This initiative is open to First Nations individuals, groups and organisations.

Individuals must:

• identify as Australian First Nations
• be 18 years or over
• be based in Australia.
• only submit one application to this grant initiative
• adhere to First Nations Cultural Protocols and include any relevant documentation in the application.

Organisations must:

• identify as Australian First Nations organisations with at least 51% First Nations board representation
• demonstrates a history of working and supporting Australian artists and/or arts workers who identify as Australian First Nations
• be based in Australia.
• only submit one application to this grant initiative
• adhere to First Nations Cultural Protocols and include any relevant documentation in the application

If your project involves a partnership or collaboration with organisations in the National Performing Arts Partnership Framework you must discuss your application with us before applying. The Partnership Organisations must make a significant contribution to the activity, and the outcome must not be already programmed in the mainstage season of the company. 

Please note that while partnerships with multi-year funded organisations of Creative Australia are not a primary focus for this program, we still welcome and encourage applications. These will be thoroughly evaluated by the Industry Advisory Panel, ensuring that all potential collaborations are given fair consideration.

You cannot apply if:

• you have an overdue grant report
• you owe money to Creative Australia
• you are not a First Nations individual, group or organisation
• you are an individual group or organisation based outside Australia.

What funds can be used for

Funds can be used for but are not limited to:

• skills development, including mentoring and residencies
• reinvigorate cultural practice
• intergenerational initiatives and collaborations
• activities that creatively and culturally engage communities
• the creation of new work
• practice based research
• travel costs
• productions
• exhibitions
• performances
• publishing
• recording
• access to spaces that enable the creation of work.

What can’t be applied for

You can’t apply for:

• projects or activities that do not involve or benefit First Nations Australian practicing artists, creative workers or audiences
• projects or activities that do not have a clearly defined artistic, creative or cultural component
• international projects that take place outside Australia
• projects that have already taken place or have a start date prior to 1 October 2025
• the same activities that have already been funded by Creative Australia (e.g. Arts Projects for Organisations and Individuals)
• activities engaging with First Nations content, artists and communities that do not adhere to  First Nations Cultural & Intellectual Property Protocols.

• Access costs are legitimate expenses and may be included in your application. We encourage applicants to ensure that their work is accessible to everyone. Budgets may include costs associated with making activities accessible to a wide range of people (e.g. presentation or delivery activities using Auslan, translation to other languages, captioning, audio description, temporary building adjustments, and materials in other formats).
• If you are working with d/Deaf people or people with disability in your application, you may apply for access costs associated with the use of an interpreter, translation services, specific technical equipment, carer or support worker assistance. Please contact us to discuss your specific needs.

Your application must comply with the following protocols. We may contact you to request further information during the assessment process, or if successful, as a condition of your funding.

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

  If your application involves working with other First Nations artists, arts and culture workers, communities, or subject matter you must adhere to these Protocols, and provide evidence of this in your application and support material.  More information on the First Nations Protocols is available here.

• Commonwealth Child Safe Framework

  All successful applicants are required to comply with all Australian law relating to employing or engaging people who work or volunteer with children, including working with children checks and mandatory reporting. Successful organisations 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.

Applications will be assessed by the First Nations Industry Advisory Panel against the published assessment criteria. Creative Australia staff will moderate the assessment.

Assessment criteria

Under each criterion are bullet points indicating what the Panel may consider when assessing your application. You do not need to respond to every bullet point listed.

1. Quality: The Panel will assess the quality of the cultural development and cultural integrity of the project​.

They may consider:

• adherence to relevant cultural protocols​
• evidence of considered consultation and engagement with participants, audiences and communities
• the skills and strengths of communities and individuals involved in the activity​
• artistic merit of the project ​
• artistic and Cultural experience of eldership and senior people​
• quality of work previously produced​.

2. Viability: The Panel will assess the viability of the proposed activities; with consideration to planning; wellbeing of those involved; protocols; evaluation process and budget 

They may consider:

• clear need for this activity at this time​
• relevance and timeliness of activities to the community​
• capacity to strengthen skills and ability of artists/communities
• support of younger people throughout the project​
• clear indication of how young people will be involved​ and supported
• models of mentoring and how they are guided in artistic and cultural practice
• partnerships and/or long-term sustainability​
• effective use of resources with realistic and achievable planning​
• level of confirmation of proposed activities and partners​
• clear outline of income, expenses and in-kind contributions​
• costed project budget activities.

3.  Impact: The panel will assess the impact or outcomes of the activities on the applicant and/or the targeted groups and communities. The Panel may explore the benefits and engagement of the activity for the individuals, community and the artform/s involved.

They may consider,

• proposed impact for the artists and/or communities
• evidence of significant experiences offered to communities to enhance the development of the activities
• the extent to which the activity contributes to a sector that is accessible, inclusive and equitable.
• the capacity to strengthen skills and abilities of those involved
• community engagement and ongoing sustainability of the work in place for the community.

Applications must be submitted via Creative Australia’s Application Management System. The application will include the following questions.

1. a title for your project
2. a summary of your project
3. a brief description of the applicant, (individual, group or organisation)
4. information about you/your organisation’s practice, you/your organisation’s artistic experience
5. an outline of your project/activities and what you want to do
6. a timetable or itinerary for your project or activities
7. a description of the anticipated impact and outcomes your project delivers
8. a projected budget which details the expenses, income, and in-kind support of the project
9. supporting material as relevant to your project, including examples of your work, bios of additional artists, and letters of support or permission from participants, communities, First Nations organisation, and Elders.

Additional material should be submitted to support your application. We will review support material to understand your artistic practice and viability/impact/alignment of your proposal. Do not assume that those who are reading your submission, know your work or experience and consider this when deciding what should be included.

We strongly recommend you curate your support material to be relevant, targeted and easily accessible.

Creative Australia will not view any URLs that require log in or to sign up to a platform. Please do not provide links to applications or documents that require users to log in or pay for access.

If you are linking to sites or files that are private or password protected, please provide the password in the password field on the application form.

• Brief bio or curriculum vitae (CV) for yourself and any additional artists or key collaborators involved in the project
• Written evidence of support of senior First Nations artists, practitioner, elders in the community or arts sector ​
• Letters of support
• Detailed budget breakdown excel spreadsheet 

Our preferred method of receiving support material is via URLs (web links). You can submit URLs which many include video, audio, images and written material.

To nominate, log in to our Application Management System. You must register an account if you do not already have one. It may take up to two business days for us to process your registration. 

Once you have logged in, follow the next steps:

1. select ‘Apply for a Grant’ from the left panel menu
2. from the list of opportunities select ‘Chosen’
3. complete the fields and select answers with dropdown menus
4. upload any necessary support material
5. select ‘Save’ once complete
6. if you are not ready to submit your application, you can return to it through ‘Your Draft Applications’ in the left panel menu at a later date
7. otherwise select ‘Submit’.