GUIDELINES

The Regional Arts Fund provides open, competitive grants through two streams: Project Grants and Quick Response Grants. There is one national set of Guidelines, produced by the Australian Government, that outline the eligibility criteria, assessment criteria and how to apply. The Guidelines were last updated in October 2024.

All applicants must read the guidelines before commencing an application to the Regional Arts Fund.

Attachments: Regional Arts Fund Guidelines: Quick Response and Project Grants

ELIGIBILITY

Regionally based artists, arts workers and organisations can apply to the Regional Arts Fund for professional development and creative arts projects.

Organisations or individuals based in metropolitan locations are not eligible to apply for the Regional Arts Fund. Metropolitan organisations or individuals can partner with a regional organisation/community to deliver a project. In these circumstances, the regional organisation/community should submit the application.

The Regional Arts Fund uses the Modified Monash Model to determine the remoteness classification and eligibility of applicants. To check if you are based in an eligible location, visit the Health Workforce Locator and select the 2023 Modified Monash Model Classification Filter. 

Attachments: Regional Arts Fund Eligibility Notes

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants may apply for funding through the Regional Program Administrator that represents the State or Territory that the applicant’s ABN is registered in.

For the best chance at success, all applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the Regional Program Administrator in their State or Territory to discuss their application prior to submission.

Current and upcoming funding rounds for the Regional Arts Fund may be viewed on the Regional Arts Fund SmartyGrants page. Applicants may preview the application form by clicking into the relevant funding round.

Applicants with accessibility requirements may contact the Regional Program Administrator in their State or Territory, or Regional Arts Australia, to discuss alternative application processes or support.

A list of contact details for the Regional Program administrators is provided below, and may also be found in the Regional Arts Fund Guidelines.

KEY DATES

Quick Response Grants are delivered monthly from February to November. Each round opens on the first day of the month and closes on the last day of the month. Outcomes are communicated within 5 business days of the closing date of the round.

Project Grant rounds for 2025-26 are provided in the calendar below:

FUNDING AVAILABLE

Grants of up to $3,000 for individuals or $5,000 for organisations are available through the Quick Response Grant stream.

Grants of up to $30,000 are available through the Project Grants stream. Multi-year funding is only available to support the development and delivery of a single project across financial years (to a maximum of $30,000 per year). Applicants seeking multi-year funding will be required to provide a strongly argued business case demonstrating the need for, and benefits of, multi-year support and additional budget information.

There is no minimum grant amount for Quick Response or Project Grants.

CONTACTS: REGIONAL PROGRAM ADMINISTRATORS

If you have any questions about applying for the Regional Arts Fund, contact the Regional Program Administrator in your State or Territory:

RESOURCES

• Regional Arts Fund Guidelines
• Eligibility Notes for Applicants
• Regional Arts Fund Logo Pack