For individual artists and arts workers to build their capacity as community arts and cultural development workers

A grant of up to $12,000 for individuals to develop their careers
Applications for this grant close 25 May 2012
Decisions will be advised in August 2012
Funded projects can start from 1 September 2012

Rounds

About the grant

Professional Development provides funding of up to $12,000 for individual artists and arts workers to build their professional capacity as community arts and cultural development workers. Individual artists and arts workers seeking support for professional development opportunities in community arts and cultural development should apply to this category.

Applicants are strongly advised to contact Community Partnerships staff before submitting an application to discuss their project and the most appropriate funding round in which to lodge their application.

The Community Partnerships Committee supports a number of priority areas that cover a range of geographic, demographic and social contexts. These priority areas serve to focus effective use of the resources of Community Partnerships and include regional Australia, disability, young people, cultural diversity, emerging communities, Indigenous people, remote Indigenous communities and specific critical social and cultural issues requiring focused attention.

Contact

Potential applicants are encouraged to discuss their application with Community Partnerships staff. For further information, or to discuss your proposal, please contact:

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

For individual artists and arts workers to build their capacity as community arts and cultural development workers

A grant of up to $12,000 for individuals to develop their careers
Applications for this grant close 25 May 2012
Decisions will be advised in August 2012
Funded projects can start from 1 September 2012

Eligibility

This category is open to individuals only.

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

Individuals currently in receipt of an Australia Council fellowship or Creative Producer grant may not apply to this category.

The Australia Council encourages artists from Indigenous backgrounds and from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to submit proposals. Proposals are also encouraged from artists with disabilities and from artists living and working in regional Australia.

Selection criteria

Applications will be selected that best demonstrate the following:

• How the proposal will be a direct benefit to your community arts and cultural development practice
• How will the professional development benefit the CACD sector
• Good planning and effective use of resources
• How the professional development opportunity addresses at least one of the Community Partnerships priority areas (regional Australia, disability, young people, cultural diversity, emerging communities, Indigenous people, remote Indigenous communities, and specific critical social and cultural issues requiring focused attention).

Selection process

The Community Partnerships Committee will assess applications according to the selection criteria above. 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.

For individual artists and arts workers to build their capacity as community arts and cultural development workers

A grant of up to $12,000 for individuals to develop their careers
Applications for this grant close 25 May 2012
Decisions will be advised in August 2012
Funded projects can start from 1 September 2012

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. Please select 'Arts Funding Division' when prompted to choose a board for your application.

If you would like a hard copy application form, contact Community Partnerships staff.

You must submit evidence of your eligibility and the required support material as part of the application.

For other ways to apply, please see the information on making an application in the Funding Guide for 2012.

Supporting materials

For your application to be eligible for consideration for funding, you must include the following 3 types of support material:

1) Support letters

You can submit between one and five letters of support, all support letters are strictly limited in length to one page each.

Applicants to all categories must submit support letter/s from relevant communities or organisations specific to the activities being proposed.

A support letter should assist the assessment committee to understand how the project or activity will benefit communities, organisations or individuals. It should reflect the relationship the applicant has with the group(s) involved and/or targeted through the project.

A good support letter might include:

• An explanation of the importance of the activity to the individual
• The likely benefits of the proposed activity to the individual and community
• A brief outline of the individual or organisation’s own experiences with the applicant’s previous activities
• Confirmation of cash or in-kind contributions (where relevant)

Applicants to this category must include letters of acceptance or invitation from the relevant organisation.

Please note: All support letters, except those from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander communities or artists, must be lodged with the application.

2) Artist Bio

A brief job description and a CV extract outlining the relevant experience of the artist. This must not exceed two A4 pages in total.

3) Examples of previous work

You must only submit ONE of the following

In addition to the above letters of support and information about the artist /arts worker, applicants must submit one of the following:

• Five pages of written material (for example, excerpts of published writing, research, or press coverage).

OR

• 10 printed photographs or electronic images (showing recent work of the artist and or community). If more than 10 are submitted, only 10 will be shown

OR

• Five minutes of video or sound recording on either DVD or CD (providing a recent example of the work of the artist and/or community). Only the first five minutes will be presented to the committee. Please ensure the DVD/CD you send has the five minutes you want the committee to review at the very beginning.

OR

• Up to three live website links (URL)

Ensure the material you choose best reflects the nature of your project and the purpose of this category.

It is your responsibility to ensure that electronic support material is self-playable. You should not rely on the committee member to have particular software required to view the support material. All necessary software must be included as part of the support material.

Any material supplied in addition to the required support material will not be considered in the assessment of your application.

Please contact Community Partnerships staff if you don’t have the required support material or if you need assistance in determining what support material will best advocate on behalf of your application

File formats

Support materials can be submitted in the following digital formats:

• Audio files – .mp3 (128-44.1kb/s)
• Images – .jpg (80 percent quality)
• Moving Images – .mov (Quicktime) . WMV (Windows Media Player)
• Documents – .pdf

Support material to submit before the assessment meeting

In line with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Policy and its underpinning principles, the Australia Council requires that applications for projects containing representations of artistic/cultural practice or intended outcomes relating to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander artists or communities must provide letters from relevant communities or artists. Letters must show clear evidence of support and agreement for the activities undertaken. In preparing your application, you may wish to consult the Indigenous protocol guides in song, performance, writing, new media, and visual arts (hard copies may be obtained from the Australia Council).

For proposals submitted that involve companies funded by the major performing arts board (MPAB), a letter of agreement between the applicant and the MPAB-funded company must be provided to both the MPAB and the Community Partnerships Committee. For further details please contact MPAB staff directly.

There is no limit to the number of NATSIAP letters you can submit, however all support letters are strictly limited in length to one page each.

NATSIAP letters are only required when conforming to the above policy.

We recommend you also read the FAQs for supporting materials submitted with your application.

Application checklist

We encourage you to use this handy checklist to help you prepare and submit your 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 relevant project officer to discuss your application;
4. prepare your application, being mindful that you address all of the eligibility and selection criteria for this grant;
5. submit your application form online using the 'Apply online' button in the right-hand column; and
6. ensure all support material is included with your application by the 25 May 2012 closing date.