Please read the General Guidelines before applying for a CreateSA grant.
Contact us to discuss your access requirements, including submitting your application in an alternative format.
Culturally and linguistically diverse artists: We can organise interpreters for meetings as well as for the translation of applications.
Deaf and hearing-impaired artists: When contacting us, TTY users should phone 133 677 then ask for (08) 8363 8670.
Individual artists who are Deaf or identify as a person with disability can contact Access2Arts (external site) for assistance with an application for CreateSA funding.
Speak and Listen (speech-to-speech relay): users should phone 1300 555 727 then ask for (08) 8363 8670.
Auslan interpreters: can be arranged for meetings and to translate applications which are submitted in Auslan (in digital format).
Individuals and groups
Applicants must:
- be professional practicing artists or arts workers / cultural workers
- be Australian citizens or have permanent resident status
- live in South Australia six months or more per year.
In some cases, employees of South Australian Government funded arts and cultural organisations may be able to apply. Refer to individual grant categories for category-specific eligibility.
Please note: Artists and arts workers employed by funded arts and cultural organisations (at least 0.6 FTE) require a financial contribution of a minimum of 30% of total activity cost to be made by the organisation if the eligible activity relates to their employment.
Individuals and unincorporated South Australian groups may have their grant auspiced by a recognised incorporated body.
Organisations
Generally, applications are accepted from not-for-profit South Australian arts and cultural organisations, including those funded through CreateSA, the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, the Department for State Development and the Department for Education. Local Government and state government agencies and for-profit arts and cultural organisations are eligible applicants in some grant categories.
Refer to individual grant categories for category-specific eligibility.
Individuals and unincorporated South Australian groups may have their grant auspiced by a recognised incorporated body.
Individuals, groups and organisations
Your application will be ineligible if:
- you have an outstanding acquittal for a previous grant
- your organisation is insolvent or under administration
- funded activity starts or has been completed before the funded activity commencement date (see grant category for date information)
- projects or activities do not have a clear arts or cultural component.
The Arts and Culture Grants Program does not fund:
- projects without professional outcomes, such as amateur productions, fundraising, competitions, awards and prizes
- costs related to tertiary education, academic research or publication of research, or any project relating to a course of higher education
- contemporary music projects – funding is available through the Music Development Office. The Arts and Culture Grants Program supports popular and alternative genres in some areas (e.g. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Grants; Richard Llewellyn Deaf and Disability Grants). Contact a Grants Officer for more information
CreateSAGrants@sa.gov.au - design projects with a purely commercial outcome
- screen-based projects aimed at the cinema, film festivals or television; media and gaming projects with a purely commercial outcome (you should contact the South Australian Film Corporation) (external site). Some activity will be eligible when incorporated into projects in other art form areas
- any costs associated with the start up of a business
- purchase of equipment or software licences that would be considered a capital expense i.e.: sound equipment, studio equipment (including tools etc), electronic equipment (including laptops etc). If in doubt, contact a Grants Officer at CreateSA to discuss
- delivery of workshops or workshop programs unless integral to a production or presentation outcome
- manuscripts aimed at the education sector
- framing costs
- costs associated with self-publishing (eg. printing costs). The preparation of work intended for self-publishing may be supported where a compelling case can be made. This would include evidence of a strong track record of published work and a viable marketing/distribution plan.
If you’re not sure about whether your project fits CreateSA's funding program, contact a Grants Officer.
Grant applications will need to be submitted via SmartyGrants.
Contact a Grants Officer to discuss any access requirements and refer to the Help Guide for Applicants (external site).
All applicants
- Check that all previous funding from CreateSA is acquitted (contact us if you are unsure).
- Read the relevant grant category page, particularly the Key Application Information section.
- Email us to make a meeting to discuss your proposal.
- Click on the ‘Apply Now’ link on the relevant category page to access the application form.
- Register if you are a new SmartyGrants user.
- If you have an existing SmartyGrants account, you can use it to log in and complete an application.
