CURRENT 2024 FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
*dates listed are the closing dates for applications
⭐ indicates recently added or updated
MARCH 2025:
27 MAR - Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) Small & Vital
The Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) Small & Vital stream provides grants of up to $10,000 to support grassroots, community-led initiatives that strengthen people, places, and climate solutions in small remote, rural, and regional communities (particularly those with populations under 15,000). Priority is given to projects focused on generational transition, resourcing remote communities, energy transition, and First Nations-led initiatives. Applications are accepted year-round and assessed quarterly.
🚨 Round 24 is now open!
📅 Applications close 27 March 2025
📢 Funding announced by early June 2025
🔜 Round 25 opens 28 March 2025
For more details, visit FRRR’s website.
APRIL 2025:
14 APR - Venue Upgrade Grants – Program 2 (24/25)
The Venue Upgrade Grants – Program 2 (24/25), administered by Sound NSW & Create NSW, offer up to $250,000 to dedicated live music venues for equipment purchases and infrastructure upgrades that enhance audience and visitor experience.
📅 Applications open: 13 January 2025
⏳ Deadline: 14 April 2025, 3:00 PM
🎶 Funding aims to:
✔️ Improve live music venues for world-class audience experiences
✔️ Increase fit-for-purpose music venues in NSW
✔️ Enhance sound management & reduce noise complaints
✔️ Strengthen business viability and diversity in live music
🏢 Who can apply?
NSW-based dedicated live music venues where live music is the primary business function
Must host at least 3 nights of live music per week, with a focus on new & original music
Must have a lease with at least 2 years remaining (if premises is not owned)
Must hold a OneMusic licence
💰 Eligible projects include:
Equipment purchases: Sound, lighting, staging & AV technology
Infrastructure upgrades: Soundproofing, ventilation, accessibility, energy efficiency
📆 Project timeline: Must start by 14 March 2025 and be completed by 30 June 2026.
For full details, visit Create NSW’s website. 🎵
30 Apr - Multi-year 2-year Funding
2-Year Multi-year funding provides core investment to the NSW arts and cultural sector to support sustainable growth of the industry, with a focus on all NSW citizens being given the opportunity to contribute to and experience arts and culture.
Arts and Cultural Funding Program (ACFP) – Projects Round 2 (2024/25)
Applications Now Open!
NSW’s talented artists, creatives, and arts and cultural organisations are invited to bring their best creative ideas to life through Create NSW’s Arts and Cultural Funding Program (ACFP) – Projects Round 2 for 2024/25.
This funding opportunity supports a diverse range of projects across all artforms, career stages, and organisational sizes. Whether you’re an emerging artist, an established creative, or an organisation looking to make an impact, there is funding available to help turn your vision into reality.
Who Can Apply?
Individual artists can apply for funding to:
✅ Develop or present First Nations projects
✅ Create and produce new works
✅ Participate in professional development opportunities
Organisations can apply for funding for projects that:
✅ Are led by or engage priority communities
✅ Support underrepresented groups and regions
Funding Categories
🔹 Creative Nations – Supporting First Nations-led projects (individuals & organisations)
Small project grants up to $40,000
Large project grants up to $100,000
🔹 Creative Steps – Funding for the development of new work (individuals)
Small project grants up to $40,000
Large project grants up to $100,000
🔹 Next Steps – Professional and skills development (individuals only)
Grants up to $10,000
🔹 Cultural Access – Projects engaging NSW Government priority areas and target populations
Small project grants up to $40,000
Large project grants up to $100,000
Key Focus Areas
Create NSW is committed to supporting projects that engage:
🎭 First Nations communities
🌍 Culturally and linguistically diverse groups
🏳️🌈 LGBTQIA+ artists and communities
♿ Artists with disabilities and d/Deaf artists
📍 Western Sydney, regional NSW, and young creatives
Karen Rodgers, Director Arts, Create NSW:
“We want to see a dynamic and exciting range of creative projects flourish across the state. Our focus on priority areas ensures more diverse creative works for everyone in NSW to enjoy.”
