Development investment supports the creative development and testing of ambitious works of scale that will tell distinctly Australian stories.  

Projects in this stream must have a clear pathway towards a future public presentation for Australian audiences. They may also seek to reach international audiences. Applicants should show how they will develop the partnerships, resources and investment needed to support that future outcome.  

The aim of Development investment is to help works reach proof-of-concept stage and enable them to secure further investment, co-producing partners and presenting partners.    

Please note that the Creative Futures Fund is not designed to support early-stage creative development of a new and untested idea. Projects in early-stage development may be more suitable for other funding opportunities. 

Delivery investment supports the presentation of new works, or the significant re-development and presentation of existing works to reach a new level of ambition and impact.  

Projects in this stream must be ready to deliver public outcomes, with the creative, production and presentation aspects of the work all well developed. 

Projects in this stream should use the checklists below to determine whether your project is a good fit for the Creative Futures Fund, and which stream is most appropriate.  

This is not a pipeline fund. Support for the Development phase of a project does not indicate or guarantee future support for Delivery in later rounds.  

In addition to the Development and Delivery stream investments, the Creative Futures Fund may also make Strategic Investments. These are targeted investments in projects that align with the aims of the fund, and: 

• respond to identified sector development needs and opportunities
• build skills and capability
• develop audiences. 

Creative Futures Fund strategic priorities will be identified in consultation with internal teams and external industry experts and will address sector needs/opportunities in alignment with the aims of the fund. Proposals will be sought from relevant organisations or consortia. 

This stream is not open for applications.  We are interested in ideas that align with the intention of these investments as outlined. If you would like to share an idea please email us at creativefuturesfund@creative.gov.au.

Strategic Investment proposals will be assessed by Industry Advisors with relevant expertise and undergo an internal moderation. Creative Australia will make the final decisions. 

Applications to both investment streams will be assessed in two stages. 

Stage 1 – Full application assessment process 

Industry Advisors with diverse and relevant experience will assess the Stage 1 applications against the assessment criteria and will advise Creative Australia on which projects to prioritise for Stage 2.  

Creative Australia will then undertake internal moderation with representatives from the First Nations Team, Heads of Practice, Music Australia, Writing Australia, and the International Team. This process will consider the Industry Advisors’ recommendations, the assessment criteria, alongside ‘balancing criteria’, outlined below. Moderation will inform the final decisions on invited applicants to Stage 2 

Stage 2 – Support material and additional information assessment process 

Shortlisted applicants will be asked to submit compulsory support material about their project for Stage 2 assessment.  

Additional information may be required from some projects to clarify details provided in Stage 1 and/or to mitigate risks identified during the assessment process. 

Stage 2 applications will be assessed by Creative Australia staff against the original criteria, and within the context of the Stage 1 applications and assessment. External expertise may also be sought where required. 

Final decisions will be moderated and approved by Creative Australia to ensure a diverse investment portfolio and alignment with the priorities of the fund.  

When deciding which applications to shortlist we will also consider these additional balancing criteria:    

• the relative strength and value for money of the proposals (in relation to the published criteria) when viewed as a national suite of investments
• selecting a combination of applications that will create the greatest benefit and reach across the arts and cultural sector, and for Australians more broadly. 

Following the assessment and moderation process: 

• the Creative Futures Fund Team will provide the final list of successful projects to the Creative Australia Executive for approval
• the Australia Council Board and Minister for the Arts will be notified of the successful projects but will not inform the decision-making process
• successful recipients and projects will be announced publicly and profiled on the Creative Australia website. Organisation names and the amounts they received will also be added to the publicly available Creative Australia grants database
• Industry Advisors’ names will be published on the Creative Australia website. 

Applications will be assessed against three assessment criteria. The bullet points underneath each criterion indicate what Industry Advisors will consider. We recommend you use these as prompts when completing your application. 

1. Quality: Creative Ambition  

The Creative Futures Fund supports works of scale, ambition and impact from Australian organisations.