- Complete the online application form. Upload letters of support/confirmations, support material (noting any protocols relevant to your proposed activity, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander protocols, working with children etc) and budget information as required.
- Your application can be saved/updated at any time and must be submitted by 5pm on the closing date.
- You will be able to download a pdf of your submitted application.
Support material
Support material assists assessors in their understanding of your application and should be relevant to your proposal and best demonstrate the quality of your current and recent past work.
What you can supply:
- Individuals: Up to 10 images in PowerPoint AND/OR no more than 2 Video/Audio/Moving image links/URLs.
- Groups/Organisations: Up to 20 images in PowerPoint AND/OR no more than 3 Video/Audio/Moving image links/URLs.
- Written material: such as scripts and manuscripts, should be in PDF or Word and include no more than 10 pages of selected material.
- A PowerPoint of images must be accompanied by an image list which includes dates and full descriptions of the works.
If you provide URLs they must be a direct link to your artistic support material. Include any passwords for protected URLs. URLs may include video, audio and written material. We recommend 10 minutes of video and/or audio recording with edited highlights of 3-5 minutes.
If you are unable to provide URLs, you can submit material in the following formats (ensure that the total size of attachments and uploads fits within the 10MB limit for each application):
- video (QuickTime and Windows Media)
- audio (MP3 and Windows Media).
Support material will not be accepted after the closing date.
Budget
Complete the consolidated budget template provided in the application form.
Upload a detailed budget and notes to budget (including quotes to support major expenses) to the application form.
Rates of pay may vary depending on the skills and experience of the artist.
Please refer to the organisation links below outlining industry standards and award rates:
- Australian Society of Authors (external site)
- Australian Writers’ Guild (external site)
- Dancers Australia (external site)
- Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (external site)
- National Association for the Visual Arts (external site)
Budget tips
Your budget must be a balanced income and expenditure budget.
Notes to budget must include:
- a list of expenditure items for which CreateSA funding is sought
- detail of calculations for items such as box office and artist fees (include professional benchmarks for reference)
- evidence of confirmed financial or in-kind support from other sources
- the timing of notification for unconfirmed funds
- a contingency statement for significant unconfirmed funds
- quotes to support major expenses.
All applications are assessed against the following criteria.
Artistic Merit and Viability are the two key criteria to consider in your proposal.
Address the Engagement and/or Development criteria as they relate to your proposal - your proposal may meet all criteria.
You do not need to respond to each individual bullet point.
Artistic merit
In assessing the Artistic Merit criterion, the peers may consider:
- innovation, originality, quality, creativity and ambition
- the track record, creative achievement and skill of the artist or artists involved
- the context in which the work is being undertaken
- the potential contribution to the development of the art form
- evidence of experimentation, risk taking and bravery.
Viability
In assessing the Viability criterion, the peers may consider:
- the planning and resources required to achieve the potential of the proposal
- the ability of the applicant to meet the logistical challenges of the proposal
- evidence of strong financial and operational management, including a realistic budget and timeline
- evidence of additional resources and support, including other sources of income
- in-kind contributions.
Engagement
In assessing the Engagement criterion, the peers may consider:
- the potential to grow audiences and their critical understanding of the art form
- the development of new markets, locally, nationally and/or internationally
- the development of new ways to engage with those markets
- the potential to provide a broader range of people with opportunities to participate in arts experiences through strategies that increase access, social inclusion and cultural diversity
- evidence of deeper engagement with, and the involvement of, particular communities and/or audiences and the delivery of artistic benefits to them.
Development
In assessing the Development criterion, the peers may consider:
- the development of artist and art form practice
- the potential to enhance the skills and/or professional reputation of the applicant
- the capacity to forge new pathways for artist and sector development
- the capacity to develop new networks, collaborations and partnerships
- the contribution to South Australia’s reputation as a centre of cultural leadership
- at a national and international level, and the resultant economic benefits.
Acknowledgment
You will receive an automated email acknowledging submission of your application.
Assessment
Your application will be assessed against the key criteria of Artistic Merit, Viability, Engagement and Development.
