Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Development Fund FAQs

AQ will consider what ‘a reasonable person’ would determine to be unacceptable conduct, behaviour or activity by a recipient of public funding.

In addition, AQ will consider any financial and operational risks in allocating funding and managing funding agreements.

For example:

1. Where the Court, or a reasonable person, considers behaviour to not be acceptable conduct by a recipient of public monies such as charges related to integrity, misappropriation of monies or paying employee entitlements, or hate speech. This could include posting, sharing or liking social media content created by others that fits the above descriptions of hateful or discriminatory behaviour or speech.
2. Media or funding campaigns that indicate the applicant may not be a going concern, is considering closing, is facing bankruptcy or gone into liquidation,
3. The loss of a premises or planned industrial action that may mean activity won’t go ahead.

1. If I am applying as an individual, can I use the funds to pay myself as the professional artist for the project?

Yes, you can.

2. Can an individual, who also works for an organisation, apply to deliver a project in conjunction with that organisation?

In this scenario, AQ would treat the application from the individual as if it were from the organisation, and therefore only one application could be successful. Additionally, that closely associated individual would also not be able to apply for funding if the organisation had been successful in the prior round.

Please contact AQ if you believe this might apply to you.

1. Can I use my own personal ABN to apply on behalf of a Group if it does not have an ABN? If so, am I applying as an individual or as a group?

You should select within the applicant details section that you are applying as a group/collective/artist-run initiative. The application form will then direct you to select ‘Individual’ in the applicant name section.

The name you provide should match the name on your ABN, and if you are successful, the bank account we pay your funding into, will need to be in the same name under which you applied.

2. Can I apply for different projects in the same round as an Individual (under my own personal ABN) and as an organisation from a business that I own (under my organisation’s ABN)?

No. In this instance you would only be able to apply once to the round.

3. My organisation has upcoming reports due for AQ grants – do I need to complete this reporting before I submit my application?

If reporting is due after the fund closing date it does not have to be completed when you apply. However, if  you are recommended for funding but have overdue reporting when you are notified of success, you will need to complete outstanding reporting before your funding agreement is issued and your first payment made.

If you are the owner or Director of an organisation that has overdue reporting, you may also be ineligible to apply, even if that application was made under a different ABN.

Please contact AQ if you think that may apply to you. 

4. Can my organisation apply for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Development Fund if we are already receive funding through other AQ funding programs?

Yes. You can apply if you have previously received, or are currently receiving, project or core funding from Arts Queensland. However, you cannot apply if:

• you were successful in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Development Fund Round 1
• you have already received funding for the same activity through a different fund
• you have received more than $1 million in grants in total from Arts Queensland in the 12 months prior to the round closing date
• your funding agreement specifies you cannot apply to any other Arts Queensland funding programs.

5. Can individuals apply to the Performing Arts large projects stream?

Provided an applicant has met all the other eligibility criteria for a stream, individuals can apply to any of the streams of Fund.

However, to be considered for the Larger Projects stream you will need to demonstrate that the project is both engaging large numbers of artists/arts workers and is for a late or final stage creative development or presentation.

1. My project includes filmmaking. Am I eligible to apply?

No. The Fund will not support the creation or presentation of new work where the immediate or longer-term objective is for the work to be shown in cinemas, TV or digital content channels.

However, if you are a visual artist working in the medium of film or video, and the context for the exhibition of the work is in an interstate or international gallery or installation site, you are eligible to apply to the Visual Arts, Fashion and Textiles Market Development Stream.

Similarly, if you are making a live performing arts piece that includes pre-recorded film, then the film components of the performance are eligible for support from the Performing Arts Stream.

Musicians can request funding towards a music video as part of a larger project that creates and releases a song or album (i.e. the song or the album is the new work). However, a request to create only a music video is unlikely to be competitive.

2. Can I apply for funding to do workshops?

A project involving just workshops would not be eligible as the objective of the Fund is to support the development and presentation of new work. However, you can apply for support to deliver workshops that help people to engage with or promote the new work.

Examples could include:

• A masterclass for local dancers to accompany a dance performance in a regional town.
• Curriculum-aligned drama workshops for schools to accompany a new play based on a classic book.
• Delivering music workshops with interstate collaborators to emerging musicians.
• Yarning workshops with an Elders’ group to support the creative development of a new work based on traditional stories.