Industry Advisors will assess the quality and clarity of your creative ambition and vision for a work that tells a distinctly Australian story. Industry Advisors want to see how the Creative Futures Fund investment will enable your project to achieve next level scale and ambition.

Industry Advisors may consider:  

• the artistic quality of previous work created/produced by your organisation, the lead artists, collaborators and partners  
• the quality of the concept, story or work in development including the clarity of the artistic vision
• confirmation that the work will tell a distinctly Australian story and that the IP is majority Australian owned
• the way/s in which Creative Futures Fund investment will enable this project to reach next level of scale and ambition. This may include scale and ambition in the concept, production plans, partnerships, presentation mode and audience reach
• where relevant, evidence that the Protocols for First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts have been adhered to
• for applications from commercial entities, or not-for-profit applicants applying in partnership with commercial entities, Industry Advisors may also consider how and why the project will benefit your not-for-profit project partners, and potential audiences.  

2. Impact: Audience Impact  

Industry Advisors will consider the impact of the project in one or more of the following areas – as relevant to your application and your project. This will include consideration of the intended impact of the future public presentation of the completed work and any relevant development activities.

Reach

• the projected audience numbers for the first presentation of the completed work, and for any planned future iterations of the work (up to 2031)
• clear plans and/or strategic presenting partnerships that will enable you to achieve this projected reach.

Audience Development

Clear plans to engage and reach:  

• audience cohorts that are new to the arts/this art form/your organisation; and/or,
• audience cohorts from diverse cultural, social, geographical or economic backgrounds that may otherwise have not engaged with your work.

Legacy Impact

• How audience/participant engagement with the work will result in sustained long-term benefits.

For all projects advisors will also consider:

• the strength of your plans to make the project inclusive and accessible for artists, project staff, audiences and communities.  This will include how you have identified and appropriately addressed barriers that might prevent people from participating in, working on, experiencing or accessing your project. These barriers may include ticket prices, disability access, location, cultural safety, communication, working conditions and other practical barriers
• the inclusion of relevant costs associated with the above in your project budget.

3. Viability  

Industry Advisors will assess the feasibility and viability of your proposal. They will consider the organisational capacity, finances and partnerships required to successfully complete the activities and the likelihood of the project being sustainable in the longer-term.

Confirmed financial investment and other partner contributions must be substantiated by letters of support.  

Industry Advisors may consider:    

• your organisation’s financial stability (see FAQ for details)
• the track record of your organisation and partners in developing/delivering works of scale, ambition and impact
• evidence of partnerships in place (both confirmed and proposed) that provide confidence that project can be delivered as planned, and achieve the impact and ambition outlined above
• where relevant, how you will use Creative Futures Fund investment to develop and secure additional partnerships  
• a clear,  realistic and achievable activity plan and budget  
• your plans to resource and deliver the future public presentation of the work following this development period.
• The level of additional funding/investment in your project:
  • Industry Advisors will expect to see to co-investment/funding from sources outside Creative Australia, commensurate with the scale, context and fundraising potential of the project. The higher the investment requested from the Creative Futures Fund, the higher the level of co-investment we expect to see.
  • Projects with lower levels of co-investment may be considered, but only where the applicant provides a compelling rationale and evidence of the project’s scale, context, and fundraising potential.

1. Quality: Creative Ambition  

The Creative Futures Fund supports works of scale and creative ambition from Australian organisations.

Your application should demonstrate the quality and clarity of your creative vision for a work that tells a distinctly Australian story. You should explain how Creative Futures Fund investment will help the project reach a new level of creative ambition, production scale, presentation opportunity or audience impact. 

Industry Advisors may consider:  

• the artistic quality of previous work created/produced by your organisation, the lead artists, collaborators and partners  
• the quality of the concept, story or work including the clarity of the artistic vision
• confirmation that the work will tell a distinctly Australian story and that the intellectual property is majority Australian owned
• how Creative Futures Fund investment will enable this project to reach next level of scale and ambition. This may include scale and ambition in the concept, production plans, partnerships, presentation mode and audience reach
• where relevant, evidence that the Protocols for First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts have been adhered to.