Your application will be assessed by a group of arts and culture peers, who will make a recommendation to the Premier or his delegate.
Notification and advice
After your application is assessed you will be notified of the outcome by email in advance of the funded activity commencement date for the round. Grant decisions are not subject to appeal. Unsuccessful applicants are encouraged to seek feedback to assist with future applications by contacting us
CreateSAGrants@sa.gov.au
Successful applicants will:
- enter into a Funding Agreement – return of funding agreements and payment invoices is managed through our online grants portal
- provide an artistic, statistical and financial acquittal within three months of the completion of the funding period
- acknowledge CreateSA by use of the logo in all promotional materials.
Tax Invoice
Once you have received notification that your application has been successful you will need to submit (via SmartyGrants) your fully executed funding agreement and a tax compliant invoice made out to:
Department of Premier and Cabinet
CreateSA
Make sure your invoice is dated after the date of the final signature in your fully executed (signed) funding agreement.
Tax invoice template (PDF, 103.0 KB)
If you have not received a grant from CreateSA in the last two years, or if you have changed address or bank details, you will need to complete a Vendor Creation Form (external site).
Upload the form via SmartyGrants, along with your invoice.
Variations
We understand that funded activities don’t always go as originally planned however, any changes to your funded activity must be approved by CreateSA.
To request a variation, email
You will be sent a link to complete a variation request form.
You will be notified by email once your variation has been approved.
CreateSA works with artists and organisations to ensure respect and acknowledgement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and cultures and does not support activity which misrepresents or appropriates Aboriginal cultural material.
We recommend an approach which includes communication, consultation and consent.
Creative Australia has a comprehensive framework (external site) for respecting Aboriginal arts and culture.
Artists and arts organisations in receipt of CreateSA funding must understand their legal obligations and establish responsible steps for artists when they involve children in the creation, exhibition or distribution of creative works.
A child is defined as anyone under 18 years.
Adherence to the law and ensuring the safety of children are conditions of funding for projects that CreateSA supports. Applications for activity involving children must demonstrate due consideration of legal and ethical compliance.
Further information is available from:
- Arts Law Centre of Australia information sheet Children in the creative process
- Creative Workplaces - Children and young people in the arts.
It is a legal obligation to prevent discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation in all areas of employment and public life, including education, provision of goods and services, and clubs and associations. This applies to the arts and cultural sector, as much as to business, government and the wider community.
CreateSA is committed to a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of victimisation, bullying and harassment, including sexual harassment.
The Equal Opportunity Commission (external site) provides three main services in South Australia: information, education, and assessing and resolving complaints.
The Equal Opportunity Commission has a free legal advice clinic for people facing discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation, in partnership with the University of Adelaide. The service provides legal advice on areas of Equal Opportunity law and in drafting legal documentation, statements and preparation for conciliation and Tribunal hearings.
The Australian Human Rights Commission (external site) aims to foster greater understanding and protection of human rights in Australia and to address the human rights concerns of a broad range of individuals and groups. The Commission investigates alleged infringements under federal legislation and their website includes an extensive range of publications and guides.
A number of agencies, organisations and groups in the arts and cultural sector have Codes of Conduct or Codes of Behaviour with the aim of preventing sexual harassment and abuse.
Resources
Equal Opportunity at Work: A Handbook for Employers in South Australia (external site) is a practical guide that includes action checklists and templates for policy, procedure and Code of Conduct documents.
Theatre Network NSW Code of Behaviour (external site)
Association of Artist Managers Code of Conduct (external site)
Screen Australia Code of Conduct to Prevent Sexual Harassment (external site)
Due to the uncertain nature of COVID-19 and community impact, up-to-date protocols continue to be issued by the South Australian Government.
We understand that COVID-19 will have an impact on the activity you apply for. Project planning should take into account COVID-19 restrictions and your application should reflect them. Assessment of your application against the Viability criteria will include consideration of COVID-19 circumstances.
Please contact us if you have any questions.
To understand how the pandemic might affect your project, and the COVID-safe requirements you will need to comply with (subject to your project outcome), please consider resources at the SA Government COVID-19 website.
