Please note: to apply you must be registered in our application management system a minimum of two business days prior to the closing date
Mastery of Systems Leadership Scholarship
Key dates
Applications open: Tuesday 3 February 2026
Applications close:
Tuesday 17 March 2026, 3pm AEDT
Contact
To contact the Capability Development team, please email or book a time to chat.
General enquiries
If you need help with the Application Management System or have general enquires, please call or email us.
Please note: Are you registering to use our Application Management System for the first time? Make sure you register well before the closing date. It can take up to two business days to process your registration.
About the program
Creative Australia is supporting 5 places in the Mastery of Systems Leadership Program run by Small Giants Academy and will cover the full tuition for each place. These scholarships are for mid-career and established artists, arts workers and arts leaders with at least 15-years of experience who are strategically positioned to influence and enact change in their organisation, community, and sector.
Mastery of Systems Leadership is an intensive 1-year program (August 2026 to July 2027) that supports you to forge new pathways that regenerate, restore, and reimagine what is possible in a world impacted by the ‘poly-crisis’ (simultaneous occurrence of multiple, interacting crises that intensify each other) made up of ecological collapse, economic fragility and social upheaval. With a cohort of global peers from a range of sectors, backgrounds and career stages, you’re invited to move beyond linear, siloed approaches and into a deeper understanding of how systems truly work.
Through two immersive retreats, weekly live online sessions, group collaborations, and expert-led discussions, you will develop your capacity to perceive patterns beneath complexity, build unique coalitions, identify leverage points for change and act with responsibility, creativity and humility.
You’ll bring your insights into the role of art, culture and creativity in change to conversations about how we work across sectors, embrace interconnectedness and shift narratives, ideologies and capital. This program offers the tools, community and inspiration to elevate your leadership to meet this moment.
The program includes:
- a 4-day retreat in Europe in September 2026
- online group work delivered weekly over 10-months including: 3 hours per week of online discussions guided by experts and 4 hours per week of reading and preparation for the online group work
- a 4-day retreat in Australia in May 2027.
Scholarship recipients will need to cover the cost of travel to and from in-person activities. See ‘Travel Support’ for more information on available support.
To read more about the Mastery of Systems Leadership visit the Small Giants Academy website.
For further details on how to apply, eligibility, program dates, additional contributions towards travel and access requirements please see below.
About Small Giants Academy
Small Giants Academy is a global education centre that nurtures and empowers conscious leadership. With a growing alumni of over 1,800 Fellows, they are a community of leaders and change-makers committed to creating a just, inclusive and sustainable future where people and planet can flourish.
Information sessions
You can view our general information session about applying for our Leadership Scholarship opportunities below. The session is Auslan interpreted and has closed captions.
Creative Australia's Leadership Scholarship opportunities
Watch it on YouTube here.
We will also host a Question and Answer webinar about the Mastery of Systems Leadership Scholarship where you can hear from past participants and ask questions.
This session will be Auslan interpreted and live captioned. A recording of the session will be posted here after the event.
Wednesday 18 February 2026, 1-2pm AEDT: Register here.
Application process
Eligibility
Who can apply
This opportunity is only open to:
- individuals
- Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents
- practising artists or arts workers with at least 15-years of experience in the arts and cultural sector
- applicants primarily working in First Nations Arts and Culture, Community Arts and Cultural Development, Emerging and Experimental Arts, Multi-Arts, Music, Dance, Theatre, Visual Arts or Literature and the intersections of these artforms
- applicants who are available to attend all of the program’s activities.
Who can’t apply
You cannot apply if you:
- are under 18
- are a group or an organisation
- work primarily in film, fashion, graphic design, screen, gaming or architecture
- participated in the Arts Leaders or Future Leaders Programs in 2022-23 or Creative Leadership Program in 2024-25 or the SEC Newgate Mentoring and Stakeholder Engagement Program in 2025-26
- received a grant from Creative Australia that has not been satisfactorily acquitted
- owe money to Creative Australia.
