be advised on 30 April 2013

About the grant

Key Producers will be organisations that have demonstrated outstanding success and leadership in community arts and cultural development. Key Producers will be supported for a six year period and be subject to regular and rigorous monitoring and evaluation.

The aim of the Key Producer category is to provide support to a group of organisations in their production of high quality art, both in and with communities, to ensure that these communities have opportunities to actively participate in cultural development and the creation of artistic work.

In 2007 Community Partnerships offered the Key Producer category for the first time. 11 organisations were successful and they received six years funding for the period 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2013.

As was clearly stated in 2007, the Key Producer category will be offered every five years and all applicants will have to apply through an open and competitive process. In 2012 we will be commencing the process for assessing the Key Producers who will be funded for a six year period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2019.

Funding is not guaranteed beyond the six year funding period. During this period Key Producer funding recipients are not eligible to apply to other grant categories offered by Community Partnerships.

The Community Partnerships Committee may decide to offer support to a Key Producer on the condition that co-funding is secured. If the co-funding is not secured then the offer will be withdrawn.

Funding range is between $150,000 and $250,000 per annum.

Contact

Applying to the Key Producer category is a multi staged process. The first step is to discuss your eligibility with the Director of Community Partnerships. If you are eligible, you will be invited to submit an Expression of Interest.         

Community Partnerships

Phone 02 9215 9034, Email cp@australiacouncil.gov.au

Ongoing support for leading community arts and cultural development organisations

A grant of up to $250,000 per annum for sustained program delivery
Expressions of interest close 31 May 2012
Decisions will be advised on 13 August 2012
Full proposals close 28 February 2013
Decisions will be advised on 30 April 2013

Eligibility

Only organisations can apply. Only organisations that have discussed their proposal with the Director of Community Partnerships or her/his delegate and have received confirmation are eligible to apply. Organisations must demonstrate at least five years experience in working with communities to produce high-quality community art and cultural development projects. Applicants must demonstrate that at least 50 per cent of the budget for their proposed Key Producer program is derived from sources other than the Australia Council. Applicants agree to the Australia Council possibly directly contacting partners/contributors and funding sources named in your proposals and having a business analysis undertaken of the full proposal.

Eligibility for other grants

An EOI is not considered as one of your applications to Community Partnerships or the Australia Council as a whole.

A Full Proposal is not considered as one of the two applications you are permitted to submit to Community Partnerships in a calendar year but is considered as one of the five applications you may make to the Australia Council as a whole.

Organisations receiving Key Producer funding are not eligible to apply to other Community Partnerships grant categories for the term of their funding agreement. 

Selection criteria

Selection criteria for Expressions of Interest:

• Innovative community arts and cultural development vision over a six year period
• Demonstrated capacity of artists and/or facilitators to achieve the community arts and cultural development vision
• A sustained track record of delivering excellence in community arts and cultural development projects and programs with, by and for communities in Community Partnerships priority areas
• Financial and organisational stability and plan for future growth

Selection criteria for Full Proposals:

• The capacity and innovation to deliver a high level of excellence in the community arts and cultural development program over a six year period
• A high level of capacity and skills of artists and/or facilitators to achieve the artistic and cultural development outcomes
• Clearly identified long term artistic and cultural development outcomes for participants from identified Community Partnerships priority areas and the wider communities
• Evidence of effective cross-sectoral partnerships brokerage strategies and outcomes
• Capacity to develop career pathways for artists/facilitators and contribute to the advancement of the community arts and cultural development sector
• An effective business plan which would include strategies to diversify income streams, grow resources and evaluation of artistic and business outcomes
• A high level of relative demand, and capacity for it to be met, in the area where the program will be delivered

Selection process 

The Community Partnerships Committee will assess EOIs and determine a short list. Selected companies will be invited to submit a full proposal. An invitation to submit a full proposal is not a decision guaranteeing Key Producer funding. More companies will be invited to submit full proposals than there is the capacity to support.

Ongoing support for leading community arts and cultural development organisations

A grant of up to $250,000 per annum for sustained program delivery
Expressions of interest close 31 May 2012
Decisions will be advised on 13 August 2012
Full proposals close 28 February 2013
Decisions will be advised on 30 April 2013

How to apply

Applying to the Key Producer category is a multi staged process. The first step is to discuss your eligibility with the Director of Community Partnerships. If you are eligible you will be invited to submit an Expression of Interest.  

Applications and supporting materials

Expressions of Interest

Companies that have met the eligibility criteria have been invited to submit an EOI.

Applicants will have until 31 May 2012 to submit their final EOIs (the closing date for draft EOIs has now passed and staff are currently preparing feedback)

Final EOIs should consist of the following:

• Five pages that address the selection criteria
• One page outlining an indicative budget
• Support material which includes up to five letters of support (strictly limited in length to one page each)
• Additional support letters (strictly limited in length to one page each) that address the Australia Council’s National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts (NATSIA) Policy if you plan to engage with people who identify with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander backgound
• Up to three URLs that represent the artistic quality and merit of the applicant’s previous arts projects.

The Committee will determine a short list and invite the selected companies to submit a full proposal. An invitation to submit a full proposal is not a decision guaranteeing Key Producer funding. More companies will be invited to submit full proposals than we have the capacity to support.

Full Proposals

The companies invited to submit a full proposal will be required to attend a business planning and application development workshop. This is to ensure that all companies are equipped to present their strongest case.

Applicants will have until 2 November 2012 to submit a draft of their full proposal.

Draft Proposals should consist of the following:

• Ten pages that address the selection criteria; plus
• Budget sheets.

Australia Council staff will provide feedback on the draft proposal and applicants will have until 28 February 2013 to submit their final full proposal.

The Committee will make assessments based on the applications submitted, feedback that maybe sought from partners and funding agencies identified in the applications and business analysis reports.

Application checklist

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

1. read all of the information provided for this category (across all the tabs above);
2. get in contact with the Director of Community Partnerships to discuss your eligibility;
3. if eligible, prepare your application, being mindful that you address all of the eligibility and selection criteria for this category; and
4. submit your application (including support material where relevant) by the closing date/s

Expressions of interest

To be eligible organisations must have been invited to submit a draft Expression of Interest (EOI) by the Director of Community Partnerships.

Applicants will have until 31 May 2012 to submit a final EOI. Your final EOI should include: the five page expression of interest; a one page indicative budget; five support letters; additional letters addressing the Australia Council’s National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts (NATSIA) Policy (where relevant); and up to 3 URLs.

Once you have uploaded your content and clicked ‘Submit’ you should receive an acknowledgement of your submission in the email account you have provided. If you experience any difficulty in uploading your EOI, please don’t hesitate to contact Alison McLaren (a.mclaren@australiacouncil.gov.au or 02 9215 9367).