Who can submit a proposal 

Only organisations may apply to this category. A consortium of organisations may apply in certain circumstances, but the proposal must be funded and contracted through one member of the consortium. 

Creative Australia requires that organisations be registered under Australian law (for example, incorporated association or company limited by guarantee) or created by law (for example, a government statutory authority). 

• Organisations that are not legally constituted are not eligible to apply.
• Organisations that are registered as Trusts are not eligible to apply. 

Organisations may be required to provide a certificate of incorporation or evidence of their current legal status. 

Who can’t submit a proposal 

You can’t submit a proposal if: 

• you have an overdue grant report
• you owe money to Creative Australia
• your organisation is not registered in Australia
• you are an individual or group 

What you can submit a proposal for 

• activities that respond to the scope of the Delivery Partner service statement  

What you can’t submit a proposal for 

You can’t submit a proposal for the following activities: 

• activities outside of the scope of the Delivery Partner service statement.
• activities that do not involve or benefit Australian writers, arts professionals, audiences or communities
• activities that have already taken place
• activities engaging with First Nations content, artists and communities that do not adhere to Creative Australia's First Nations Cultural & Intellectual Property Protocols. 

Your application must comply with the following Protocols. We may contact you to request further information during the review process, or if approved, as a condition of our investment. 

Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts 

All proposals involving First Nations artists, communities or subject matter must adhere to these Protocols, provide evidence of this in their proposal and any supporting material. More information on the First Nations Protocols is available here. 

Commonwealth Child Safe Framework 

All approved proposals must comply with Australian law relating to employing or engaging people who work or volunteer with children, including working with children checks and mandatory reporting. Delivery Partners who provide services directly to children, or whose funded activities involve contact with children, will additionally be required to implement the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. 

Proposals are reviewed by expert industry representatives called Industry Advisors. 

Industry Advisors are experts in their field with relevant experience and knowledge of an arts practice or sector. Industry Advisors will make recommendations for Writing Australia to consider when making the final decisions on which proposals to approve.  

• Proposals will be reviewed by Industry Advisors who will make recommendations for us to consider when making the final investment decisions for organisations.
• The Industry Advisors will review proposals under arts practice areas relevant to their knowledge and experience.
• Industry Advisors will be published on our website following notification. Further detail on Industry Advice can be found  here. 

Delivery Partner proposals must be submitted through our application management system by 3pm on the advertised closing date.  

To receive access the proposal form in our application management system please contact Writing Australia: writing@creative.gov.au.  

In the proposal form, you will be asked to provide the following information: 

• the annual and total amount of investment as directed by Writing Australia for the Delivery Partner opportunity
• a brief summary of your organisation or consortium or organisations, including an outline of your core activity and the role you play in the arts sector (approx. 500 words)
• a list of key staff in your organisation, with information on their demographic attributes roles and tenure
• the members of your Board or governing committee (to whom the head of your organisation reports), with information on their demographic attributes, length of service and the structure and composition of the Board
• whether you report your financial information on a calendar or financial year basis
• a summary of your audited financial information for each of the previous two years, including assets, liabilities, total income and total expenditure
• projected high level income and expenditure for each year of the funding period offered through the Delivery Partner opportunity.*

^{*Organisations who report on a calendar year basis: 2023-2025. Organisations who report on a financial year basis: 2022/23-2024/25}

You will be asked to provide the following support material: 

1. Delivery Partner support material  

• Please provide up to 3 URLs (weblinks) that best demonstrate your organisation’s activity as it relates to this Delivery Partner proposal. These URLS may include video, audio, images, audio and written material.  

2. Audited accounts or equivalent  

Please upload your latest two years of your audited accounts or equivalent. 

• Audited Accounts 2024 (or equivalent)
• Audited Accounts 2025 (or equivalent).

 3. Business Plan 

• A business plan that details how you will realise the deliverables related to this Delivery Partner proposal. Please click this link for guidance on a Business Plan. This can be uploaded as a written document (Word, PDF). The plan should be no more than 20 pages.  

We will review your proposal against three selection criteria listed below. 

Under each criterion are bullet points indicating what may be considered when reviewing your proposal. You do not need to respond to every bullet point listed. 

1. Quality 

We will review the quality of your organisation’s services, program and business plan. We may consider your organisation’s track record and vision to support: 

• the potential quality of the services to be delivered as demonstrated in your response to the Delivery Partner Service Statement
• the appropriateness of the submitted business plan as it relates to delivery of the services outlined in the Delivery Partner Service Statement
• the diversity of stakeholders that may be involved in the delivery of services
• the diversity of stakeholders that may be beneficiaries of the services to be provided.

2. Viability 

We will review your organisation’s track record of delivery, and capacity to deliver its vision. We may consider: 

• value for money as evidenced in your proposed business plan and budget to deliver the services outlined in the Delivery Partner Service Statement
• the relevant experience of the people leading and governing your organisation
• the financial health of your organisation, including the effective use of resources
• the diversity and scale of income and co-funding you generate and receive
• whether your work is supported by meaningful evaluation
• how you demonstrate cultural competencies and adherence to relevant cultural protocols, particularly if your organisation works with diverse artists, audiences or communities. Where relevant, evidence that the Protocols for First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts have been adhered to
• factors that have impacted your organisation’s financial health, planning and priorities. 

You may wish to refer to our guide on Essential Governance Practices.  

3. Alignment 

We will review how your organisation’s vision and business plan align with one or more of the strategic objectives in the current Creative Australia Corporate Plan 2026–2030. The objectives are: 

• First Nations First: A self-determined First Nations arts and cultural sector enables strong communities, culture, and country.
• A strong creative ecosystem: Through strategic investment and development, a thriving creative sector engages audiences and communities with the best Australian creative work.
• A capable and valued creative sector: Working with the sector, our insights inform government policy and initiatives, support sector capability and communicate the value of arts and culture to all Australians.
• Good governance, expert people and operations: We build the capacity of Creative Australia’s people and systems to deliver the very best outcomes for the Australian creative sector and public. 

Reporting requirements for approved Delivery Partners 

Organisations that are approved as Delivery Partner for Creative Australia should be aware of the reporting requirements associated with this investment. These requirements are not negotiable and will be part of the conditions of the funding agreement, so be sure to include the resources required to do so in your future budget projections. 

Payments to organisations in receipt of a Delivery Partner Investment are dependent on the provision to Creative Australia of financial reporting three times a year, as well as annual reports against Key Performance Indicators and on statistical information relating to the delivery of services. 

You must provide your organisation’s annual financial statements audited in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards by an Approved Auditor, and discloses separately the Delivery Partner funding as both income or unexpended grants. An Approved Auditor means a person who is: (a) registered as a company auditor under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), or a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, or of CPA Australia or the National Institute of Accountants; and (b) not a principal, member, shareholder, officer or employee of the Organisation or of a related body corporate as defined in Section 50 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). 

Data and outcomes reporting provides Creative Australia with valuable information to monitor the performance and activity of each organisation and ensures accountability for the investment of public funds. It also informs research and communication by Creative Australia, allowing us to demonstrate the impact of our funded organisations.