Going Global - Market Development

Closing date: None, applications must be received eight (8) weeks prior to the project commencement date.

This Market Development grant is not available to apply online. Please go to the How to Apply tab to download an application form.

The Australia Council’s Market Development section aims to create more demand for Australian contemporary arts through supporting the promotion of Australian contemporary arts and developing new markets and audiences, in Australia and internationally.

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 - an international touring fund to respond to international one-off performances and tours. This program replaces Playing the World and supports performances resulting from the Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM) and other market development initiatives.

Going Global is just one of the Australia Council's funding programs to support Australian artists and companies in their international market development activities. For further information on the Australia Council's three-year Market Development strategy, please visit: www.australiacouncil.gov.au.

Purpose

The purpose of this fund is to support international touring opportunities for Australian contemporary performing arts 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 buyers 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.

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 Buyers - funds are also available for applicants to support international buyers to attend their performances overseas. Please note that there is limited 'Go-See' funding available. Market Development will generally support 4-5 applications per year.

This fund does not currently respond to cultural exchanges, residencies or co-productions with international presenters or producers.

Market Priorities

Market Development has established market priorities for 2008-2011 which include:

• Asia: China and South Korea
• North and South America: US, Canada (in particular in the western touring circuit in North America), Mexico, Brazil Argentina, Columbia
• European Union: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

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.

Applications must provide evidence that the proposed activity is a direct outcome of an Australia Council international market development initiative(s) to be eligible for support. These initiatives include international buyers programs within Australia, the Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM) and/or supported Australian delegations to key international performing arts markets.

For one-offs:

• Applicants must include a copy of the offer by the presenter, confirming the fee and all expenses paid by the presenter

• Applicants must include a list of targeted presenters that will attend the performance demonstrating how the one-off presentation will develop future international touring opportunities for the artist.

For tours:

• Applicants must include copies of the offer by the presenters, confirming the fees and all other expenses paid by the presenter.

For 'Go-See' support for International Buyers:

• Applicants requesting a contribution to airfares or ground travel expenses for international buyers must also submit written confirmation of attendance from the buyer(s) and include: the presenter’s name, position, festival/venue, city; a brief rationale as to why the presenter has been selected; which performance they will attend and the funding required to off-set the buyer’s travel costs.

Support is available for original, contemporary Australian work only.

Ineligible projects

• Tours by companies receiving international funds as part of their key organisation support
• Companies self-presenting their work internationally.

Amount available

• For one-offs, the maximum grant amount is $20,000 per trip
• For tours, the maximum grant amount is up to $50,000 for an extended international tour
• For 'Go-See' support for International Buyers, the maximum funding amount per application is up to $4,000.

For one-offs and tours, the final funding amount will go towards travel and freight costs not covered by international presenters and will not exceed 40 percent of a project’s total expenses.

Consideration is also given to the viability of the project as demonstrated by guarantees, other sources of income 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.

The application form, budget and touring itinerary are requested to assess the financial stability for 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.

NB: If you receive a grant for $50,000 or over, we require that your acquittal report includes a financial report certified by a qualified accountant in public practice.

Assessment Criteria

These funds are highly competitive. Submissions will be assessed within a national comparative context based on the following four (4) criteria:

1. A demonstrated ability to effectively coordinate an international touring project (i.e. efficient tour management and planning and sound budget management).
What is the number of performances balanced with the number of days off? Have you maximised the use of time on the road (i.e. workshops, media, meetings, etc.)? Was this work designed to tour? What are the confirmed guarantees, other sources and expenses paid by the presenter(s)?

2. A clear commitment from presenters to pay a reasonable fee and to support the engagement adequately, including their choice of appropriate venue.
What was the rationale developed for negotiating the fees? Are you familiar with the venue’s history of presenting work? What are the specific promotional strategies to support the performance(s)? Please indicate if the artist is returning to the same region/venue. The proposal will also be assessed based on the increasing commitment demonstrated by those presenters, in terms of increased fees, longer-engagements, box office figures and/or ticket prices.

3. A demonstrated understanding of the region and the market proposed for the tour.
What are you touring to this city/region, i.e. choice of repertoires? What is your understanding of the market(s) represented by the tour (i.e. fees, box office figures, etc.)?

4. The impact of the tour on developing future international opportunities for the artist/company and the importance of the tour in enhancing the career of the artist/company.
How is the tour consistent with your goals? How will this tour help in developing further international touring opportunities? In what ways will the tour advance your career or promote the company?
NB: Applicants for One-offs must include a list of targeted presenters that will attend the performance demonstrating how the one-off presentation will develop future international touring opportunities for the artist.

Assessment does not incorporate artistic appraisal of the work. The assumption is that the work has already been assessed as relevant by the presenter committed to programming the work and covering the costs of the presentation.

Market Development staff will review the requests against the assessment criteria above, and will seek advice from Arts Funding staff and peers when necessary. 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 competition with other applicants and available resources.

Applicants must submit three (3) unbound copies of the following –

• Application Form (attached to these guidelines)
• A statement of claims against each of the four (4) assessment criteria above
• Financial Information Form. Please use the Going Global budget spreadsheet which is located with the guidelines on the website. For one-offs up to $20,000, complete the first two tabs. For tours up to $50,000, complete all four tabs
• Letters of offer from the presenters, confirming performance dates, venue, the final fee and all other expenses to be paid by the presenter
• International touring history for the past 18 months and three (3) promo packages
• Applicants requesting 'Go-See' support for International Buyers must also submit written confirmation of attendance from the buyer(s) and include the buyer’s name, position, festival/venue and city. Please also include a brief rationale as to why the buyer(s) has been selected, which performance they will attend, and the funding required to off-set their travel costs.

Please send three (3) complete unbound hard copies of your application to:

GOING GLOBAL
Market Development
Australia Council for the Arts
PO Box 788
Strawberry Hills NSW 2012

Applications received via fax or email will not be considered.

Applications which do not present a statement of claims against each of the four (4) assessment criteria, are incomplete or which do not contain all of the required supporting materials will not be considered. Applicants will not be contacted if applications are incomplete.

Deadline

There are no deadlines for this fund.

Complete applications must be received eight (8) weeks prior to the project start date. However, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their application well before the specific period above to make alternate arrangements should their application not be approved for funding.

Applicants are eligible to apply for tours taking place within 12 months of submitting a proposal. Applications will not be returned to the applicant.

Notification of results

Applicants will normally be notified of the results within six (6) weeks of receipt of their complete application. The Australia Council does not release results over the telephone or via facsimile.

Successful applicants are required to update their OzArts artist's profile with the confirmed international performance dates. Funding decisions will be posted on www.ozarts.com.au.

Further information

For further information, please contact:

Julia Lee Skinner, Program Officer
Market Development
Tel: (02) 9215 9046 or Toll free: 1800 226 912
Email: j.leeskinner@australiacouncil.gov.au

Market Development supports a series of activities, including travel support to key international market events. For more information check the OzArts website at: www.ozarts.com.au or speak to Market Development staff.

These guidelines are reviewed regularly and are subject to change