Eligible ABN status (Entity Types)are:

• Individual/Sole Trader
• Australian Incorporated Organisation
• Local Government Organisation

If your ABN differs from those listed above, you will be required to have your application supported by an organisation that meets the above criteria that can auspice the grant. See Section 7.1 of the RAF Guidelines for details on applying through an auspicing body.

Your ABN must also be registered to a regional postcode. When applying, you will be asked to insert your ABN and the fields will be automatically populated based on the most up to date information from the Australian Taxation Office, (ATO). Please ensure that you check the postcode and contact the ATO if required before submitting.

Applicants are required to provide their address in the application form that demonstrates their regional location. Regional Arts Fund funding cannot principally benefit a location classified as MM 1 (major cities). To check if your project is taking place in an eligible location, visit the Health Workforce Locator and Modified Monash Model tool.

• Enter your address into the ‘Address’ box at the left-hand side of the page
• Tick the box beside ‘Modified Monash Model’, selecting the most recent year
• Press ‘Search location’
• All locations with Codes from MM 2 to MM 7 are eligible under the Regional Arts Fund.

Yes, unincorporated groups can apply if they are auspiced by a legal entity that meets the eligibility criteria. All activities undertaken must have the support and approval of the auspice body. You and your auspice body should be aware that the auspice body will need to enter into a legally binding grant agreement with Country Arts SA.

The auspice body will be responsible for meeting the obligations set out in the agreement as well as managing, reporting on and acquitting the funding. See Section 7.1 of the RAF Guidelines for details on applying through an auspicing body.

Regional Arts Fund grants are open to all ages, however if you are under 18 your grant will need to be auspiced by an organisation with an active ABN registered to a regional location.

Your auspice should be aware that they will need to enter into a legally binding grant agreement with Country Arts SA and will be responsible for meeting the obligations set out in the agreement as well as assisting with the financial component of the acquittal. See Section 7.1 of the RAF Guidelines for details on applying through an auspicing body.

Eligible activities can be found in Section 5.1 of the RAF Guidelines. Regardless of what you are applying for you must meet all five objectives and satisfy the eligibility criteria. Ineligible activities can be found in Section 5.4 of the RAF Guidelines. 

Project Grants

• Start date must be after 1 July if applying to the March round, or after 1 January of the following year if applying to the August round
• End date must be within two years of the project start date

Quick Response Grants

• Start date must be at least 2 but no more than 12 weeks from the end of the round you are applying to
• End date must within 12 months of the project start date

Skills Development Assistance

• Start date must be at least 10 working days from the date you submitted your application
• End date must be within 12 months of the project start date

Please refer to Project Grants and Quick Response Grants for a breakdown of project start and end dates for each round.

When considering your start date, look at the date of the first activities you are seeking funding for. For example, if you are seeking funding to support a performance on 1 September, consider whether you need funds for planning the performance prior to this. Therefore, your start date may be a month before this performance date.

Yes, but not from the same grant program within a financial year i.e. you can receive up to three grants in a financial year, but only one from each of the grant programs Country Arts SA manages:

• 1 x Project Grant (up to $30,000 for Individuals or Organisations/Groups)
• 1 x Quick Response Grant (up to $3,000 for Individuals or $5,000 for Organisations/Groups)
• 1 x Skills Development Assistance Grant (up to $1,500)

Yes – you need to meet and respond to all five objectives of the Regional Arts Fund to be eligible for this grant. If you do not meet these objectives, you will be ineligible, and your application will not be assessed. If you are unsure if your project meets all the objectives, please email [email protected] to find if your project/activity is eligible. 

If you apply for a grant when you have an overdue acquittal, your application will be deemed ineligible and won’t be assessed.

If you are from Adelaide, you are ineligible to apply for Country Arts SA funding.

If you reside in regional South Australia permanently (and your ABN is linked to your regional address) you can apply for either a Project Grant (up to $30,000) or a Quick Response grant for regional touring.