You can only submit one application for one scholarship. We will not accept applications for multiple Leadership Scholarships from the same applicant. See ‘What are the other Leadership Scholarships?’ for the full list of Leadership Scholarships.
Assessment
Stage 1: Assessment
A panel of industry advisers and Creative Australia staff will assess applications against the assessment criteria listed below and advise Creative Australia on which applications to prioritise.
An internal moderation process will then be conducted by Creative Australia staff to ensure alignment to the aims of the program and determine which applications will proceed to interview stage.
Stage 2: Interviews
Shortlisted applicants will be notified in the week commencing 18 May 2026. If you are shortlisted, interviews will be held on Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 May 2026.
Interviews will be hosted by Creative Australia staff with a panel including an industry adviser and a representative from the program provider. Interviews will be 30 minutes and assessed against the assessment criteria and any relevant requirements for participation in the scholarship.
Assessment Criteria
You must address two assessment criteria in your application.
Under each criterion are bullet points indicating what industry advisers may consider when reviewing your application. You do not need to respond to every bullet point.
The selection criteria are:
- Viability — the viability of your application, including the connection between your experience, aspirations and interests and the scholarship program available.
- Impact — the expected impact of investing in your leadership development and vision for change.
Viability
The assessors will evaluate the viability of your application, including the connection between your experience, aspirations and interests and the scholarship program available.
They may consider:
- your leadership experience and potential
- the timeliness of your participation in the scholarship program
- your capacity and motivation to commit to the scholarship program and the opportunities it presents
- how your leadership development goals relate to the learning and development experience offered in the scholarship program
- your capacity to participate in and contribute to the scholarship program’s approach and model
- whether the scholarship program will support you to make progress on your aspirations for change in Australia’s arts and culture sector.
Impact
The assessors will evaluate the expected impact of investing in your leadership development and vision for change.
They may consider:
- how the scholarship program will develop your career and capacity to make change
- your vision for change in Australia’s arts and culture sector and how this scholarship program will help you pursue that
- how you will implement what you learn in the scholarship program for the benefit of the Australian arts and culture sector
- whether the scholarship will help you to make progress on challenges faced in the Australian arts and culture sector
- how participation will support you to contribute to an arts and cultural sector that is accessible, inclusive and equitable.
Travel support
If you think you will face barriers to covering the full cost of attending in-person activities associated with your chosen scholarship program, you can apply for funding to support you. Up to $3000 is available to support your participation in this scholarship program.
You may experience barriers to covering the full cost of attending in-person program activities for different reasons, including:
- being under-employed, unwaged or on a low income
- being based in a regional or remote area.
You can request funding to cover the costs of:
- flights
- ground transport
- accommodation.
We cannot support requests for wages, per diems or stipends.
In your application, we will ask you to tell us how much funding you require, what you will spend the funding on, and how this will support you to participate in the scholarship program.
We will assess your request based on the impact the funding will have on reducing barriers to participating in the scholarship program. Funding for travel support is limited and may not be available to all successful applicants.
If you apply for travel support, we will notify you about the outcome of your request at the same time as we advise you if your scholarship application has been successful.
We strongly encourage you to consider other sources of financial support for your participation in the scholarship. Where possible you may consider seeking support from your employer. You can find a list of other funding sources here.
Access and inclusion
We can provide up to $3,000 as a contribution towards access costs so that you can participate in the scholarship program. In your application we will ask you to tell us how much funding you require and what you will spend the funding on.
If you apply for support for access costs, we will notify you about the outcome of your request at the same time as we advise you if your scholarship application has been successful.
Please contact us if you would like to discuss your access needs via leadershipprogram@creative.gov.au or you can find a time to chat via our online booking portal.
If you need help to speak or listen, use the National Relay Service.
Applications
Submitting an application
Click on the ‘Apply Now’ button at the top of this page to go to Fluxx, our system for managing applications.
