Who can apply 

You can apply for this fund if:

• you are a First Nations individual or organisation
• you are an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident, or an organisation based in Australia 

Please note: You can only submit one application for this grant initiative.

Who cannot apply

You can’t apply to this fund if: 

• you have an overdue report for another Creative Australia grant
• you owe money to Creative Australia
• your organisation is not First Nations led
• your project is already funded by Creative Australia
• you are receiving Multi-Year Investment from Creative Australia

 
What can’t be applied for 

You can’t apply for: 

• activities that have already taken place
• activities that have already been funded by Creative Australia (for example, through your multi-year investment)
• activities engaging with First Nations content, artists and communities that do not adhere to our First Nations Cultural & Intellectual Property Protocols

• protection and development of First Nations art, culture and community, including licensing and protection of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP)
• business development support, best practice standards and philanthropic engagement
• difficulties in connecting with industry networks and resources, including supply chain, distribution, promotion and market opportunities
• access to industry education and skills development, particularly for emerging creatives and entrepreneurs
• digital platforms and access
• increasing business viability domestically and globally
• audience and marketing development and capacity building
• retail and wholesale engagement.

• engaging in expertise to interpret artwork into fabric design
• collaborating with a designer to create a new clothing collection
• professional development for individuals and organisations
• marketing and capacity building activities
• activities to expand your creative practice and/or business
• partnering with small to medium First Nations businesses to build expertise
• First Nations led partnering and mentoring opportunities
• seed funding.

Applications must be submitted via Creative Australia’s Application Management System.  

The types of questions we ask in the application include: 

• a title for your project
• brief description of your artistic and/or professional practice
• describe your project and what you are seeking funding for (for example: runway show, new collection, research and development, sampling, community programming etc.)
• outline how this funding will assist you to strengthen and / or elevate your practice and career within fashion and textile design
• demonstrate how your project will ensure Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP)
• project start and end dates
• project budget detailing expenses, income, and in-kind support of the project
• supporting materials.

Applications are assessed by First Nations Industry Advisors, with the final decision on recommended recipients approved by the Creative Australia Executive team. 

Assessment Criteria 

Your application will be assessed against the published assessment criteria. The bullet points underneath each criterion indicate what industry advisors may consider if relevant. You do not need to respond to every bullet point listed.  

Quality: First Nations Industry Advisors will assess the quality of the artistic and/or cultural development proposed in your EOI. They may consider:

• merit of the project proposed
• quality of work previously produced
• the potential, experimentation or ambition of the individual or organisation
• significance of the work within the relevant area of practice and / or community. 

Viability: First Nations Industry Advisors will assess the viability of the proposed activities with consideration to planning, protocols, and budget. They may consider: 

• the relevance and timeliness of proposed activity
• the skills and abilities of the people involved
• realistic and achievable planning and resource use to undertake the activities
• the calibre and track record of your organisation, partners, and collaborators
• previous experience delivering other projects/activities of similar size and scope
• evidence of appropriate consultation with participants, collaborators, or communities.

Impact: First Nations Industry advisors will assess the potential impact of your project, and how likely you are to achieve this. They may consider: 

• activity is relevant to the identified areas of practice and career development
• capacity to strengthen the skills ad abilities of the individual or organisation
• potential to discover and develop new markets, collaborators, relationships or meet existing market demand
• the extent to which the activity contributes to a sector that is ethical, accessible, inclusive, and equitable.

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, and 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.

You should submit support material with your application. The First Nations Industry Advisors may review this support material to help them gain a better sense of your project. 

We do not accept application-related support material submitted via post. Application-related material received by post will not be assessed and will be returned to the sender. If you think you will have difficulty submitting your support material online, or need advice on what type of material to submit, please contact Artists Services. 

There are three types of support material you may submit: 

1. Artistic support material 

This should include relevant, recent examples of your artistic or cultural work. 

Our preferred method of receiving support material is via URLs (weblinks). 

You can provide up to three URLs (weblinks) that link to content that is relevant to your proposal. This may include video, audio, images, or written material. 

These URLs can include a total of: 

• 10 minutes of video and/or audio recording
• 10 images
• 10 pages of written material (for example: concept deck, sketches, images, and capability statements). 

Please note: Our peer assessors will not access any URLs that require them to log in or sign up to a platform. Please do not provide links to Spotify or other applications that require users to log in or pay for access. 

If you are linking to media files that are private or password protected like Vimeo, please provide the password in the password field on the application form. 

Other accepted file formats 

If you cannot supply support material via URLs, you may upload support material to your application in the following formats: 

• video (MP4, QuickTime, and Windows Media)
• audio (MP3 and Windows Media)
• images (JPEG and PowerPoint)
• written material (Word and PDF). 

2. Biographies and CVs 

You can include a brief bio or curriculum vitae (CV) for key artists, personnel or other collaborators involved in your project. 

Brief bios or CV information should be presented as a single document no longer than two A4 pages in total. 

3. Letters of support 

Individuals, groups, or organisations can write letters in support of your project. A support letter should explain how the project or activity will benefit you, other artists or arts professionals, participants, or the broader community. It can also detail the support or involvement of key project partners, or evidence of consultation. 

If relevant to your activity, letters of support must provide evidence of appropriate permissions and support from First Nations organisations, communities, and Elders. Please refer to the First Nations Protocols for more information. 

You can include up to five letters of support, with each letter not exceeding one A4 page.