3.  What does ‘New Work’ mean? 

New Work is the creative development or delivery of brand-new work. Examples include:

• Writing a new play based on an original idea or concept
• Composing and recording original music
• Creating a new dance or circus work.

New Work can also be that which is a significantly different interpretation of existing work or the bringing together of existing artworks in a new way. Examples include:

• Reimagining a classic play or opera with a modern or culturally specific twist that tells Queensland stories
• Adapting a book into a stage performance for theatre
• Reinterpreting traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories through contemporary art forms, theatre or modern dance
• Creating a new arrangement or remix of an existing musical composition

If your project involves capacity building of artists or skills development activities, for which the creation of new work is not critical to the success of the project, it may be considered ineligible under the Performing Arts stream.

4. What can I use Access Support Costs for? 

Access Support Costs are those expenses that specifically target the participation of people with disability or who are d/Deaf as either audiences/participants or as part of the creative team.

The costs must relate to the project, not your general operations and must not already be funded (i.e. via NDIS) or be something you are required to deliver by law.

Examples of eligible costs that would support:

• Mobility challenges: transportation or shuttle services for people, temporary ramps, viewing platforms specific technical equipment
• Sensory impairments: sign language interpretation, captioning or audio description, braille or large print materials, hearing induction loops
• Neurodiversity: relaxed performances or exhibition days, sensory maps, quiet or chillout spaces, social stories or pre-visit information, easy to read promotional or event materials
• Additional costs related to shorter working days or allowance for illness which increase the project delivery time
• Support workers and advisors: cost of companion tickets for people with disability, support workers not covered by NDIS, increasing ratio of front of house staff to support accessible programming, advice on developing any of the above.

These costs must relate specifically to the delivery of project. In addition, your Marketing Plan should include how you will engage audiences or participants with disability or who are d/Deaf.

1. I have already completed a creative development of my work. If I apply for the next stage, is it considered new work?

If the work has not had a full public presentation in its final form then it would be considered to be still in development and therefore a new work. You should explain in your application the differences between the last creative development, and what this stage will achieve in progressing the work.

You could apply to either of the Performing Arts streams, depending on the length of your project and how many artists involved.

2. I am in the early stages of creative development; can I still apply?

Yes, the Performing Arts Smaller projects stream includes funding of up to $20,000 suitable for a project that has a short time frame, involves only individuals or a small number of artists/arts workers and/or for early-stage creative developments .

You would not be eligible to apply to the Performing Arts Stream Larger Projects stream.

3. How do I determine which Performing Arts stream my project best fits within?

A key consideration for peer assessors would be the number of artist/arts workers employed by the project, with five or fewer individuals generally regarded as more aligned to the Small Project Stream, while larger projects and artists involvement would more likely fit within the Large Project stream.

Peer assessors will consider both the number of artists/arts workers and the length of their engagement, as well as the context of the project in making a final determination on which stream is most suitable.

For example, a theatre presentation running for three weeks with three performers, a stage manager and technician would probably be considered a Larger Project, whereas a band of eight musicians performing new work for two nights would probably be considered a Smaller Project.

Early or first stage creative developments are only eligible for the Smaller Projects stream, regardless of how many people are involved.

4. If our staff or ensemble/cast/band are not all based in Queensland, can we still apply?

To be eligible you must have a business address and staff based in Queensland. The expectation is that the majority of your employees and the artists involved in the project are permanently based in Queensland. However, it is not an eligibility requirement that all employees/artists be Queensland-based.

5. What is meant by a ‘nationally or internationally significant artist or company’?

The national or international artist or company should have a strong critical reputation. They should also have good name recognition to people familiar with the artform, or reasonable recognition by the general public in Australia or their home country.

1. Can I apply to present my own exhibition overseas?

If the exhibition is part of an international market or event you can apply for the eligible costs listed in the guidelines to support this activity.

If you are not exhibiting at a market or event, you must be invited by a host museum and gallery and the assumption is that they are investing in the exhibition. If you are paying a gallery to host your exhibition, we would consider this to be venue hire rather than an invitation and the activity would not be eligible.

2. I have been invited to exhibit at a gallery in Victoria, can I apply?

If the gallery is high profile and has international significance then you would be eligible to apply.

3. My travel costs are higher than the guideline cap. Can I still apply?

Arts Queensland’s contribution to travel is capped at $5000 for interstate activities and $10,000 for international activities.