You will need an account to use Fluxx. It can take up to 2 business days for a new account to be approved. If you have an account already you can log in.
Select ‘Apply for a Grant’ from the left panel menu. From the list of opportunities select ‘Leadership Scholarships’.
The application form will require you to fill in some of your details, select from some options, respond to questions and submit support material.
You will need to respond to the following questions:
- Introduce yourself and tell us how you practise leadership.
- Why do you want to participate in this program and why now?
- Tell us about a time you have dealt with discomfort and uncertainty as a leader. What happened, what did you do, and what did you learn?
- What do you want to change in Australia’s arts and cultural sector? What do you think your role in that change could be?
You can provide a video response of up to 4 minutes to answer the question “Introduce yourself and tell us how you practice leadership’. This is optional. See Support Material for information on how to submit a video response.
In the application form we will ask you if you want to request support for travel costs and access costs. See ‘Travel Support’ and ‘Access and Inclusion’ for more information.
Support material
CV
You must submit a Curriculum Vitae (CV) with your application as a file (Word or PDF document) or as a URL (weblink). We will review your CV to check your eligibility and understand the impact of the scholarship on your capability development. We strongly recommend that you make the information in your CV relevant and targeted to this opportunity. Applications that do not include a CV will be considered incomplete and will not be assessed.
Video response
You can provide your response to the question “Introduce yourself and tell us how you practise leadership." as a video of up to 4 minutes. You can upload your video as a file (MP4, QuickTime, and Windows Media) or as a URL (weblink).
How to submit support material
You can submit support material as a file or as a URL (weblink). Creative Australia will not view any URLs that require log in or to sign up to a platform. Please do not provide links to applications or documents that require users to log in or pay for access. If you are linking to sites or files that are private or password protected, please provide the password in the password field on the application form.
We do not accept support material submitted via post. Support 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 the Capability Development team via leadershipprogram@creative.gov.au.
Learn more about support material via the Creative Australia website.
Successful applicants
Once all applications have been assessed, you will be contacted by email about the outcome of your application within 14 weeks of the closing date.
If you have been successful, an agreement will be attached to the Contracts section of your online account. This contract outlines the conditions of your participation in the scholarship. If we provide you with any funding as part of your scholarship the contract will also have details of the funds, how you will be paid and your grant reporting requirements. More details on managing successful applications can be found here.
If you are not successful, we cannot provide individual feedback. We will provide general feedback on the applications received on our website within 4 weeks of the notification date.
Frequently asked questions about this opportunity
Who is the program for?
This program is for artists and arts workers with an interest in strategy, policy, philanthropy or community leadership grappling with complexity and how to enable change. You may have a strong interest in new models of leadership, environmental sustainability, community building and/or ways to address the ‘polycrisis’ (i.e. multiple overlapping and interconnected global crises). You should be curious to explore new ways of working, including alternative economic frameworks (e.g. ‘Doughnut economics’) and measures of impact and success (e.g. ‘Gross National Happiness’).
To get the most out of this program, you will be strategically positioned to influence and enact change in your organisation, community, and sector. This might mean you have access to networks, resources, projects and organisations where you can trial new approaches, or collaborate with partners to shift system-wide practices towards better outcomes.
You must have at least 15-years of experience in the arts and cultural sector and you might describe yourself as mid-career or established. This can include working in both paid or unpaid roles, independently, with your community or within organisations.
Please contact the Capability Development team if you are not sure if you have the required minimum experience.
Who will be participating?
A cohort of approximately 60 leaders from the business, policy, philanthropy, community leadership, and arts and cultural sectors. You will be part of a global cohort of people from a range of sectors, backgrounds and career stages.
When and where is the program?
The program runs from August 2026–July 2027. Activities are both in-person and online, including:
- 2 x 4-day immersive retreats (Retreat #1 in Europe and Retreat #2 in Australia)
- 10 months of weekly 3-hour online sessions with collaborative group activities and expert-led discussions.
