Regional Community Arts Program

The Regional Community Arts Program (the Fund) is administered by Arts Queensland, part of the Department of Education, across two streams. If eligible, you can apply to both but you can only be successful in one stream.

Core funding stream (up to $50,000 per annum)

The Fund supports core operational and programming costs for regionally based, community-led arts organisations which are focused on community participation, provide employment opportunities for professional artists or arts workers, and deliver quality experiences for regional communities.

Eligible costs include:

• core staff wages (for new or existing staff)
• core program delivery (i.e. the activity you regularly deliver and generally happens without relying on one-off funding)
• overheads: including rent, utilities, telephone and internet, office supplies, office equipment hire, insurance, legal or accountancy fees, or costs relating to governance.

Priority will be given to organisations with less than 1 full-time-equivalent employee.

Project funding stream (up to $20,000)

Eligible activities and costs include:

• engaging a professional artist/s or arts workers for a project or program
• contributing to the costs of volunteer involvement in the group, organisation or program
• hosting a series of regular events or activities that support community participation in arts and cultural practices
• production and presentation of new work by community participants
• skills development programs for artists, arts workers and community members
• equipment or software purchases or digital upgrades up to $3,000 total value.

Priority will be given to projects that have employment outcomes for artists and arts workers.

Ineligible costs – both streams

• Non-arts activities: activities which are not related to the arts, culture or creative industries. For this Fund, applications for film, screen and games will be considered ineligible. Funding for screen-related activities can be found on the Screen Queensland website.
• Costs covered by other funding: program or project costs covered by philanthropic funding or by other Queensland Government grants, philanthropic funding, local, State or Federal government grant funding or service contracts.
• Infrastructure: purchase, planning or maintenance of infrastructure, including fit outs.
• Retrospective funding: funding for activities that have already taken place or for goods and services contracted or purchased prior to your funding being confirmed.
• Competitions, awards and private tuition: fundraising activities, awards, competitions, eisteddfods, prizes, private tuition or accredited courses, and costs associated with participating in them.

Ineligible costs – Project funding stream

• Business costs: core operating costs including rent and utilities, business start-up costs, debts and loans repayments, contingency, agents’ fees or management fees. This includes expenses associated with core staff involved in funded activities including fees or wages, travel, accommodation and living-away-from-home allowances.
  
• Equipment: equipment or software purchases or digital upgrades over $3,000 (excluding GST).

Ineligible costs – Core funding stream

• Equipment: equipment or software purchases or digital upgrades.

To be eligible for this Fund, organisations and groups must:

• be based outside the Brisbane City Council local government area (LGA)
  
• be delivering activity outside the Brisbane City Council LGA
  
• be a not-for profit organisation or group
  
• have an active Australian Business Number (ABN) in same name you use in the application
  
• have a bank account in the same name you use in the application
  
• have completed any Arts Queensland outcome reporting that is due
  
• NOT owe Arts Queensland any money
  
• only submit one application to each funding stream you are eligible for
  
• request less than 100% of the project’s costs (Project funding stream) or less than 100% of your core operating costs (Core funding stream)
  
• have a formal governance and decision-making structure (Core funding stream only)
  
• be an incorporated association, cooperative or entity (Core funding stream only)
  
• have at least 2 years of activity and 2 years of audited or certified financial statements to be able to provide compulsory support material (Core funding stream only)
  
• NOT be auspiced.
  

What do we mean by community-led arts organisation or group?

To be eligible, your organisation or group must have both a focus on arts and culture and be community-led.

Arts and culture focused

Your organisation or group’s activities are focused on participatory arts activities, and/or making and sharing art across a range of artforms including visual arts; craft and design; music; dance; theatre; circus; writing; and multi-arts including festivals.

For the purposes of this Fund, community organisations that have some arts activities, but for whom arts is not the primary mission of the organisation, would not be eligible to apply.

Community-led arts organisation or group

Community arts groups and organisations exist on a spectrum. They can range from informal self-organised groups to volunteer-run groups with a formal governance structure, through to organisations with some paid staff. They often have social goals as well as artistic ones.

To be considered community-led, you should demonstrate how your organisation’s activities are:

• driven by the needs of your members/group and/or community
• focused on participation, access and inclusion for either amateur or professional artists or both.

Examples of community-led groups: a local writers’ collective; a community-run Indigenous dance group working with the next generation of dancers; an amateur theatre group, orchestra or choir; an arts group working with people with disabilities, a potters' collective; a local regional arts council; and an annual community arts festival.