All applications must provide details of arrangements relating to copyright and intellectual property associated with the proposed activity. This includes details about authenticity, cultural ownership and appropriate contracts with artists for the publishing of their work.
Copyright information and advice are available from:
We collect your personal information as is reasonably necessary for the purposes and functions of:
- administering our grants and funding program
- keeping you informed about relevant upcoming events, grants funding initiatives and outcomes, our services, special events or client feedback surveys as well as our activities in general
- improving our websites and other services.
We comply with the Government’s Information Privacy Principles (external site) when dealing with all personal information.
The information that you provide in your application may be used for:
- processing and assessing your application – we will provide the information to the peer assessors
- verifying other funding income for your project – we may provide information to other agencies nominated in your application
- processing, paying and administering your grant
- reviewing and evaluating our funding programs, strategies, plans and services – we may contact you for this purpose
- training
- systems testing and process improvement
- compiling statistics and reports.
The information included in your application is confidential, however, our staff and peer assessors will view details. CreateSA staff and peer assessors are bound by a Code of Conduct.
If your application is successful, the Funding Agreement and associated documents for your project may be audited, which will involve disclosure of such documents, including your personal information, to auditors for audit purposes only.
If your application is successful, your personal details and the details of your application (including support material, the amount of funding you receive, the information you provide in your reports, and text and images relating to the funded activity) may be used, with your consent, for marketing and promotion of funding outcomes and South Australian arts and culture.
This may include publication on our website and/or other Government websites, notifying your local Member of Parliament, the media, local government, the Australia Council for the Arts and State Government agencies.
Any artists or organisations receiving funding or support from CreateSA are asked to include our logo on any marketing and communications materials.
CreateSA Logo Pack (ZIP, 8.4 MB)
When applying our logo, please follow the CreateSA Brand Guidelines (PDF, 3.2 MB)
If you have questions, please email us
Australian Business Number (ABN)
A unique identification number issued by the Australian Taxation Office to business entities. Individual applicants without an ABN may opt to have their grant auspiced by an organisation.
Acquittal
A report on funded activity and expenditure provided at the conclusion of your activity. Generally, an acquittal includes artistic, financial and statistical reporting.
Artist group
Two or more individuals working collaboratively who do not establish a legally constituted organisation. This may include collectives, such as artist run initiatives. Groups may be formed on a project-by-project or ongoing basis.
Art form area
A broad category or mode of artistic expression. CreateSA funds activity in the art form areas of Literature, Performing Arts and Visual Art, Craft and Design. Nominating the art form area in your application assists CreateSA in determining which panel will assess your application.
Arts practice
Refers to the medium or genre in which an artist works, within their art form area. For example, music, contemporary dance and theatre sit within the art form area of Performing Arts.
Arts and cultural organisation
A legally constituted organisation that delivers arts and cultural programs, projects and/or services to artists or the sector.
Arts worker / cultural worker
A person who manages, administers and/or facilitates arts and cultural activity, often for or on behalf of artists.
Auspice / auspicing body
An organisation who is paid and manages grant funding on behalf of a grant recipient who does not have an ABN and opts to have their grant auspiced. An auspicing body may withhold a portion of the grant as a fee for service. This fee can be included in the application budget.
Community arts and cultural development (CACD)
Community arts and cultural development encompasses collaborations between professional artists and communities based on a community’s desire to achieve artistic and social outcomes.
Community arts and cultural development is distinct from other arts practice. It is defined by the creative processes and relationships developed with community to make the art, not the art form or genre.
Contemporary music
The Music Development Office provides grants for musicians, bands, composers, directors and songwriters working in the contemporary music industry. This includes popular or alternative genres such as electronic, hip-hop and dance music, rock and country music.
(What is a) Creative?
A person who works in the arts and culture sector who may not identify as an artist but who works closely with artists to realise artistic outcomes. This includes, for example, curators, artistic directors, theatre directors, creative producers and lighting/set/costume designers.