Exact dates for the program activities will be provided to applicants at the interview stage.
Where can I find out more?
If you have any questions about the Leadership Scholarships you can send an email to leadershipprogram@creative.gov.au or book in to talk to a Capability Development team member through our online booking portal.
Before you contact Small Giants Academy with questions please ensure you have:
- read all the information on the Creative Australia and Small Giants Academy websites
- attended or watched the Creative Australia webinars about the scholarship program
- contacted the Capability Development team with your questions.
For any further enquiries about the program, you can contact Small Giants Academy directly via msl@smallgiants.com.au.
Do I need travel insurance?
Yes. If successful, you are required to take out comprehensive travel insurance for the duration of your overseas activities.
Do I need to be able to travel internationally?
Yes. You must be able to travel internationally to participate in this scholarship program. In your application we will ask you to confirm that you:
- have or are able to obtain a valid passport which will not expire within 6 months from your final date of travel,
- have or are able to obtain the relevant visas for the location of the program activities, and
- will not be prevented from travelling internationally for any other reason.
Is accommodation included in the program?
Accommodation for the two in-person retreats is included in the program fee that Creative Australia will cover as part of your scholarship. You should consider any additional accommodation you might need so that you can arrive and depart at suitable times, as well as any transit accommodation. You are responsible for the costs of any additional accommodation.
See ‘Travel Support’ to find out about the support available for travel.
What is the expected time commitment for the program?
This is an intensive 1-year program requiring a considerable time commitment. You should be able to dedicate 7 hours per week to the program in addition to the two 4-day retreats and associated travel.
This is a participatory, immersive learning experience where regular committed participation will mean you get the most out of the experience. Small Giants Academy may record some sessions for those who occasionally need to catch up.
Frequently asked questions about applying
What is your definition of a practising artist or arts worker?
We support practising artists or arts workers. While you may not regularly earn income from your practice, you must be identified and recognised by your peers as someone who makes or practises art or contributes as an arts worker in the arts and cultural sector in Australia. You might work independently or within an organisation. Arts workers may include cultural practitioners, editors, producers, curators, lighting and sound designers, arts executives, and arts managers.
I work in commercial parts of the sector – can I apply?
Yes. We welcome applications from artists and arts workers working in commercial parts of the sector, including but not limited to music, musicals, publishing, commercial visual arts, and commercial dance.
I work in screen, can I apply to this program?
While we can support artists and arts workers involved in making screen-based art, we do not support those whose primary and main practice is associated with short film, feature film, television, documentary, or electronic games.
Do I need to be available for all the activities and dates?
Yes. You must be available for all program activities to be eligible to apply. Please check the dates for your selected program carefully and consider how you will commit to being available for all the program activities.
Do I need to take leave from work or tell my employer I’m applying?
You may need to take leave from work so that you can participate in the scholarship. You should read the information on this page about the expected time commitment and any travel to attend in-person activities carefully. We strongly recommend you speak to your employer about the leave or time off you will need to prepare for and participate in scholarship program activities.
You may also want to speak to your employer about any support they can offer you for your travel costs to participate in the scholarship.
Do you accept applications in languages other than English?
Yes. More information is available on our website: Languages other than English.
How can I get assistance with my application?
The Capability Development team can assist over email leadershipprogram@creative.gov.au or you can find a time to chat via our online booking portal.
If you need help to speak or listen, please use the National Relay Service.
Our staff are available to assist you in understanding the purpose of the grant, application requirements and submitting your application. We cannot review application drafts.
Additional support can be discussed where needed. Where the additional support is beyond the scope of what staff can provide, we may recommend speaking to an appropriate organisation for further assistance.
Do I need to submit a budget?
No budget is required to apply for this opportunity.
Is there a program fee?
No, there is no program fee. Creative Australia will pay for your place in the program. However, you will need to cover the costs of travel for in-person activities as part of the program. See 'Travel Support’ for more information on the support available.
