Cultural Tourism Fund

The Fund supports applications from Queensland-based organisations that deliver Queensland arts festivals or events across a range of artforms including visual arts, craft and design; performing arts; classical and contemporary music; writing; and multi-arts.

Applications can be made by Queensland organisations or groups (including councils) who present established arts festivals or events that have a track record of maintaining or growing attendance year on year.

Available funding:

• New Programming stream: up to $160,000 over two years (max. $80,000 per annum); or
• New Markets stream: up to $40,000 over two years (max. $20,000 per annum).
• Additional funding of up to $10,000 is available to support costs associated with increasing access for artists and/or audiences with disability (New Programming stream only).

Note:

• Applicants must contact Arts Queensland before applying to this fund to discuss an application and determine eligibility.
• Applicants can apply to both streams.
  

Eligible activities – New Programming stream

Eligible activities will be assessed on their ability to attract new audiences and visitation. Activities may include:

• presentation of new work that will attract new audiences and market segments, driving visitation and audience expenditure
• enhancement of existing programming and events to improve audience experience
• new arts programming and/or initiatives that will increase the scale of a festival, event or experience
• collaboration with a nationally or internationally significant artist or company in any of the above activities.

This stream will not support:

• installation or production of new work not related to a festival or event, i.e. public art.
  

Eligible activities – New Markets stream

This stream supports organisations to invest in new targeted and strategic market development activities that extend beyond regular marketing activities. The activities should show strong potential to drive new visitation to the event, specifically by unlocking new target markets and market segments with the potential to increase visitor spend.

Eligible activities include:

• engaging a specialist contractor to advise on new targeted interstate or international market development initiatives
• marketing and public relations costs directly associated with the delivery of these new initiatives.

This stream will not support:

• marketing or public relations costs that are not clearly related to the new initiative only.
  

Note: You may apply for both streams.

Applications from across Queensland are welcome. This Fund will prioritise support for activities outside of South East Queensland which is defined as: Brisbane, Ipswich, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Noosa, Moreton Bay, Logan and Redland Local Government Areas. 

Additional support for access costs (New Programming stream only)

You can also apply for up to an additional $10,000 for costs related to the engagement of people with disability or who are d/Deaf as artists, arts workers, 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

• Expenses associated with delivering the pre-existing elements of a festival / event / experience.
• Non-arts activities: activities that are not directly related to arts and cultural activation. For this Fund, applications for film, screen and games festivals/events are ineligible. Opportunities to secure 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, local, State, or Federal government grant funding or service contracts.
  
• Infrastructure: purchase, planning or maintenance of infrastructure, including fit outs.
• Insurance: costs of insuring the event.
• Equipment: equipment or software purchases or digital upgrades.
• 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.
• Business costs: core operating costs including rent and utilities, insurance, 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.

To be eligible for this grant you must:

• Be based in Queensland delivering festivals and events in Queensland.
• Be requesting funding for activity occurring between 13 July 2026 and 31 December 2028.
• Have received and successfully acquitted funding from, or be currently supported by, Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) Event Investment Programs.
• Have an active Australian Business Number (ABN) in 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.
• Have spoken to Arts Queensland about your application before submitting.
• Submit no more than one application per stream to this funding round.
• Submit all compulsory support material.
• Have at least three years of activity and attendance figures for the festival/event and be able to provide three years of economic impact reports.
• Have the support and endorsement of the Local Government Authority (LGA) and Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) where the festival/event takes place.
• Submit your application through SmartyGrants by the closing date and time.

Ineligible applicants

You also will not be eligible to apply if you are:

• an individual
• being auspiced
• an Arts Statutory Body, Arts Owned Company, State Government agency or educational institution
• a current Arts Queensland employee or former employee who ceased employment less than six months before applying.
  

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

Eligible applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

High quality

• The strength and clarity of the creative idea or concept for the festival/event and the calibre of artists involved.
• A track record of successful delivery of the high-quality festival/event.
• The applicant’s proven ability to maintain/grow audiences, bringing visitors to the region, and/or encouraging extended stay and spend.
• The skills and experience of the professionals involved including collaborators and partners.

Strong impact

• The potential for the planned activity to further grow visitation and markets for the festival/event and build Queensland’s cultural reputation.
• The planned activity creates employment and career development opportunities for Queensland artists, creatives and arts workers.
• The application demonstrates the planned activity will deliver sustainable economic and social benefits to its region and Queensland.
• Additional access funding: funding requested is clearly aligned to the impact of the planned activity, and the targeted artists and/or audiences.

Sustainable value

• The budget is viable and realistic, including contingency and appropriate fees for the professionals involved.
• The planned activity has a strong and achievable delivery plan including understanding potential risks and their management.
• The applicant demonstrates best practice and appropriate cultural competencies in working with diverse communities.

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 - Both streams

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

• Provide a full festival budget showing how the project fits within the festival/event.
• Three years of program information from your festival/event.
• The three most recent years of historic economic impact assessment information including attendance data. Applicants who cannot provide this information should raise this with Arts Queensland as part of eligibility discussions.
• Documentation from financial, in-kind, presenting or community partners confirming involvement, and the value of any cash or in-kind investment, and reasons for support (if applicable).
• Copy of current certificate of insurance.
• An evaluation plan demonstrating how you will collect relevant data and assess your project’s success, clearly articulating how the objectives of the Fund are met.
• Evidence of endorsement by the LGA and the RTO in the region your event operates.

Compulsory support material - New Programming stream

• A marketing plan and budget outlining how you will maximise reach and event attendees, including increased profile-raising in interstate and international markets to attract new attendees to the event.
• CVs for key artists and arts workers involved in the new work, programming or initiative (max 5 pages).
• Up to three examples of the proposed work or relevant previous work.

Compulsory support material - New Market stream

• An outline and budget of the market development strategy highlighting new market segments and areas of diversity in the marketing plan you want to enact, including specific planned interstate or international activities, and intended outcomes.
• If engaging a specialist contractor, you must provide a position description or service scope, as well as a CV if you already know who you will be engaging at the time you apply.

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 whose stories you are sharing: this is particularly relevant for projects working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, people with disability, or from culturally linguistically diverse backgrounds and could also apply to working with young people, older people or LGBTQIA+ peoples. Please review the Cultural Tourism 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). 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 appropriately.
• Applications that have significant involvement from an Arts Queensland shareholder company, Arts Statutory Bodies or Major Performing Arts Organisations: Applicants must provide a letter from an authorised officer of those organisations confirming that the activity is separate from activities already funded through Arts Queensland.

Step 1: Read key documents and information

• These guidelines.
• General funding guidelines.
  
• Queensland’s Time to Shine strategy.
• The 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 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 (see compulsory support material section for details).

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 of the Brisbane Local Government Area requiring additional support to make an application should contact the services at Regional Arts Services Network (RASN).