Creative development
A process of artistic investigation in the creation of new work.
Cultural Leader
An individual who, through their work, has a strategic, big picture view of the arts and culture sector. They may be arts managers and policy influencers or lead/facilitate creative processes in the making and presentation of work. Cultural leaders are acknowledged by their peers and have a strong record of achievement in their professional practice.
Disability
We use the definition of disability included in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (external site)
Disability arts
Refers to arts practitioners who identify as having a disability and/or collaborate with people with disability.
Emerging artist
An artist of any age in the first five years of their professional career or who has recently made a substantial shift in their arts practice.
Established artist
An artist who has maintained a professional practice for ten years or more.
For-profit arts and cultural organisations
Includes private galleries, agents, publishers, producers and presenters.
Funded activity commencement date
The date specified in each funding round for the commencement of funded activity. CreateSA will not fund activity which has commenced or been completed before this date.
Funded organisation
A legally constituted arts or cultural organisation in receipt of annual or multi-year funding through the State Government.
For CreateSA, this includes:
- Small-to-Medium Organisations who receive funding through CreateSA’s contestable program
- Major Organisations who have a direct funding relationship with the State Government
- Statutory Authorities (bodies established through legislation) who have a direct funding relationship with the State Government.
Funding agreement
A legal document that outlines the terms and conditions of funding arrangements, including the recipient’s reporting obligations.
GST (Goods and Services Tax)
The value added tax of 10% on most goods and services in Australia.
In-kind
Non-cash assistance that can be included in a funding application budget, such as products or services provided at no cost. Typical in-kind contributions may include administrative support, venue costs and donations of materials or equipment.
Intellectual property
Refers to the legal property rights that arise in the material outcomes of intellectual and creative processes, such as artworks, designs and inventions. Intellectual property rights include appropriate acknowledgements and permissions to reproduce the work of the copyright owner.
National Performing Arts Partnership Framework Organisations
Formerly known as Major Performing Arts Companies, these are organisations funded through the National Performing Arts Partnership Framework, which is administered by the Australia Council for the Arts on behalf of the Australian Government and state governments.
Mid-career artist
An artist who has maintained a professional practice for five to ten years.
Multi-art form
Work or practice that spans art form areas.
Not-for-profit:
A legally constituted organisation not operating for the profit or gain of individual members. A not-for-profit organisation can make a financial surplus from their activity, but the surplus must be used to carry out its stated purpose and must not be distributed to members or other private people.
Peer assessment panel
All contestable grants offered by CreateSA are assessed at arms-length by peer assessment panels.
Panel members are active in the industry and selected for their professional standing and art form specific expertise. They may include artists, publishers, producers and presenters, curators and arts managers – people with a broad knowledge of arts practice across the local sector, as well as nationally.
Professional development
An activity which assists artists, arts and cultural workers and creatives to build their professional practice and career through such things as skills or artistic development, research and networking.
Professional Practicing Artist
Someone whose artistic practice is their main profession or vocation. Distinguishing characteristics (represented in a professional CV) could include specialist training in an artistic field (formal or informal), commitment of significant time to artistic activity and a history of public presentation or publication.
Public Art and Design
Artwork in any medium that is planned and executed external to a gallery context, usually outside and physically accessible to the broader public. Public art may be permanent, temporary, ephemeral or integrated and is generally site-specific.
Statutory Authorities
South Australia’s arts and culture sector has 11 statutory authorities, encompassing the North Terrace cultural institutions and major makers and presenters funded by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (Art Gallery of South Australia, State Library of South Australia, South Australian Museum, Country Arts SA, Carrick Hill Trust, State Theatre Company South Australia, State Opera of South Australia, Adelaide Festival, Adelaide Festival Centre Trust, South Australian Film Corporation), and the Department for Education (History Trust of South Australia). Between them, they are responsible for the delivery of core services, programs and infrastructure across all art forms and for all arts-related purposes.
Un-funded organisation
Not-for-profit, legally constituted arts or cultural organisations that are not in receipt of annual or multi-year funding through the State Government.