How to Apply
📅 Applications close: 30 April 2025
✅ Eligible applications are competitively assessed by independent Artform Boards.
🔗 For application details and support resources, visit:
create.nsw.gov.au
Don't miss this opportunity to bring your creative vision to life! 🎨🎭🎶
Application opens: 24 March 2025
Application closes: 30 April 2025, 11:00 pm
Grant amount: Applicants can apply for a minimum of $60,000 and a maximum of $200,000 per year, subject to type of organisation eligibility that is applying.
30 April 2025 - Contemporary Music Festival Viability Fund
This program supports existing large-scale contemporary music festivals presented in NSW with a track record of delivering significant outcomes for contemporary music.
Program objective
This program is designed to grow and support the live music ecosystem in NSW through investment in the operations of established music festivals, alleviating short-term financial challenges and improve business and job retention during the cost-of-living crisis.
Funding will be available for government-related and operational costs for contemporary music festivals with event capacity of at least 15,000 people and are currently experiencing financial challenges.
Applications will be accepted on an as needs basis while the funding program is open. The program will close when the budget is exhausted, or 30 April 2025, whichever comes first.
Key information
Status: Open
Grant amount: Up to $500,000
Application opened: 18 September 2024
Application closes: 30 April 2025, 5:00 pm
NOVEMBER 2025:
2 Nov - Leg Up Grants
Leg Up Grants are quick response skill development grants for workers in volunteer managed museums and Aboriginal cultural spaces throughout NSW. These grants fund various skill development projects including hosting or attending workshops, conferences or seminars in NSW, in addition to networking activities.
Previous Leg Up Grants have funded museum volunteers to attend conferences and workshops, and to gain training in areas of museum practice including paper conservation, oral history, disaster preparedness and significance assessment.
Amount available: Up to $500
Opening Date: 10th February 2025
Closing Date: 2nd November 2025
ONGOING GRANT FUNDING
‘Lights On, Doors Open’ – Stipend Program Supporting Volunteer-led Museums in NSW
The ‘Lights On, Doors Open’ stipend program has been established to relieve the pressures faced by volunteer-led museums and Aboriginal cultural spaces in NSW.
Various short-term, operational projects, such as (but not limited to) the following areas:
Bills for amenities
Small maintenance jobs
IT support
Small marketing projects
Fees for service
For more information head to the Museums & Galleries of NSW website.
Funding will be allocated based on the order of eligible applications received until funds are exhausted.
Regional Event Fund: Event Development Stream
This grant supports the strategic growth of proven events that demonstrate a clear rationale for the continued development of its tourism potential. The Event Development stream supports events that have previously received the maximum funding permitted through the Flagship Event stream and can present a strategy for future growth that includes the continued development of its tourism potential to drive overnight visitation to the event.
Grant amount: Up to $50,000
Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program (rPPP) - Stream One: Precinct development and planning
The RPPP Precinct development and planning offers grants up to $5 million to develop a precinct idea through to investment-ready stage in partnership with local stakeholders to benefit regional communities.
Destination NSW - Regional Event Fund
The Regional Event Fund identifies and supports events in regional NSW that have the potential to act as a ‘cornerstone’ or flagship tourism event for their area by attracting overnight visitation and delivering long term benefits to the region. Applications for the 2023/24 Regional Event Fund will open on Thursday, 2 March 2023 for events held between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024. Grants are available through the three streams listed on the website.
State Heritage Register Emergency Works Funding NSW - State Heritage Register Emergency Works Funding NSW
State Heritage Register Emergency Works Funding provides owners and managers of heritage items with funding to help protect and repair damage caused by unexpected events, including extreme storms or accidents.
First Nations Tourism Mentoring Program (FNTMP) - Free mentoring support for First Nations tourism businesses
This program provides free mentoring support to eligible First Nations tourism businesses.