For applications from commercial entities, or not-for-profit applicants applying in partnership with commercial entities, Industry Advisors may also consider:  

• how and why the project will benefit not-for-profit project partners, potential audiences and/or the wider arts sector.  

2. Impact: Audience Impact  

Industry Advisors will consider the potential impact of the project in one or more of the following areas, and as relevant to your application and your project:

Reach

• the projected audience numbers for the first presentation of the completed work, and for any planned future presentations up to 2031
• clear plans and/or strategic presenting partnerships that will enable you to achieve this projected reach.

Audience Development

Clear plans to engage and reach:  

• audiences that are new to the arts/this art form/your organisation; and/or,
• audiences from diverse cultural, social, geographical or economic backgrounds that may otherwise have not engaged with your work.

Legacy Impact

• How audience/participant engagement with the work will result in sustained long-term benefits. 

For all projects Industry Advisors will also consider:

• the strength of your plans to make the project inclusive and accessible for artists, project staff, audiences and communities. This will include how you have identified and appropriately addressed any barriers that might prevent people from participating in, working on, experiencing or accessing your project. These barriers may include ticket prices, disability access, location, cultural safety, communication, working conditions and other practical barriers
• the inclusion of relevant costs associated with the above in your project budget.

3. Viability  

Industry Advisors will assess the feasibility and viability of your proposal. Advisors will consider the organisational capacity, finances and partnerships required to successfully complete the activities and the likelihood of the project being sustainable in the longer-term.

Confirmed financial investment and other partner contributions must be substantiated by a Letter(s) of Support.  

Industry Advisors may consider:    

• your organisation’s financial stability (see FAQ for details)
• the track record of your organisation and partners in delivering works of scale, ambition and impact
• evidence of previous development/s of the work and how it has reached the delivery phase
• evidence of partnerships in place (both confirmed and proposed) that provide confidence that project can be delivered as planned, and achieve the impact and ambition outlined above.  
• where relevant, how you will use Creative Futures Fund investment to leverage additional partnerships
• a clear, realistic and achievable activity plan and budget.
• The level of additional funding/investment in your project:
  • Industry Advisors will expect to see to co-investment/funding from sources outside Creative Australia, commensurate with the scale, context and fundraising potential of the project. The higher the investment requested from the Creative Futures Fund, the higher the level of co-investment we expect to see.
  • Projects with lower levels of co-investment may be considered, but only where the applicant provides a compelling rationale and evidence of the project’s scale, context, and fundraising potential.

You must submit compulsory support material with your application. The Industry Advisors will review support material to assess your proposed activity.  

Support material should be relevant, targeted  and easy to access.  

Read the application form carefully for accepted formats and limits on the amount of material you can provide. 

Your support material must include: 

1. Your completed project budget in the supplied template.

2. Your completed audience details in the supplied template.

3. Letters of Support from the lead artist/s including their vision for the project (if this is not clearly covered in the body of the application or other support material)  

4. Letters of Support from your partners that clearly outline their commitment to the project, the role they will play as a partner in helping you deliver a viable project and/or achieve the ambition and impact outlined in your application, and their level of investment (financial or costed in-kind) if relevant.   

5. If relevant, additional letters of permission or confirmation. Evidence of appropriate permissions and support from First Nations organisations, communities and Elders must be provided if relevant to your application. Please refer to the First Nations Protocols for more information.  

6. Your audited accounts  

If your organisation/company is required to audit your financials, please upload your most recent audited accounts. If your company falls into a category where audited accounts are not required, please upload a brief document explaining why (i.e. legally exempt, small organisation size etc.).   

If you cannot supply these documents via URLs, you may upload to your application as a Word or PDF.  

7. Information about the lead artist/s  

You must include biographies and examples of previous relevant work/projects.  

8. Creative and cultural support material  

You should provide relevant, recent examples of your creative or cultural work. If you are seeking investment to adapt an existing work, please include examples of this work.