Four Year Investment for Organisations (Stage 2)

The application process for Four Year Investment for Organisations involves two stages.

Stage 1: Expressions of interest (EOI) have closed.

Stage 2: Full applications for organisations successful at Stage 1 only

• applications open from May 2023
• applications close 3pm AEST on Tuesday 1 August 2023
• applicants notified by December 2023

Who can submit an application

Stage 2 applications will only be accepted from organisations that were offered an invitation after approval of their EOI at the first stage.

We accept applications from invited organisations that develop, create and/or present artistic programs.

The Australia Council requires that organisations be registered under Australian law (for example, incorporated association or company limited by guarantee) or created by law (for example, a government statutory authority).

• Organisations that are not legally constituted are not eligible to apply.
• Organisations that are registered as Trusts are not eligible to apply.

Organisations may be required to provide a certificate of incorporation or evidence of their current legal status.

It is the intention of this category to invest in organisations that are part of the small to medium arts and cultural sector. Large, well-resourced organisations or institutions seeking investment in multi-year arts programs may not be considered a priority for investment in this category.

Who can’t submit an application:

You can’t submit an application if:

• you were not invited to apply
• you have an overdue grant report
• you have overdue Multi-Year Investment reporting
• you owe money to the Australia Council
• your organisation is not registered in Australia
• you are an individual or group
• your organisation is registered as a Trust.

What you can’t submit an application for

You can’t submit an application for the following activities:

• activities that do not involve or benefit Australian practicing artists, arts professionals, audiences or communities
• activities that do not have a clearly defined arts or cultural component
• activities that have already taken place
• activities engaging with First Nations content, artists and communities that do not adhere to the Australia Council First Nations Cultural & Intellectual Property Protocols.

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.

Your stage 2 application will be assessed by the arts practice panel you selected. If you submitted EOIs to more than one panel, we will specify which panel your EOI has been successful to in your EOI notification email. The arts practice areas are:

• Community Arts and Cultural Development
• Dance
• Emerging and Experimental Arts
• First Nations arts and culture *
• Literature
• Multi-art form
• Music
• Theatre
• Visual Arts.

*Only First Nations organisations with 51% or more First Nations representation in governance and key creatives at the time of submission, can choose to have their EOI reviewed under the First Nations arts practice area. However, First Nations organisations may alternatively choose to have their EOI reviewed under a different arts practice area.

Heads of Practice:

• Community Arts and Cultural Development & Emerging and Experimental Arts – Zohar Spatz
• Dance and Multi-art form – Sarah Greentree
• First Nations arts & culture – Patricia Adjei
• Literature – Wenona Byrne
• Music – Kirsty Rivers
• Theatre – Annette Madden
• Visual Arts – Mikala Tai

Applications are reviewed by expert industry representatives called Industry Advisors.

Industry Advisors are experts in their field with relevant experience and knowledge of an arts practice or sector. Industry Advisors will make recommendations for the Australia Council to consider when making the final decisions on which organisations to invite to make full applications and invest in for 2025-2028.

• Applications will be reviewed by Industry Advisors who will make recommendations for us to consider when making the final investment decisions for organisations. The Industry Advisors will review applications under arts practice areas relevant to their knowledge and experience.
• Industry Advisors will participate in both EOI and Stage 2 reviews.
• The full list of Industry Advisors will be published on our website following notification of the outcomes of Stage 2.

Further detail on Industry Advice is can be found here.

Stage 2 applications for Four Year Investment can be submitted through our application management system from June 2023.

You will be asked to provide the following information:

• the arts practice area under which you wish your application to be reviewed

• a brief summary of your organisation, including an outline of your core activity and the role you play in the arts sector (approx. 750 words)

• your organisation’s four year vision for the period 2025-2028 (approx. 500 words)

• a brief summary of your organisation’s key activities over the last five years (approx. 500 words)

• a description of how your organisation is addressing the different operating environment likely to be experienced in 2025-2028 after the disruption of the last 2 years (approx. 500 words)

• a list of key staff in your organisation, with information on their roles and tenure

• the members of your Board or governing committee (to whom the head of your organisation reports), with information on their length of service and the structure and composition of the Board

• whether you report your financial information on a calendar or financial year basis

• a summary of your audited financial information for each of the previous three years, including assets, liabilities, total income and total expenditure

• investment you have received from sources other than the Australia Council in the past three years

• projected high level income and expenditure for the next three years*

o income should include government income (recurrent, project, other), contributed income (philanthropy, sponsorship), earned income (program, non-program related)

o expenditure should include program costs (direct and non-direct), capital expenditure and salaries

*Organisations who report on a calendar year basis: 2023-2025. Organisations who report on a financial year basis: 2022/23-2024/25

• the annual amount of investment you request from the Australia Council Four Year Investment program from 2025-2028. You will have received guidance on this in your invitation letter.

You will be asked to provide the following support material:

1. Artistic Support Material

• Please provide up to 3 URLs (weblinks) that best demonstrate your organisation’s artistic output. These URLS may include video, audio, images, audio and written material.