Ineligible applicants

You will not be eligible to apply if you:

• are an individual
  
• cannot demonstrate your organisation is predominantly both an arts and a community-led organisation.
• have a turnover of more than $300,000 per annum
  
• receive funding through any other AQ multi-year grant program (e.g. Organisations Fund, Indigenous Arts Centres, NPAPF)
  
• are an Arts Statutory Body, Arts Owned Company, State Government agency or an educational institution
  
• are applying for activities that are the primary responsibility of another Queensland Government department or agency
  
• are a current AQ employee or former employee who ceased employment less than six months before applying
  
• are an employee of an Arts Statutory Body, Arts Owned Company and/or the Department of Education unless the application is unrelated to your role.

Still not sure if you're eligible? Please get in touch with Arts Queensland to discuss.

Eligible applications will be assessed under the following criteria:

High quality

• Your program of activity is high quality.
• The people delivering and managing the activity have the right skills and experience.
• Your organisation/project is valued by your community and plays an important role in the local arts environment.
• Includes collaborators and partners who will help create great outcomes (if relevant).

Strong impact

• Potential for positive impact across one or more of the following areas:
  • Creative skills development for participants.
  • Professional development for local artists and arts workers.
  • Increasing access to arts and cultural activities.
  • Increased wellbeing for participants.
    
  • Brings community together and understands different perspectives.
    
  • Employment for local artists and arts workers.
    
• Responds to community needs and helps deliver government priorities.

Sustainable value

• Demonstrates sound decision making and best practice in working with communities.
• Budgets are viable and realistic, including contingency and appropriate fees to any professionals involved.
• A strong and achievable delivery plan including understanding potential risks and their management.
• Impact of funding on organisation's sustainability and viability (not relevant to applications from individuals).
  

Support material helps to build your case for funding and provides evidence that your application meets the funding criteria. If you don’t supply all the support material, it is unlikely your application will be recommended for funding.

Compulsory support material - both streams:

• Description of your organisation and your activities over the last year (2 years for Core funding Stream)
• Up to 3 examples of your work (if using video footage, no more than 3 minutes per video).
• Up to 3 letters of support for your organisation or the project.
• Evaluation plan: how you are going to measure the success of your project/organisation.

Compulsory support material - Core funding stream

• Current financial position and two years of historic financial information certified as true and accurate.
• Two years of budget forecasts and activity plans for 2026 and 2027.
  
• Information about your board and how you make decisions.
• Description of how you manage your finances.

Other support material may be compulsory if relevant to you or your application.

• Evidence of consultation with, and support from, communities or groups you are working with or telling the stories of. This is particularly relevant for projects working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, people with disability or people from culturally linguistically diverse backgrounds. It could also apply to working with young people, older people or LGBTIQA+ peoples. Please see the Regional Community Arts Program FAQs for practical examples.
• Appropriate consent and permissions if your work will involve other people’s Intellectual Property (IP) or Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP). Examples of IP could be sampling music or speech in the creation of new music work or adapting a novel into a play. If other IP or ICIP is not known at the application stage (e.g. you will be doing a call-out for submissions for an exhibition or a festival) you must include information about how you will manage IP and ICIP in the future.
  

Step 1: Read all relevant information

This includes:

• key program information
• general funding guidelines
• the Queensland's Time to Shine strategy
• Arts Queensland's Cultural Engagement Framework
•  the application form.
  

Step 2: Check your eligibility

• You can find eligibility details in the key program information.
• If you are in any doubt whether you or your project is eligible, contact AQ.

Step 3: Apply for an Arts Queensland SmartyGrants applicant account (if you don't already have one)

• You won’t be able to view or fill in the online form until you have an account. It’s a quick and simple process.
• If applying via SmartyGrants doesn’t meet your access needs, contact Arts Queensland to discuss other ways to submit.

Step 4: Prepare your application

• Gather your support material.
• Demonstrate how your organisation and/or project meets the purpose of this Fund.
• Only request funding for activity or expenses that occur after the activity start date and which directly relate to your project.
• If working with specific groups, ensure the application outlines how you will address the needs of the group/s and how you will follow appropriate protocols when working with them.

Step 5: Submit your application by the due date

• Include all the compulsory support material.
  

Arts Queensland’s website provides tips and resources for developing grant applications including a guide to creating budgets. We recommend you check these out if you are applying to Arts Queensland for the first time.

While Arts Queensland staff can provide technical and general advice to potential applicants, including types of projects eligible for funding and advice on the application process, staff cannot help to develop the content of your application. To maintain a fair and equitable process, staff are unable to edit or correct any applications or provide advice on the content or decisions required within the application.

The Regional Arts Servies Network (RASN), funded through Arts Queensland, provides support for artists and arts organisations. Applicants requiring additional support to make an application should refer to RASN.