The total costs for travel related expenses can be higher, but costs above the cap will need to be covered by you/your organisation.

1. Applications must not request 100% of project or core operating costs. Can in-kind contributions be the only co-investment, or does there need to be cash co-investment secured to fulfil the eligibility criteria?

In-kind contribution is counted for the purposes of eligibility, however your application will be more competitive if you have cash income as well.

2. Can we include the in-kind value of volunteer time, and other in-kind costs as part of our budget?

You can include these in-kind costs within your budget. The application form includes an in-kind section for these costs, and you should enter the different types and value of in-kind support you receive on different budget lines. Remember, in-kind costs will ultimately balance, with an equal income and expenditure value delivering a ‘net zero’ cost.

In the ‘Notes to Budget’ section, please provide details on how you have calculated the value of volunteer time.

3. What award or rate should we use to calculate the value of volunteer time?

You should use the most appropriate award or industry standard for your organisation, and the role when calculating and valuing volunteer time. For example, the hourly rate for a volunteer front-of-house person may be lower than the rate for a volunteer lighting board operator.

You can include this information in your ‘Notes to Budget’ question or in ‘Any other information to support income, expense or in-kind estimations’ upload.

4. My application is being auspiced – can I include auspice fees in my budget?

Yes. You can include auspice fees. Please provide information about what services are included in the fee so that peer assessors can see they are reasonable.

If you are a person with disability and require support to manage your grant and complete your reporting due to your disability, you can include auspice costs in either the main project budget or in the additional access costs.

5. If I have a disability, can I apply for the cost to help me financially manage and acquit the grant?

Yes. Include this in either the main project budget or in the additional access costs section. You may also wish to consider being auspiced if this better suits your needs. See Question 4 above.

6. The assessment criteria states that I should include Contingency Costs but they are listed as an item that is ineligible for Arts Queensland support. Isn’t this a contradiction?

Prudent budgeting should include an amount to cover unexpected new costs or increases in existing costs, and you should include this in your budget. However, you cannot request Arts Queensland support towards contingency, so there should not be anything in the Arts Queensland contribution column against a contingency line in Expenditure.

7. If I am successful, do I need to open a separate bank account to manage each grant I receive from Arts Queensland?

As part of the terms of your funding agreement with Arts Queensland, you must hold all funding paid to you by Arts Queensland in separate account to your everyday/regular bank account. The account must be with a bank or Approved Financial Institution. With Arts Queensland’s permission you can use the same bank account for any Arts Queensland funding you receive.  Any interest you earn on the funding forms part of the overall funding.

As part of your conditions of funding, you must “maintain Arts Queensland funds under separate and easily identifiable ledger accounts”. This means you must record and track the different sources of Arts Queensland funding and how they are spent separately from other income and expenditure.

1. In what instances should I provide evidence of consultation with, or support from, communities or groups?

If your application speaks on behalf of, suggests engagement with, or plans to deliver outcomes for particular groups within a community, evidence of consultation and endorsement from those groups is required for your application to meet eligibility criteria.

Here are some examples of what you must provide to support assessment of eligibility:

• Working with a particular community group in your project - provide a letter from someone with authority for, or within that group confirming support for the project and agreement to work with you.
• Undertaking activity that will take place in a remote and/or discrete Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community - provide evidence (email, letter, video) that a community member with authority supports the activity and gives permission for the activity to take place in that community.
• Developing or presenting work that tells the story of a community (geographic, cultural, lived experience) of which you are not a part - provide evidence (email, letter, video) that a community member or organisation with authority gives permission for you to tell the story of that community and endorses the planned process for community involvement.
• Developing or presenting work that tells the story of an individual who is not a historic or public figure - provide evidence (email, letter, video) that the individual or their delegated representative gives permission for their story to be used.

These are the minimum expectations for eligibility; the assessment criteria requires you to demonstrate best practice when working with diverse communities.

2. When will I need to provide evidence of appropriate consent and permissions for Intellectual Property (IP) or Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP)?

If you are incorporating IP or ICIP that is not your own into your project you must have appropriate permissions to do so.

Arts Law has excellent resources that explain IP in an arts context.

Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP)

If you are an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person with the cultural authority to use the ICIP, please state that in your application.

If you do not have authority to use the ICIP, you should provide a statement from the ICIP owner/s that provides their consent for use of the ICIP.

Creative Australia has published Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts.