Touring Queensland Fund

The Fund is administered by Arts Queensland within the Department of Education.

Funding of up to $100,000 is available to support a single tour of any length or a program of tours taking place over a period no longer than 12 months.

Activities must be tour-ready and can be in any artform for which Arts Queensland has responsibility including visual arts, craft and design; cultural heritage; performing arts; contemporary and classical music; and writing.

Touring itineraries must include at least three (3) locations, excluding the touring party’s home location.

Eligible activities

• Touring of Brisbane-based artists/companies to regional Queensland locations
• Tours of regionally-based artists/companies to Brisbane and other Queensland regions
• Touring into schools
• Programs of tours – for example a series of three live music tours to the same circuit over a year
• Slow touring – when parts or all of a touring party spend longer periods in communities to deliver activities with a focus on deeper community engagement and participation
• Concept touring – where the idea, process or work travels or tours, but a full touring party does not.
  E.g., the work is produced with community where the presentation will take place; the work then travels to multiple other communities where the process is repeated.

Examples of different types of touring activities can be found in the Touring Queensland Fund FAQs.

Eligible costs

• Artist and arts workers fees for touring
• Travel, accommodation and allowances (including leaving or returning to Queensland if part of an interstate tour)
• Tour management costs
• Freight, crating, installation, technical support, equipment hires
• Community engagement activities.

Additional support for access costs

You can apply for up to an additional $10,000 for costs incurred by the applicant associated with the participation of people with disability or who are d/Deaf or as artists, performers, collaborators etc, or for audiences or participants with disability to access your activities. Eligible costs include:

• Transportation, support workers, sign language interpretation, captioning or audio description, braille or large print materials, hearing induction loops, temporary ramps, specific technical equipment.

Ineligible costs

You cannot apply for:

• costs associated with delivering activity in the home location/s of the touring company/ies
• costs associated with delivering activity outside Queensland
• development or remount costs (including rehearsals prior to tour)
• purchase, construction or maintenance of equipment, storage, set or costumes, as well as consumables
• marketing and promotion, venue hire and venue staffing
• agent fees, or management fees not directly associated with delivering tour coordination
• expenses associated with core staff involved in touring or community engagement activities including fees or wages, travel, accommodation, and allowances for living away from home
• costs covered by other funding, including other Arts Queensland or Queensland Government grants, philanthropic funding, local, State, or Federal government grant funding or service contracts
• business and administration expenses
• funding for activities that have already taken place or for goods and services contracted or purchased prior to your funding being confirmed
  
• fundraising activities, awards, competitions, eisteddfods, prizes, private tuition or accredited courses and cost associated with participating in them.

Organisations, groups and individuals applying for this grant must be:

• Be based in Queensland
• Have an active Australian Business Number (ABN) in the same name used in the application
• Have a bank account in the same name used in the application
• Have completed any Arts Queensland progress or outcome reporting that is due
• NOT owe Arts Queensland any money
• Only submit one application to this funding round²
• NOT have received funding in the previous round of Touring Queensland Fund
• NOT have received more than $1 million per annum in grants from Arts Queensland in the last 12 months
• Submit your application through SmartyGrants by the closing date
• NOT apply for Arts Queensland funding for activities that commence before the activity start date
• Submit all compulsory support material

If you are applying as an individual, you must also be:

• An Australian citizen or permanent resident
• Aged over 18

If the application is being auspiced:

• The auspice body, rather than the applicant must have an active ABN and bank account in the name of the auspice body.
• The Auspice body may:
  • Be based outside of Queensland
  • Auspice more than one application in this funding round
  • Have received funding in the previous round of Touring Queensland Fund
  • Have received more than $1 million per annum in grants from Arts Queensland in the last 12 months
    

Notes:    

1. This applies to Individuals applying for themselves or individuals applying on behalf of a group
2. Auspicing bodies may apply on behalf of multiple applicants in the same round
3. Applications cannot be submitted in an applicants’ own name and through an Auspice Body in the same round.

Applications are welcome on behalf of a group of venues or presenters, however for the purpose of applying, the application must be made in the name of a lead organisation that will manage the funding contract.

You will NOT be eligible to apply if you are:

• an Arts Statutory Body, Arts Owned Company or State Government agency (state schools are not considered State Government agencies for the purposes of this Fund)
  
• funded through the National Performing Arts Partnership Framework
• applying for non-arts activities or activities that are the primary responsibility of another Queensland Government department or agency (e.g. Screen Queensland)
• a current Arts Queensland employee or former employee who ceased employment less than six months before applying
• an employee of an Arts Statutory Body, Arts Owned Company and/or the Department of Education unless the application is unrelated to your role
• an educational institution seeking funding for core business.

What is auspicing and who can be auspiced?

An auspice body takes responsibility for all legal and financial obligations, including how the grant funding is spent and ensuring the funded activity is completed and acquitted in time. For this Fund, auspice bodies must submit the application on behalf of the applicant and complete the certification on the application form. They are not considered to be the applicant.

 You can be auspiced if you:

• do not have an ABN or bank account
• are seeking to increase your grant writing and administration skills by working with the auspice body
• are unable to meet your obligations under the funding deed without the support of an auspice body.

