Your activity must meet the following definition of contemporary music to be eligible:  

“Australian contemporary music is any genre or subgenre of music currently composed, written, produced by Australians and licensed, recorded, presented, and distributed through commercial and non-commercial activity. For the purposes of Music Australia’s initial investments, the focus will be on musical works that are new, original and relevant to contemporary Australia”.  

If you don’t meet the definition above for contemporary music, you may be eligible to apply for our Arts Projects for Individuals and Groups, Arts Projects for Organisations, or International programs.

• Your export activity must start between 1 July 2026 and 30 September 2026, and be completed within 12 months of your start date. If your activity starts after these dates, please apply to a later round. Contact us if you are unsure if your dates are eligible.
• You can submit one application to each category of the Music Australia Export Development Fund per round. Each application must be specifically targeted to the category you are applying for.
• The budget in your application must show matched funding (see ‘Budget & Matched Funding’ for more information), and evidence of this matched funding must be attached in your support material. 

Who can apply

• Australian music artists, composers and creators, individually or in groups
• organisations and music businesses on behalf of their artists
• if you have previously been successful in the Export Development Fund, you can apply again. However, priority may be given to first time recipients
• we encourage First Nations applicants to apply.  

Who can’t apply

You cannot apply for this grant if:  

• you have already submitted an application to this category in this round
• you have an overdue grant report
• you owe money to Creative Australia
• you have applied to our Arts Projects grant rounds for the same activity. 

What you can apply for

A minimum of $3,000, up to a maximum of $15,000. The applicant must show matched funding that is equal to or greater than the grant request. 

The International Professional and Artistic Development Fund (Category 2) supports activity that includes:

• co-writing sessions
• invitation to a songwriting camp
• overseas recording expenses (such as tracking, mixing, mastering)
• engaging an international producer
• international residency or fellowship
• attending an international trade fair, trade show, conference, forum
• attendance by a composer at the premiere of a commissioned composition
• presenting lecture at an overseas academy, institute or university
• self-managed artist undertaking a series of confirmed business meetings for prospective work and professional development opportunities (evidence of confirmed meetings MUST be attached to be eligible).

As well as costs directly related to the activities listed above, you may apply for other costs involved in completing your export activity. Some examples of eligible costs are: 

• artist and creative worker fees
• artist management costs directly related to the proposed activity. This expense cannot be the main activity applied for and must be no more than 30% of the total budget request
• flights, accommodation, per diems, ground transport costs
• travel insurance
• visas
• freight or baggage costs
• childcare, carer and access costs
• tickets and/or registration costs to attend events
• costs associated with reducing the environmental impact of your activity.

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. performances using Auslan, translation to other languages, captioning, audio description, temporary building adjustments, and materials in other formats).

If you are a d/Deaf applicant, an applicant with disability, or are working with d/Deaf artists or artists with disability, 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 Artists Services to discuss your specific needs.

What cannot be applied for

• activity that does not meet the Music Australia definition of contemporary music  
• activity in Australia
• activity in your country of residence (i.e., if you are currently living overseas, the activity still needs to take place outside of your country of residence)
• preliminary activity that occurs online with international collaborators which take place before the eligible start dates (such as Zoom songwriting sessions from Australia)
• the manufacture of albums and merchandise
• passport application costs
• international relocation expenses
• capital expenditure (such as studio infrastructure and instrument purchases)
• planning and preparation such as meetings, arranging or booking dates, venues, contracts, travel and visas, and rehearsals in your country of residence, are not eligible activities for the purposes of this grant and should not be included in the activity details section of your application. We encourage and expect considered planning and preparation of your activities in advance of the proposed international activity dates you are applying for.

If you are unsure about the eligibility of any part of your activity, please contact musicaustraliagrants@creative.gov.au. 

You must complete the budget in the application form. Please note that for this category, your budget should equal or be close to a net zero balance, as activity in this category is unlikely to directly produce income. If there is a small surplus or deficit, we ask that you explain this in the application form. 