Screen NSW - Regional Filming Fund
The Regional Filming Fund offsets costs associated with shooting in regional areas of NSW.
The objectives of the program are to:
Increase economic activity in regional NSW, by encouraging NSW screen productions to film outside of metropolitan areas
Enable regional NSW to benefit from the growth of film and television production in the State.
Funding amount: Up to $175,000
Applications open: 31 October 2023
Screen NSW - Location Scouts and Inbounds Program
The program offers long-form footloose productions scouting assistance for location surveys for eligible projects and may include covering some of the costs associated with location surveys including accommodation, domestic flights, vehicle hire and location manager services. Eligible projects are feature films, telemovies, mini-series, TV series or reality programs.
Funding amount: Up to $3,000
Applications: Open
Screen NSW - Made in NSW
Screen NSW’s Made in NSW Program is a five-year funding program to support the advancement of NSW as a production destination for feature films and major television drama programs.
Screen NSW - Digital Games Rebate
The NSW Government is offering a 10 percent rebate on eligible digital games.
Screen NSW - Development Program
Screen NSW Development funding supports writers and producers to develop fiction or unscripted (documentary) and online projects with distinctive ideas and ambitious stories.
Funding amount: Up to $50,000 depending on the project type and level of market interest
Applications open from Monday 30 October 2023
Screen NSW - Strategic Opportunities
The Strategic Opportunities Program supports initiatives and events that strengthen NSW’s screen industry. The Strategic Opportunities Program is a big-picture funding initiative administered by Screen NSW to strengthen the NSW screen industry. This ongoing program supports initiatives and events that demonstrate long-term benefits to the NSW screen industry. Projects and events with high artistic quality, particularly those involving people from underrepresented groups and priority areas, are highly valued in the competitive assessment process.
Funding amount: From $2,000
Applications: Open
Screen Australia – First Nations Program: Sector Development (Travel Grants)
The Travel Grants program is designed to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander filmmakers in travelling to key international and Australian events. Professional development is a key objective.
Screen Australia – First Nations Program: Documentary Production
This program seeks to support strong and distinctive documentary projects primarily to assist in the professional development of the key creative team.
Lights On, Doors Open’ – Stipend Program Supporting Volunteer-led Museums in NSW
The program has been established to relieve the pressures faced by volunteer-led museums and Aboriginal cultural spaces in NSW and aims to support eligible organisations, reduce the burden of constant fundraising, and allow them to focus on collections, maintenance, and best practices. Grants of $2,000 are available for eligible applicants. Up to 113 organisations will benefit from this initiative. Note: Funding will be allocated based on the order of eligible applications received until funds are exhausted.
Innovate Grant
Provides grants to artists and photographers to act as sparks of financial support that ignite your creative development. Grant cycles are open 4 times a year (Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter). Each quarterly cycle: Two (2) US$550.00 grants awarded and four (4) honorable mentions. All recipients will be featured and recognized on Innovate’s website.
These small and mighty bursts of financial support aim to help you:
– Develop New Ideas
– Experiment with New Forms
– Create New Work.
Creative Partnerships Australia Australian Cultural Fund
Helps raise funds for Australian artists, via a donation-based fundraising platform.
The Australian Cultural Fund is a fundraising platform for Australian artists. It is managed by Creative Partnerships Australia and was established by the Australian Government in 2003 to encourage donations to the arts. Through the ACF, artists upload their project, start their fundraising campaign and invite art lovers and supporters to donate.
EMERGENCY HERITAGE WORKS GRANTS
The Emergency works grants are open all year round to eligible applicants and subject to available funding. These grants support the protection or repairs to declared Aboriginal Places, items listed on the State Heritage Register, or items with a current interim heritage order that have been damaged by unexpected events (such as an extreme storm or accident) and where your insurance does not cover this cost.
Grant amount: Up to $10,000
Application opened: 1 July 2023
Application closes: 30 June 2025