2. Audited accounts or equivalent

Please upload your latest three years of your audited accounts or equivalent.

• Audited Accounts 2020 (or equivalent)
• Audited Accounts 2021 (or equivalent)
• Audited Accounts 2022 (or equivalent)

3. Strategic Plan 2025-28

• a strategic plan that covers the majority of the Four Year Funding contract period from 2025 to 2028, attached as written material.

4. Program of Activity

• a detailed program of activities for 2024, attached as written material.
• an outline program of activity for 2025, attached as written material.

5. Support letters

• You may provide up to 5 support letters for your application to evidence your organisation’s engagement with communities or key partners – these may be included as one of your 3 URLs, as part of your strategic plan, or uploaded as support material.

We will review your application against three assessment criteria listed below.

Under each criterion are bullet points indicating what may be considered when assessing your application. You do not need to respond to every bullet point listed.

1. Quality of artistic or cultural program and strategic plan

We will review your organisation’s artistic program and strategic plan. We may consider your organisation’s track record and vision support:

• the development of great art, artists and arts workers
• engaging arts experiences
• expanding access to arts experiences
• activity that connects communities
• creative work that reflects contemporary Australia
• a dynamic sector that is diverse and inclusive
• the progression of your artistic ambition over the four year cycle
• enabling risk taking and experimentation in the realisation of works
• a vibrant society and culture.

2. Organisational capacity

We will review your organisation’s track record of delivery, and capacity to deliver its vision. We may consider:

• the experience of the people leading and governing your organisation
• the financial health of your organisation, including the effective use of resources
• the diversity and scale of income and co-funding you generate and receive
• whether your work is supported by meaningful evaluation
• how you demonstrate cultural competencies and adherence to relevant cultural protocols, particularly if your organisation works with diverse artists, audiences or communities. Where relevant, evidence that the Protocols for First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts have been adhered to
• factors that have impacted your organisation’s financial health, planning and priorities.

You may wish to refer to our guide on Essential Governance Practices.

3. Alignment with the Strategic Objectives of the Australia Council

We will review how your organisation’s vision aligns with one or more of the strategic objectives in the current Australia Council Corporate Plan 2022-2026. The objectives are:

• Australians are transformed by arts and creativity – We will enable more opportunities for Australians to be captivated by, and inspired through, experiencing arts and culture.
• Our arts reflect us – We will support equity of opportunity and access in our creative expression, workforce, leaders and audiences.
• First Nations arts and culture are cherished – We will build on our long term commitment to First Nations arts and culture, recognising the importance of First Nations peoples’ self-determination, cultural authority and leadership to our collective prosperity.
• Arts and creativity are thriving – We will support the best circumstances for a thriving arts sector.
• Arts and creativity are valued – We will increase awareness of the value of public investment in arts and creativity.

Based on the recommendations of Industry Advisors who will review applications in panels for each arts practice area, we will rank the applications from highest to lowest, based on how well each application meets the assessment criteria.

We will consider the arts practice context and analysis of the organisational and financial data provided in each application. Please note: if we have provided investment to your organisation previously, our review will also consider how well you have delivered the activity supported.

We may also consider the spread of organisations across arts practice genres, geography, and communities in prioritising how we rank organisations.

We will only invest in organisations where Industry Advisors have recommended that an application submitted meets the assessment criteria to a high degree.

A recommendation of the mix of organisations to be invested in will be presented to the Board of the Australia Council.

You will be notified of the outcome of your application in December 2023.

Reporting requirements for successful organisations

Organisations applying for Four Year Investment should be aware of the reporting requirements should an application be approved. These are not negotiable and be part of the conditions of the funding agreement, so be sure to include the resources required to do so in your future budget projections.

Organisations receiving Four Year Investment must provide the Australia Council with financial reporting three times a year, as well as annual reports on KPIs and statistical data to receive payments.

You must provide your organisation’s annual financial statements audited in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards by an Approved Auditor, and discloses separately the Four Year Investment funding as both income or unexpended grants. An Approved Auditor means a person who is: (a) registered as a company auditor under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), or a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, or of CPA Australia or the National Institute of Accountants; and (b) not a principal, member, shareholder, officer or employee of the Organisation or of a related body corporate as defined in Section 50 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).

The data and outcomes reporting provides Council with valuable information to monitor the performance and activity of each organisation and ensures accountability for the investment of public funds. It also informs research and communication by Council, allowing us to demonstrate the impact of our funded organisations.

Remember: if you or someone you care about is in crisis or at immediate risk, dial 000.

You can also find support at a number of free helplines:

• Support Act (dedicated Sexual Health & Safety Helpline for artists, crew and music workers) 1800 959 500
• Support Act First Nations Support 1800 959 500
• 1800RESPECT 1800 727 732
• Lifeline 13 11 14
• SANE 1800 187 263
• Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467
• Beyond Blue (dedicated First Nations support available) 1300 224 636
• Q Life (LGBTIQ+ support) 1800 184 527