The Cultural Fund provides support to key writing and visual arts organisations and publishers for projects that deliver opportunities for authors, journalists, visual artists and key industry stakeholders in the writing, publishing, education, and visual arts sectors.
Our aim is to support our members and stakeholders to create, award, present, publish, and promote work by Australian creators that connects with audiences. We will consider support for:
Projects supported include:
- Skills development and professional development opportunities for writers and visual artists and people working in publishing
- Writers’ fees for significant new publications by Australian book publishers
- Writers’ fees for Australian literary magazines and journals
- Artists’ fees for new commissions presented by art galleries
- Mentorships, residencies, internships for writers, visual artists and publishers
- Writers’ and visual artists’ fees for industry-led conferences
- Writers’ and visual artists’ fees for projects with educational and cultural institutions
- Partnerships with major national writers’ festivals (by invitation only)
- Awards and prizes for writers and visual artists
- Professional development programs run by writing, publishing and visual arts industry associations
- Commissioning fees for playwrights for work presented by Theatre companies
- Literary and literacy-building activities
- Indigenous-led organisations to deliver projects to benefit Indigenous writers and visual artists
- Opportunities to upskill teachers in Australian literature
- Projects to enhance our literary resources hub for teachers, the Copyright Agency’s Reading Australia
This is not a definitive list, so if you are unsure about whether your project is eligible we encourage you to contact the Cultural Fund for clarification.
We do not support the following projects:
- Projects which do not benefit writers or visual artists or the publishing/visual arts sectors
- Projects where writers or visual artists are not paid a fee
- Community-run writing programs
- University-based artist-in-residency programs which do not connect with audiences outside the university
- Translations into other languages for overseas audiences
- Projects which do not connect with, or reach significant audiences
- Writers to self-publish their work
- Art galleries to publish art books
- Film script development, film festivals, and projects aimed at the film industry (see Screen Australia)
- Research for purely academic audiences
- Training and professional development for academics
- Projects aimed at performing arts, music or dance audiences
- Publishing, production and exhibition costs.
- Website development or maintenance costs
- Development of apps
- Digitisation of back issues, previously published work, or catalogues of works
- Business or overhead costs
- Staff costs and payments to freelance editors, proofreaders, and researchers
- Capital works
- General administrative costs
- Catering costs
- Book launches or exhibition openings
- Publishers/galleries to market books
- Production costs for theatre, film and other performances
- Projects which are primarily for the education market
Do you support theatre companies to present new work?
The Cultural Fund supports theatre companies to provide opportunities for playwrights, for example, the payment of a commission fee to the playwright, provided the theatre company agrees to produce and present the work. We do not support operational costs.
Does the Cultural Fund support performing arts projects?
The Cultural Fund supports playwrights and theatre companies with commissions for playwrights. The Cultural Fund supports our members, stakeholders and creators (visual artists, publishers and writers). As a member organisation, it is important that we continue to support the creation, presentation and dissemination of our members’ work and that of significant organisations in the writing and visual arts sector.
Does the Cultural Fund support art galleries?
We do not provide support for exhibition openings or exhibition costs, nor for administration or overhead costs. However, our funding may be directed towards artist and residency fees.
Does the Cultural Fund support the international publication of work?
No. The Cultural Fund supports Australian publishers with commissioning fees for creative writers.
We do not support individuals to self-publish their work in Australia or internationally.