Australian organisations working in the arts and culture sector who are carrying on business in Australia and have their central management and control in Australia. This includes:

• theatres, museums, libraries, art galleries, music and literature organisations
• community organisations that are incorporated and that have significant experience delivering creative projects
• local governments with teams/divisions/institutions dedicated to arts and culture delivery
• universities and higher education institutions that include teams/divisions/institutions dedicated to arts and culture delivery
• commercial entities that create, produce or present artistic works and who can make a strong case as to why public investment is needed for the project and/or how the project will benefit not-for-profit partners or the wider arts sector
• other producing and/or presenting arts organisations. 

We welcome applications from partnerships or consortia that include a lead applicant that is an organisation working in the arts and culture sector.

This includes applications from consortia with partners that do not work primarily in the arts and culture sector, provided their role is clearly outlined.

We also encourage applications from partnerships or consortia where core partners are from the commercial, not-for-profit and philanthropic sectors.

If you are a MYI organisation and your project is in your current four-year strategic plan will need to demonstrate:

• how the work is markedly more ambitious than proposed in the plan
• how the work sits outside of their usual creative development/production pipelines
• that the work would not be possible without support of CFF

Organisations who have applied for, or are in receipt of Major Festivals Initiative (MFI) investment may apply, provided the project budget clearly shows the elements of the project that are being funded from MFI investment, and the elements which the organisation intends to fund with Creative Futures Fund investment. The applicant will need to demonstrate that there is no duplication of expenditure. 

Applicants can only submit one application to the Development stream and one application to the Delivery stream for this round. If an organisation or consortium is applying for each stream, these must be for different projects. Please note that we are unlikely to support two projects from the same organisation in this round. 

As noted above, the Fund is not a pipeline fund: support for the Development phase of a project does not necessarily indicate ongoing support for the Delivery phase in later rounds. Organisations who have received previous Creative Futures Fund investment may apply once their initial project is completed and acquitted. Applications may be accepted from applicants who have not yet completed their current Creative Futures Fund project, provided the project will be fully acquitted before the new project start date. Any applicants in this situation will need to speak to the Director or Manager of the Fund before applying. 

We cannot accept applications to this fund from: 

• organisations based outside of Australia
• organisations that do not work in the arts and culture sector (unless they are applying as a non-lead partner in a consortium application)
• groups that are not legally constituted
• schools and primary/secondary education providers
• the same elements of a project that have already been funded by Creative Australia. Organisations that have applied for, or received, MFI investment for the same project may apply, but must ensure that their budget clearly shows a need for CFF funding, and how it will support different activities/elements of the project. Organisations in receipt of multi-year investment that have included the project is in their current four-year strategic plan will need to demonstrate:
  • how the work is markedly more ambitious than proposed in the plan
  • how the work sits outside of their usual creative development/production pipelines
  • that the work would not be possible without support of CFF
     
• organisations that have an overdue report for another Creative Australia grant
• organisations that owe money to Creative Australia.
• organisations that have a current Creative Futures Fund project underway that is not yet acquitted AND that have not discussed their eligibility with the Creative Futures Fund team
• organisations may be eligible to apply if they will be able to acquit their first Creative Futures Fund project prior to accepting a contract for this round (if successful) – this will depend on individual circumstances and the nature of the proposal. These applicants should talk to the Director or Manager of the Fund about their eligibility prior to applying. 

We will support the development or presentation of intellectual property that is owned or created by Australian citizens/permanent residents and/or an Australian company. Our two different streams fund different types of activities across all artforms: 

DEVELOPMENT Investment 

This stream can support a wide range of development activities within an overall project dedicated to developing an Australian work of significant ambition, reach and impact. Development activities may include:   

• research and development
• creative development and experimentation
• adapting existing Australian work and intellectual property into new formats and mediums
• work in progress showings, prototypes, pilots and other forms of market testing and evaluation
• professional skills development
• developing evaluation plans and resourcing data collection, analysis and reporting
• establishing partnerships, collaborations, investors, or income streams
• community engagement and consultation
• market and audience development
• a reasonable contribution to staffing or operational costs in support of this activity
• access costs for staff and creatives and/or to ensure the eventual work will be accessible for audiences.  

All the above activities need to be clearly linked to the development of a work or project for future public presentation. 

Activities can take place nationally, internationally, online, or a combination of in-person and online (hybrid activities). 

For Development projects the funded activity must take place between July 2026 and July 2028.

DELIVERY Investment 

This investment stream can support a wide range of delivery activities within an overall project dedicated to delivering an Australian work of ambition, reach and impact. These activities may include: 

• final development processes with artists and creative teams that build on previous public outcomes
• adapting existing Australian work and intellectual property into new formats and media
• professional skills development that is directly related to project delivery
• specialist advice and consultancies
• establishing  partnerships, collaborations, investors, or income streams
• community engagement and consultation
• market and audience development
• developing evaluation plans and resourcing data collection, analysis and reporting activities
• access costs for staff, creatives and audiences
• a reasonable contribution to staffing or operational costs in support of this activity
• presentation of the work, including artist fees, production and travel costs.

Activities can take place nationally, internationally, online, or a combination of in-person and online (hybrid activities). 

For Delivery projects the funded activity must take place between July 2026 and July 2029.