Reasonable auspice fees are eligible for Arts Queensland funding. Please include information about the services the auspice body will supply and how they have been costed.

Auspice examples

• Interstate-based managers or promoters of Queensland contemporary music acts can act as the auspice body, and their Queensland-based client would be the applicant.
• An emerging dance company in residence (applicant) being auspiced by their host venue (auspice body) to do a tour of a work developed at the venue.
• A visual artist with disability (applicant) is auspiced by a local arts organisation (auspice body) to tour an exhibition of their work.

TIP: Still not sure if you are eligible? Please get in touch with Arts Queensland to discuss.

High quality

• The strength and clarity of the creative idea or concept for the tour.
• The skills and experience of the artists and arts workers involved in the project.
• The collaborators and partners involved in the tour who will help you to deliver great outcomes (if relevant).

Strong impact

• The tour creates employment and career development opportunities for Queensland artists, creatives and arts workers.
• The potential for the tour to build markets and reputation for the artists involved and/or artform.
• The tour has clear benefits and relevance for Queensland audiences and communities.
• Additional access funding: funding requested is clearly aligned to project impacts and the targeted artists, participants and audiences.

Sustainable value

• The tour budget is viable and realistic, including contingency and appropriate fees for the professionals involved.
• The tour has a strong and achievable delivery plan, including understanding potential risks and their management.
• Tour planning maximises value of being in communities and demonstrates appropriate cultural competencies in working with diverse communities (if relevant).

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 compulsory support material your application will not be assessed. If you don’t supply recommended support material relevant to your project, it is unlikely that your application will be recommended for funding.

Compulsory support material

You must include all the support materials below to be eligible.

• CVs for key artists and arts workers (max 5 pages).
• Up to three examples of your work (if using video footage, no more than 3 minutes per video), at least one to be of the work you will be touring.
• Letters from financial, in-kind and/or community partners confirming their commitment to support the tour.
• A marketing/audience development plan for engaging and connecting with communities to grow audiences for the touring work.
• Evaluation plan: how you are going to measure the success of your tour.

Additional compulsory support material for in-schools touring

• Provide evidence that planned levels of activity are likely to be achieved through either:
  • demonstrated interest of the proposed activity from at least 75% of participating schools (evidence could include expressions of interest forms, email correspondence, booking forms or contracts), or
  • previous in-schools touring history showing comparable levels of bookings.
• Provide evidence to show how activities will support the curriculum: this could include educational resources for students or teachers, tailored to the target audience.
• A Child Safety policy or framework. 

Additional compulsory support material for all other types of touring

• Evidence of commitment to presenting the work from at least 75% of participating venues or presenters (commitment can be dependent on funding being secured and evidence can include email correspondence as well as booking forms or contracts etc)

Other support material that is compulsory if it is relevant to 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 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, people with disability, or from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, but could also apply to working with young people, older people or LGBTIQA+ peoples. Please review the Touring Queensland Fund 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). Please review the Touring Queensland Fund FAQs for practical examples.
• If you are an employee of any the following organisations you will need to provide a letter from an authorised officer in your organisation stating that the funded activity is outside your role and giving details of any financial or in-kind support the project will receive from the organisation:
  • Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts, Brisbane Festival, Department of Education, QAGOMA, QMF, Queensland Museum, QPAC, Queensland Theatre, State Library of Queensland.
• If you are an education institution you must provide a letter from an authorised officer in your organisation stating that the funded activity is outside core business.
• If you are an auspice body you must provide evidence to show the application content, budget, and auspice services have been approved by the artist/organisation on whose behalf the application has been submitted.

Recommended support material

• Supporting budget information showing any important calculations such as valuing in-kind support, breaking down artists fees or providing evidence of income estimation.
• Quotes for single project costs over $10,000.

TIP:  Still not sure what support material you need?  Please contact Arts Queensland to discuss.

Step 1: Read key documents and information
This includes these guidelines, the Queensland’s Time to Shine strategy, and Application form.

Step 2: Check eligibility

• Eligibility Criteria will guide you on whether you are eligible to apply.
• If you are in any doubt about whether you or your project are eligible, contact Arts Queensland.

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

• You won’t be able to view or fill in the online Application 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 apply.

Step 4: Prepare your application

• Gather your support material.
• Demonstrate how your project meets the purpose of this Fund.
• Only request funding for activity or expenses that will occur after the activity start date and that directly relate to your project.
• If working with diverse communities, ensure your application outlines how you will address the needs of the community 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.

Tips

• Give yourself plenty of time to gather your compulsory support material.
• If you don't receive an email confirming your application has been received, please contact Arts Queensland.

Arts Queensland’s website provides resources for developing grant applications . We recommend you check these out if you are applying to the Fund for the first time.

While Arts Queensland staff can give you general advice about making an application, including types of projects eligible for funding as well as technical advice on the application process, staff cannot help you develop the content of your application.  Staff cannot edit or correct applications or assist with the decisions you might need to make in developing your application.

The Regional Arts Services Network (RASN), funded through Arts Queensland, provides support for artists and arts organisations. Applicants outside the Brisbane Local Government Area requiring additional support to make an application should contact the services at Regional Arts Services Network (RASN).