You must attach evidence of your matched funding in your support material. If you do not attach this evidence, your application may be marked ineligible. Please see the list below for examples of evidence you can attach. You can contact Music Australia if you have any questions. 

What we mean by ‘matched funding’ 

• You must match the Music Australia Export funding for your project on at least a 50:50 basis.
• Your matched funding should be 50% of the eligible costs of your activity up to the maximum grant amount. Please read the 'Budgeting' section of our FAQs page for further information.
• You cannot use in-kind (non-financial) contributions for matched funding.
• You cannot use other federal, state or local government grant sources for matched funding.
• You must attach evidence in your application support material of your matched funding.
• when you acquit your grant, we expect you to have contributed a minimum of 50% to the final expenses.

Evidence can include: 

• advanced ticket sales for an upcoming tour
• festival guarantees
• previous tour reconciliations
• advance from a label or publisher
• merchandise sales
• upcoming or past royalty payments
• commitment to a future sync placement
• available bank balance (i.e., a document or screenshot of the account balance and account name – removing other personal and transaction details)
• crowd funding (including Australian Cultural Fund (ACF) generated income). 

Your application must follow the below Protocols. We may contact you to request further information during the assessment process, or if successful, as a condition of your funding. 

First Nations Protocols

If your application involves First Nations artists, communities or subject matter, you must: 

• follow 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 must comply with all Australian law relating to employing or engaging people who work or volunteer with children. This includes working with children checks and mandatory reporting. Successful organisations who provide services directly to children, or whose funded activities involve contact with children, will also be required to implement the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. 

Applications to the International Professional & Artistic Development fund will be assessed through Industry Advice.  

Learn more about how we assess your application. 

Assessment Criteria 

As well as meeting the eligibility requirements, you must address three assessment criteria in this category.  Industry advisors will review your application using the criteria below.  

Viability 

Assessors will consider whether your activity is viable. Some ways to consider viability are listed below: 

• the activity is confirmed, with relevant letters of confirmation provided
• evidence of matched funding is provided at a minimum of 50% of the total budget
• realistic budgeting and touring logistics
• the relevance and timeliness of the activity
• the skills and abilities of those involved, and their relevance to the activity
• well-researched and rationalised activity, particularly if this is your first engagement with an international market
• measures being applied to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people involved in the project
• measures being applied to ensure the proposed activity is accessible
• where relevant to the project, evidence that the protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts have been adhered to, or the relevant cultural protocols for the international jurisdiction in which you are working.

Quality 

Assessors will consider the quality of the artistic and cultural activities at the centre of your application. They may consider: 

• vision, ideas and artistic rationale
• benefit and impact on career, artistic and cultural practice
• level of innovation, ambition, experimentation or risk-taking
• rigour and clear articulation of creative, engagement or development processes
• significance of the work within the music industry and/or community
• contribution to diverse cultural expression
• timeliness and relevance of work
• quality of previous work
• responses to previous work from artistic or cultural peers, or the public. 

Alignment  

Assessors will consider how your activity meets one or more of the principles and actions of the five pillars identified in the National Cultural Policy – Revive, and the goals of Music Australia. 

This may include: 

• First Nations arts and culture are First Nations-led
• artists and arts workers have career structures that are long-term and sustainable, supported by vocational pathways
• creative industries and practice are future-focused, technology-enabled, networked and globally recognised, including through reciprocal exchange, export and cultural diplomacy
• arts and culture are generative (creating new works and supporting emerging artists) and preservative (protecting heritage and conserving cultural memory)
• development of original music
• growing the market for contemporary Australian music
• training and skills development for artists, and industry professionals
• activities that promote the Government’s international arts and cultural engagement and cultural diplomacy priorities
• discoverability and working with digital service providers and radio networks to support Australian contemporary music. 

You must submit support material with your application. The industry advisors will review your support material, including evidence of your matched funding and whether the activity is confirmed. It can also be used to gain a better understanding of your activity and arts practice. 

Your application may be ineligible if it does not include support material providing evidence of your matched funding. 

We strongly advise you to include evidence of confirmed activity (such as letters and invitations).   