Across both Streams, you can not apply for: 

• activities that create or use intellectual property that is majority owned by international individuals or entities
• activities that do not have a clearly defined artistic, creative or cultural outcome
• activities that do not involve Australian practicing artists/ arts professionals
• elements of a project that have already taken place (ie retrospective funding)
• the same elements of a project that have already been funded by Creative Australia. Organisations that have applied for, or received, MFI investment for the same project may apply, but must ensure that their budget clearly shows a need for CFF funding, and how it will support different activities/elements of the project. Organisations in receipt of multi-year investment that have included the project is in their current four-year strategic plan will need to demonstrate how the work is markedly more ambitious than proposed in the plan, sits outside of their usual creative development/production pipelines and that it would not be possible without support of CFF. Any applicants in this situation will need to speak to their MYI Manager before applying.
• activities that develop, produce, promote and distribute Australian narrative (drama) and documentary screen content
• activities that could be supported by Screen Australia and its allied state and territory equivalents
• activities that could be supported by Games Investment steams in the same jurisdictions
• activities engaging with First Nations content, artists and communities that do not adhere to our First Nations Cultural & Intellectual Property Protocols.
• activities working directly with community participants that do not demonstrate a strong understanding of best practice in community engagement
• activities involving children and young people that do not demonstrate how they comply with all Australian law relating to employing or engaging people who work or volunteer with children.

For commercial applicants and commercial/not-for-profit partnerships:

• Projects for which applicants cannot articulate a need for public funding and/or will not have a significant benefit for not-for-profit project partners or the wider creative sector.

All DEVELOPMENT stream applicants :

• must clearly articulate their plans to develop partnerships during the project period. Having confirmed partnerships already in place evidenced by Letters of Support will strengthen the application.
• must have evidence of cash co-investment/funding from sources outside Creative Australia or be able to provide a clear argument as to why they need Creative Futures Fund investment to secure additional investment from other sources. This can be confirmed or projected at time of application, with Letters of Support to provide context as needed. 

All DELIVERY stream applicants:

• should have a minimum of two discussed/confirmed partners evidenced by Letters of Support. We encourage all applicants to seek broad and relevant partnerships.
• must have significant cash co-investment/funding from sources outside Creative Australia. This  can be confirmed or projected at time of application, with Letters of Support to provide context as needed. 

Industry Advisors will expect to see to co-investment/funding from sources outside Creative Australia, commensurate with the scale, context and fundraising potential of the project.  

It will be viewed favourably if the funding request from Creative Australia is no more than: 

• 80% of total project costs for the Development stream;  and
• 60% of total project costs for the Delivery stream.

Across both investment streams, we expect you to demonstrate the steps you are taking to ensure your project is inclusive. You will need to explain your plans to ensure access for the artists and personnel you wish to work with and the communities and audiences you wish to reach, and how you will ensure they feel included and welcomed.  

Access costs, for you, your collaborators and your audiences are legitimate expenses, and we want you to include these in your application.  

Please consult with your team and think broadly about the needs of your audiences to ensure your budget reflects the costs associated with making your project fully accessible.  

Your application must comply with the following protocols. We may contact you to request further information during the assessment process, or if successful, as a condition of your funding. 

Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts 

All applications involving First Nations artists, communities or subject matter must adhere to these Protocols, provide evidence of this in their application and support material. More information on the First Nations Protocols is available here. 

Commonwealth Child Safe Framework 

All successful applicants are required to comply with all Australian law relating to employing or engaging people who work or volunteer with children, including working with children checks and mandatory reporting. Successful organisations who provide services directly to children, or whose funded activities involve contact with children, will additionally be required to implement the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. 

If your application is successful, we will give you a draft investment agreement that specifies: 

• the amount of investment we will provide
• the proposed reporting schedule
• milestones, deliverables, and any other conditions of investment.  

We will negotiate the final version of this agreement with you.  

For commercial applicants and not-for-profit led projects with commercial involvement, we will negotiate bespoke recoupable funding agreements. 

We will pay you once you have accepted your investment agreement and any reports or deliverables you must provide us with have been approved.  

You may be asked to participate in communications and evaluation activities with Creative Australia staff and external evaluators at various times throughout your project. 

You must submit some compulsory support material with your application. The Industry Advisors will review this material to help them assess your proposed activity. 

We strongly recommend you curate the support material you provide to be relevant, targeted and easily accessible. 

Please read the application forms carefully for information on appropriate formats for supplying supplementary materials, and limits on the amount of material that can be uploaded and reviewed by Industry Advisors.

 These materials include:
1. Your completed project budget in the supplied template 

2. Letters of Support from the lead artist/s including their vision for the project 

3. Letters of Support from your partners that clearly outline their commitment to the project, the role they will play as a partner, and their level of investment (financial or costed in-kind). 

4. If relevant, additional Letters of permission or confirmation. Evidence of appropriate permissions and support from First Nations organisations, communities and Elders must be provided if relevant to your application. Please refer to the First Nations Protocols for more information. 

5. Your audited accounts 

If your organisation/company is required to audit your financials, please upload your most recent audited accounts. If your company falls into a category where audited accounts are not required, please upload a brief document explaining why (ie you are small, you not a reportable entity etc.).  

If you cannot supply these documents via URLs, you may upload to your application as a Word or PDF. 

6. Information about the lead artist/s 

This should include biographies and examples of previous relevant work/projects. 

7. Creative and cultural support material 

This should include relevant, recent examples of your creative or cultural work. If you are seeking investment to adapt an existing work, please include examples of this work.