Collaborations Fund

Alumni of the Leadership Program are invited to apply for targeted support to collaborate on projects and further group development of ideas that have been established in the Leadership Program Alumni Network. Eligible programs include the Arts Leaders Program, Future Leaders Program and International Leadership Program in any cohort year.

The purpose is to provide seed funding to add substance to ideas that are generated through discussions and interactions through the alumni network that further the goals of the alumni network and that will contribute to the development of arts leadership in Australia. Activities may involve artistic, cultural, advocacy or capacity building elements, and must be linked to the alumni network.

Collaborations are self-managed and you will need to negotiate and arrange all logistics with your fellow members. We expect most funds to be directed towards project research and development and is not intended to fund project outcomes.

Your proposal should include details of the project, the collaborators and the proposed activity. Your proposal requires a brief budget and schedule.

• What is the project? A brief outline of the aims of the project in line with leadership goals
• Who are the collaborators? Name, leadership program and cohort year.
• What will you be doing? An outline of proposed activities, travel, meetings, etc.
• What do you hope to achieve? An indication of the goals of the project, and longer-term vision.
• How is it related to the goals of the Leadership Program alumni network?

We do not require any support material but may ask for additional information depending on the nature of the project and activity.

Timeline

Please include a brief timeline for your project in your proposal. There is no restriction on the duration of your project, but the proposal must be feasible within the budget. Timelines may coincide with key arts events or availability of collaborators.

Budget

Please include a simple budget to allocate the $3,000 collaboration funding. The budget should include travel and accommodation costs (Covid safe restrictions permitting), per diems, venue hire or artist fees. Quotes are not required, but an estimate of budget breakdown is required. Additional funding may be available for large groups or large projects – please contact us for advice.

The Capacity Building team will review proposals and process applications within 8 weeks of the closing date. We are looking for collaboration proposals that are:

• feasible
• realistic
• aligned with your future leadership goals
• drawing on the skills and experience of the collaborators
• Impactful for the Leadership Program Alumni Network and/or arts leadership across the broader sector

Strong proposals are those which demonstrate the potential of a project to develop through the support of seed funding.

One person in the collaboration team will be responsible for administration, payment and acquittal of the project funding. Once your proposal has been approved, you will be required to approve the funding agreement and bank details. For participants working in an organisation, payments can be linked through your organisation.

You may only access funding once per project group. If projects develop further, you will need to seek funding via the general grants program or other sources.

On the completion of your project, an online acquittal is required to reflect and report on the project outcomes. This report must be completed within 12 weeks of project end date.

Your report must include:

• What did you do? A project summary and detailed description
• Project outcomes? Details of the impact of this collaboration
• Details of any changes to your original plans
• Future of the project (if applicable)
• Images of your collaboration – please upload in report attachments.

To apply for collaboration funding, submit your proposal via our online application management system here.

You can also access our application management system via the ‘Login’ button at the top right hand corner of our website.

The collaboration funding opportunity is listed under ‘Leadership Alumni Programs’, in the ‘Apply for a grant’ section of our grants system.

Only one person should submit the application (project lead) and list the names of other collaborators within the proposal.

If you have applied for a grant or opportunity with the Australia Council before, you will already have an account with us. Your username is your firstname_surname, and your password remains the same.

If you have not applied for a grant or opportunity with the Australia Council before, you will need to set up a new login with your personal details, and the account validation process can take up to two days.

Collaborations are only open to program participants and alumni.