Initiatives

The Synapse initiative enables collaboration between the arts and sciences, supporting artists to establish joint research programs with scientists or provide financial support to work in science organisations through residencies.

For more information click here .

Partners: Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts, Ausdance NT, Contact Inc, Gadigal Information Services, Melbourne International Comedy Festival

The artists in work initiative enables a series of traineeships, cadetships, secondments and general placements that aim to develop a sustainable Indigenous workforce in the arts.

The artists in work initiative enables a series of traineeships, cadetships, secondments and general placements that aim to develop a sustainable Indigenous workforce in the arts.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board

The Celebrations initiative supports major Indigenous arts festivals across Australia to build their capacity and sustainability.

Partners: WA Music Industry Association, Abmusic, Goolarri Media, Australasian Performing Right Association, Terrasphere, Black Arm Band

Music bound aims to build the infrastructure and support for sustained access, employment and engagement by Indigenous arts workers in the mainstream music industry.

For more information on how to apply click here.

Partner: Arts Law Centre The Other Side of the Coin initiative helps Indigenous artists better understand their rights in the marketplace and advises consumers about how to help protect Indigenous cultural and intellectual property.

Partners: National Gallery of Australia, Dreaming Festival, Melbourne Workers Theatre The Showcasing the Best initiative sources new opportunities for developing and touring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts internationally.

Partner: Ausdance National

The Treading the Pathways initiative assists mid-career Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance artists by developing the national  infrastructure for Indigenous dance. It focuses on building national networks, professional development and career opportunities.

For more information click here.

Applications open: anytime (no closing date). Amount: up to $5000

Partnership Development provides seed funding to support the development of arts and non-arts partnerships that will enable future projects. Artists, groups and organisations are welcome to apply. This category does not support professional development, project production or presentation.

For more information on how to apply click here.

Applications open: anytime (no closing date). Amount: $50,000 to $600,000

Creative communities partnerships support major community arts and cultural development projects of excellence that deliver to community partnerships priority areas. Proposals should align arts and non-arts partners and identify clear outcomes that extend beyond the life of the project. The first phase of the application involves discussing the project with community partnerships staff and submitting a proof of concept. The second phase follows an invitation to present a full written application.

For more information and to apply click here.

Partners: state arts agencies

This initiative provides independent theatre and dance artists with subsidised production, management, touring and marketing support. MAPS is managed by Strut and Fret Production House in Victoria, Performing Lines in Western Australia and Metro Arts and Brisbane Powerhouse in Queensland.

The mobile states initiative provides touring opportunities for contemporary artists and small companies, taking cutting edge arts to audiences around Australia. The initiative aims to facilitate a national discussion about contemporary performance and to foster creative exchange. Presenting venues include Performance Space at CarriageWorks, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Brisbane Powerhouse, Salamanca Arts Centre and Arts House.

Road work is a consortium of regional venues across Australia committed to touring adventurous contemporary dance and theatre.

For more information click here.  

Partners: Australian Sports Commission, Ausdance

Securing Career Opportunities and Professional Employment (SCOPE) provides career, professional development and education support for performing artists in dance, circus and physical theatre throughout their artistic careers and beyond. 

For more information and to apply click here.  

ArtLab brings together artists in new creative interdisciplinary collaborations that crossfertilise ideas and artforms in a professionally challenging and artistically rigorous environment.

For more information and to apply click here.

Infuse supports forums, workshops and critical debates on hybrid and interdisciplinary arts practice, particularly outside major capital cities. It seeks to connect leading artists with those early in their careers.

For more information on how to apply click here.

Market Development section

Applications open: anytime (no closing date)

This initiative provides travel support for Australian publishers and literary agents to promote Australian works and authors overseas and generate international demand for Australian literature. This program complements the work undertaken in partnership with Australian Publishers’ Association (APA) to support Australian publishers at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Bologna Book Fair and the London Book Fair through the Australian Read brand.

For more information and to apply click here.

Managed by the Australian Society of Authors

This initiative supports emerging writers and illustrators to create new work and develop their professional practice. For more information click here.

This initiative supports emerging writers and illustrators to create new work and develop their professional practice. Visit www.asauthors.org.