Do I need to cover my travel expenses (incl. domestic and international flights, transit, accommodation and daily expenses)?
Yes, you will need to arrange and pay for your own travel to and from the in-person activities. This includes flights, transit accommodation and ground transport to the in-person activity locations. This cost will vary depending on where you are travelling from and to. Most meals will be provided during in-person activities and you can check with the provider for more details if required.
See ‘Travel Support’ to find out about the support available for travel.
If I apply for support for the costs of travel, how much should I ask for?
Read the information about the scholarship you want to apply for carefully, and make sure you understand where and when the in-person program activities are held. You can then research the approximate costs of travel from your home location to the program activity location. Make sure you consider:
- when you need to arrive – for example, do you need to arrive a day early so you are ready for the program starting the next morning?
- how long you need to stay for
- whether accommodation is included for the in-person activities
- whether you need any transit accommodation.
You can then tell us your reasonable estimate of the costs associated with travel and accommodation.
Do I need an ABN to apply for a scholarship?
If you apply for funds to support travel or access costs as part of your participation in the scholarship we will pay this to you as a grant. You must have an active Australian Business Number (ABN) to receive a grant from us. Individual applicants without an ABN may have their grant administered by an individual or organisation with an ABN.
The name of the applicant must match the name of the ABN and the name of the bank account we pay the grant into. If you cannot provide an ABN and bank account that are in the same name as the applicant, you will need to nominate an administrator for your grant.
For more information about this, please see our website or contact leadershipprogram@creative.gov.au
Will receiving a grant affect my Centrelink payment?
Grants (or other funds received from Creative Australia) can be considered income by Centrelink. The amount is generally assessed as a lump sum and could affect your Centrelink payment for the financial year. Artists who are running a business (even on a small scale) may have their grant treated differently. It is possible to have your grant paid to an administering body if you wish.
Applicants should contact Centrelink on 13 28 50 for advice. Additionally, Centrelink’s Financial Information Service (FIS) is an education and information service available to everyone in the community and may be of benefit to applicants who also receive assistance through the social security system. To contact FIS call 13 23 00.
If I receive a grant, will my tax be affected?
Grants may be considered part of your income in a financial year and may be subject to tax. You must determine your own taxation liabilities. We suggest you consult your financial adviser or contact the Australian Taxation Office.
What is your definition of the arts and culture sector?
We accept applications from those who work primarily within the following art forms and arts practice areas: First Nations Arts and Culture, Community Arts and Cultural Development, Emerging and Experimental Arts, Multi-Arts, Music, Dance, Theatre, Visual Arts and Literature. Read more about our definition of these art forms and arts practice areas here.
Can I submit my application in an accessible format?
Yes. You can submit your application in any way that is accessible to you via our online application management system. Formats may include Auslan, audio, video, printed, dictated, electronic and handwritten format. Contact the Capability Development team to discuss your needs well in advance of the closing date. You can send an email to leadershipprogram@creative.gov.au or you can find a time to chat via our online booking portal.
If you need help to speak or listen, please use the National Relay Service.
Will I need to submit an acquittal?
Yes. When you have completed your scholarship program, you must provide a grant report. The grant report is where you tell us about your scholarship activities, what the outcomes were and how any funding was spent. Please read your contract to check details of the acquittal material you should provide.
If you do not provide a satisfactory grant report, we will not make any further payments that may be due to you, and you will not be eligible to apply for further grants or opportunities. We may also ask you to pay back all or part of any funding provided to you.
We use grant reports to fulfil obligations of accountability to the Australian Government. They are also essential to the development work of Creative Australia. The reports help us evaluate the achievements of participants in our programs, monitor the effectiveness of our programs, and ensure our policy development is consistent with the experience of artists and arts workers in the field.
What are the other Leadership Scholarships?
The Leadership Scholarships that are open for application in this round are:
