Support to develop and implement community arts and cultural development projects

A grant of up to $20,000 for one-off project delivery
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

This category provides funding of up to $20,000 for individuals, groups and organisations to develop and implement one-off community arts and cultural development projects with a range of partners.

For the purpose of this category, the term ‘partners’ refers to individuals or organisations that will help make the project happen. The partners will work in collaboration with the applicant, towards a shared vision and may contribute financially or in kind to the project.

Consideration of an evaluation strategy for this category is recommended.

First time applicants are encouraged to apply.

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

Support to develop and implement community arts and cultural development projects

A grant of up to $20,000 for one-off project delivery
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, groups and organisations.

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

Organisations currently in receipt of Community Partnerships multi-year or annual funding, and 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:

• Quality of the community engagement with artistic and cultural development outcomes
• Capacity and skills of artists and/or facilitators to achieve the project outcomes
• Strong project planning and effective use of resources
• Quality of the developmental outcomes for communities whilst addressing 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.

Support to develop and implement community arts and cultural development projects

A grant of up to $20,000 for one-off project delivery
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, please 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 project or activity to the community, organisation or individual
• The likely benefits of the proposed project or activity to the community, organisation or individual
• A brief outline of the individual or organisation’s own experiences with the applicant’s previous activities and involvement in the proposed project
• A recommendation of the artists/arts workers involved, based on previous experience
• Confirmation of cash or in-kind contributions (where relevant)
• Confirmation of an invitation or the acceptance of an invitation (where relevant).

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

2) Artist Bios:

• A brief job description and a CV extract outlining the relevant experience for each of the artists and/or facilitators to be employed on the project. 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(s)/arts workers, 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 artists 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 artists 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.