Applications close: 24 September 2010

Decisions advised: December 2010

Amount: up to $15,000

This initiative supports the translation and publication of works by authors writing in languages other than English. Applications are invited from Australian publishers for assistance with writer’s fees, translator’s fees and some production costs.

For more information on how to apply click here.

Managed by the Australian Publishers Association

The residential editorial program is a six-day intensive retreat for 12 mid-career editors, held every two years at Varuna, The Writers’ House in Katoomba NSW. The next residential will be in early 2010. It is managed in partnership with the publishing industry.

For more information click here.

The Visiting International Publishers Program (VIPPs) brings a delegation of leading international publishers and literary scouts to Australia to coincide with a major Australian literary festival. The international publishers participate in meetings with local publishers and agents, and discussion panels. In 2010, the VIPPs program will take place during the Adelaide Writer's Festival in March 2010.

The Write in Your Face initiative assists young and emerging writers who use language in innovative ways. This may involve writing for zines, e-zines, blogs, comics, multimedia, multi-artform or cross-media works, websites, live performance or spoken word.

For more information click here.  

This initiative has supported a series of books on key areas of Australian music practice. Titles are available on Australian contemporary classical music, world music, jazz and sound art.

To find out more information click here.  

Partners: Ceres Solutions, Performing Lines

The sound travellers initiative provides new jazz, sound art, electronica and contemporary classical musicians and groups with a framework to tour new and innovative works interstate.

For details of Sound Travellers' tours in 2010 click here.  

Soundclash is a two-year contemporary music initiative that supports music which takes risks and demonstrates innovation within the popular music form. Check the Australia Council website for activities funded in 2009 and 2010 under this initiative.

Managed by Darlinghurst Theatre Company

Critical stages manages tours of high quality independent theatre productions across Australia. It supports theatre artists with touring infrastructure and resources, and presenters with ready access to high quality productions. For more information click here.

Critical stages manages tours of high quality independent theatre productions across Australia. It supports theatre artists with touring infrastructure and resources, and presenters with ready access to high quality productions. For more information visit www.criticalstages.com.au.

Managed by Melbourne University Publishing through Miegunyah Press Ten Indigenous contemporary art books are being published on individual artists and general themes in Indigenous visual and media arts and craft.

This initiative supports arts organisations and universities to co-host visits to Australia from international curators and artistic directors of significant standing, in order to familiarise them with Australian art. It also provides professional development opportunities for host organisations and can lead to new itnernational opportunities for Australian artists.

Australian Government initiative The visual arts and craft strategy (VACS) is a four-year $50 million package of support for individual artists, Indigenous arts, visual arts infrastructure and market development from the Australian, state and territory governments. VACS funding was renewed for a further four years in May 2007.

The mobile states initiative provides touring opportunities for contemporary artists and small companies, taking cutting edge arts to audiences around Australia. The initiative aims to facilitate a national discussion about contemporary performance and to foster creative exchange. Presenting venues include Performance Space at CarriageWorks, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Brisbane Powerhouse, Salamanca Arts Centre and Arts House.

Managed by the Australian Publishers Association

The biennial Beatrice Davis editorial fellowship enables a three-month placement in US publishing houses by an experienced Australian editor. The fellowship is open to editors with more than five years’ publishing experience.

For more information visit www.publishers.asn.au

Amount: up to $10,000 per project

For information on how to apply visit the Grants section.
This initiative provides travel support for professional musicians and their managers/representatives to showcase original music at key international music trade fairs and international festivals. Priority markets for 2008-2011 are South by South West (US), The Great Escape (UK) and WOMEX.

For more information on how to apply click here

Check the Australia Council website for closing dates 2010.

Amount: up to $20,000

This initiative supports touring, networking and market development activities by Australian Musicians. Musicians, groups and organisations are welcome to apply.

For more information on how to apply click here.

The mobile states initiative provides touring opportunities for contemporary artists and small companies, taking cutting edge arts to audiences around Australia. The initiative aims to facilitate a national discussion about contemporary performance and to foster creative exchange. Presenting venues include Performance Space at CarriageWorks, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Brisbane Powerhouse, Salamanca Arts Centre and Arts House.

Road work is a consortium of regional venues across Australia committed to touring adventurous contemporary dance and theatre.

For more information click here.  