The following support material may also be included with your application:   

• how cultural protocols have been or will be followed and permissions obtained (if relevant to your activity)
• evidence of your arts practice relevant to your activity, such as a website link, audio and/or video links (maximum duration 10 minutes in total), images and/or written material
• biographies and CVs for key artists, personnel or other collaborators involved in the activity (no longer than 2 A4 pages in total)
• letters of confirmation from collaborators and/or venues directly involved in the activity (with each letter not exceeding one A4 page)
• letters of support (up to 2). These should not be from individuals or organisations directly benefitting financially from the activity
• risk management (for international travel, you may submit a one-page risk management plan. If you require a template, you can download a template here)

We prefer to receive this information via web links (URLs).  

You may submit up to three URLs per application. For example, you could include a link to your website, a link to a video or audio file, and a link to scanned documents demonstrating your matched funding and letters of confirmation.   

If you are not able to provide URLs, you may upload support material as attachments (up to two PDF or Word documents). You may collate documents to include multiple pages. We recommend that each attachment is clearly and accurately labelled.

We do not accept support material submitted by post.  If you need help submitting material online, or you are not sure what support material to submit, please contact us.  

• Do not assume assessors have existing knowledge of the artists’ work or activity, regardless of how well known the artist is.
• Complete all sections of the application form in detail, including the Activity Details and Budget sections.
• Use the Activity Details section of the application form to list the relevant activity dates, activity description, location/s and whether the activity is confirmed. This should match the activity outlined in the application text.
• If applying to more than one category, be clear about the plan for the specific category you are applying for – do not copy the same text across each application. Each category is assessed on its individual merits, by different assessment panels.
• Attach clear evidence of ALL matched funding and label this in the support material as ‘Matched funding evidence’.
• Make sure web links in the support material section remain active for 2 months after the closing date, with public sharing enabled without the requirement for passwords.
• Include clear, concise and relevant support material that is easy to access, including letters of confirmation from collaborators directly involved in the activity.
• Clearly explain why the time is right for the activity, and its potential impact.
• Clearly demonstrate why the applicant is targeting the proposed country/ies for the activity.
• Show a well thought-out, realistic and productive timeline of activity, leveraging available opportunities.
• Explain who your collaborators are and why you are working with them, including specific names and organisations.
• Include all, or a high proportion, of confirmed activity.
• Use metrics and data, such as streaming numbers and audience/engagement insights (where relevant), to rationalise the activity.
• Include a clearly articulated budget with costs that are eligible and proportionate to the activity. 

We encourage those who have applied and been unsuccessful in past rounds of this fund to use this feedback to strengthen their application and re-apply for future rounds where possible (noting eligibility requirements). 

Yes, this fund runs four times per year. Please note that opening and closing dates are provisional and may change.  

Round 2 2026 – for activity starting between 1 October 2026 and 31 December 2026 and completed within 12 months.

Applications open: Late May 2026

Applications close: 7 July 2026

Round 3 2026 – for activity starting between 1 January 2027 and 31 March 2027 and completed within 12 months.

Applications open: Late August 2026

Applications close: 13 October 2026

Round 4 2026 – for activity starting between 1 April 2027 and 30 June 2027 and completed within 12 months.

Applications open: Late October 2026

Applications close: 1 December 2026

Yes – please contact our Artist Services team to discuss your accessibility requirements. More information on accessibility is available on our website: Accessibility.

Yes we do. More information is available on our website: Languages other than English.

Yes, please note that references to an organisation throughout the application form also includes commercial companies such as a record label, management firm or publisher.  

As you can only make one application per category using your Fluxx account, we suggest your artist(s) set up an account in their name to apply.  

You should include the full cost of flights and accommodation in each application in case you are only successful in one. If successful in more than 1 category, your granted amount may be revised to avoid duplication of expenses.  

Please indicate whether expenses have been duplicated across multiple applications by answering yes or no to the question: ‘Expenses included in other Music Australia applications’. 

Please contact Artist Services or Music Australia to discuss how best to apply.