Road work is a consortium of regional venues across Australia committed to touring adventurous contemporary dance and theatre.

For more information click here.  

Applications open: anytime (no closing dates)

Going Global supports international tours of contemporary performing arts. It provides funding for international tours of Australian contemporary performing arts and one-off showcases at major international festivals and events.

For information on how to apply click here.

Visual Arts Board with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.

In 2010 the Visual Arts Board will be supporting the Museum of Contemporary Art to present the Dr Ann Lewis Contemporary Visual Arts International Address, a program where prominent thinkers in the contemporary visual arts will be invited to present a nationally broadcast keynote lecture.

Applications close 18 August 2010

Decisions advised:26 November 2010

Emerging Curators up to $20,000

Established Curators up to $50,000

The Independant Curators Initiative supports professional independant curators who are developing their career outside arts and cultural organisations. It provides funding for projects that engage with innovative contemporary curatorial practice within Australia or overseas.

This initiative is a partnership between the Theatre Board and the Northern Territory Government through Arts NT. It supports a new theatre hub based in Darwin, focused on incubating and producing new theatre work that actively contributes to contemporary culture in the Top End. For more information click here.

Applications close 27 January 2010

Decisions advised: March 2010

Amount: $20,000 ($25,000 for Victorian Artist Run Initiatives)

The purpose of this initiative is to assist artist run initiatives to present projects which develop the professional skills and/or networks for young and emerging artists. Applications should include cross-artform or interdisciplinary and collaborative projects. This grant category is supported through the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy.

The Indigenous Theatre Fund is a joint initiative of the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and the Theatre Board. It funds the making and presentation of new high quality Indigenous Theatre projects in Queensland, as well as initiatives that provide professional development pathways for the state's emerging Indigenous theatre artists. For more information click here.

Market Development section

Applications open: anytime (no closing date)

This initiative provides travel support for Australian publishers and literary agents to promote Australian works and authors overseas and generate international demand for Australian literature. This program complements the work undertaken in partnership with Australian Publishers’ Association (APA) to support Australian publishers at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Bologna Book Fair and the London Book Fair through the Australian Read brand.

For more information and to apply click here.

Applications open: anytime (no closing dates)

Going Global supports international tours of contemporary performing arts. It provides funding for international tours of Australian contemporary performing arts and one-off showcases at major international festivals and events.

For information on how to apply click here.

Applications open: anytime (no closing dates)

Going Global supports international tours of contemporary performing arts. It provides funding for international tours of Australian contemporary performing arts and one-off showcases at major international festivals and events.

For information on how to apply click here.

Applications open: anytime (no closing dates)

Going Global supports international tours of contemporary performing arts. It provides funding for international tours of Australian contemporary performing arts and one-off showcases at major international festivals and events.

For information on how to apply click here.

Check the Australia Council website for closing dates 2010.

Amount: up to $20,000

This initiative supports touring, networking and market development activities by Australian Musicians. Musicians, groups and organisations are welcome to apply.

For more information on how to apply click here.

Amount: up to $10,000 per project

For information on how to apply visit the Grants section.
This initiative provides travel support for professional musicians and their managers/representatives to showcase original music at key international music trade fairs and international festivals. Priority markets for 2008-2011 are South by South West (US), The Great Escape (UK) and WOMEX.

For more information on how to apply click here

Applications close 27 January 2010

Decisions advised: March 2010

Amount: $20,000 ($25,000 for Victorian Artist Run Initiatives)

The purpose of this initiative is to assist artist run initiatives to present projects which develop the professional skills and/or networks for young and emerging artists. Applications should include cross-artform or interdisciplinary and collaborative projects. This grant category is supported through the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy.

The Visiting International Publishers Program (VIPPs) brings a delegation of leading international publishers and literary scouts to Australia to coincide with a major Australian literary festival. The international publishers participate in meetings with local publishers and agents, and discussion panels. In 2010, the VIPPs program will take place during the Adelaide Writer's Festival in March 2010.

Partners: state arts agencies

This initiative provides independent theatre and dance artists with subsidised production, management, touring and marketing support. MAPS is managed by Strut and Fret Production House in Victoria, Performing Lines in Western Australia and Metro Arts and Brisbane Powerhouse in Queensland.