If it is a small theatre work or performance, you could contact Tammy Hall to see if it may be suitable for Country Arts SA’s Shows on the Road program.

Country Arts SA supports community presenter groups to put on performances from the Shows on the Road program. If your community has a presenter group, it can apply for a Guarantee Against Loss grant to cover costs for Shows on the Road performances. If your community doesn’t have a presenter group, see if there is interest in establishing one. Contact Country Arts SA’s Creative Communities Programmer Tammy Hall for more information about establishing a Presenter Group.

If your community would like to put on performances from visiting artists outside of the Shows on the Road program, you could apply for a Regional Arts Fund Project Grant or Quick Response Grant for this activity.

Apply to the Regional Arts Fund. Read the Guidelines to determine whether a Project Grant or Quick Response Grant is more suitable to your project in terms of how much you need to apply for and when your project will take place.

You need to meet and respond to all five objectives of the Regional Arts Fund to be eligible for this grant. If you do not meet these objectives, you will be ineligible, and your application will not be assessed. If your project doesn’t meet all five objectives, please email [email protected] to discuss ways of ensuring your project/activity is eligible. 

If you received a Quick Response or Skills Development Assistance grant, you must complete the project within a year. You have two years to complete the project if you received a Project Grant.

Skills Development Assistance, Regional Arts Fund Project Grants or Quick Response Grants could all be used for mentorships. If the opportunity to undertake a mentorship will only be available for a short time, a Skills Development Assistance ($1,500) or Quick Response Grant ($3,000 for individuals) would be best. If you have more time, a Project Grant is a better option.

Mentorships take various forms and the structure depends on both the mentor and the mentees schedules, where it will take place and the cost of the mentorship as a whole.

If the mentor and mentee live in different locations, mentorships can take place online using videoconferencing software such as Zoom with sessions scheduled weekly or monthly over a period of time. The frequency of sessions and the length of the mentorship can be worked out between the mentor and the mentee depending on the outcomes the mentee wishes to achieve.

Intensive face to face mentorships (anything from 3 days to 2 weeks) are popular for visual artists as long as any travel and accommodation costs are included in the budget. It is often beneficial for the mentee to travel to the mentor’s location and experience how the mentor works in their studio, as they may have tools and equipment for learning new techniques that the mentee doesn’t normally have access to. Or the mentee and mentor can both travel to a temporary studio and work together there.

In the performing arts and in film, mentorships can often take place on set or during a creative development, rehearsal period or technical week for a work, where the mentor is able to shadow their creative mentor on a real project.

Mentors are usually selected based on what skills an artist wishes to learn. Once that is known, make a list of artists with these skills and then consider where they are located to determine if they would work as a mentor logistically i.e. if they are from interstate or overseas, the mentorship costs will be much higher than if the mentor is in SA, unless it can be done online.

Yes. Mentorships with overseas artists can take place on online using videoconferencing software such as Zoom.

This is an opportunity to introduce to the assessors your project/activity. This should be short, concise and use easy to understand language. Try to avoid jargon. This needs to be written in third person and if your project is successful will be used to promote your funded activity on the Country Arts SA website. 

This must be no more than 100 words. For example:
Organisation A1 Arts will work with the local community in Gippsland to create a musical score taking inspiration from the local fauna of the region. Professional musicians from the Gippsland Music Academy will work with local community members and collaborate to develop a musical soundscape that will be available for purchase on the A1 Arts website. Funds will be used for the workshop and rehearsals that will take place through the weekends of February 2022.  

We suggest you confirm as much as you can as assessors need to feel confident that your project will succeed. By providing as much information as possible, this helps assessors make this determination. In highly competitive rounds, this level of detail is well-received by assessors. 

The Australian Business Register website has detailed information about applying for an ABN.

If you don’t have an ABN, we encourage individuals to apply for an ABN as a sole trader via the Australian Business Register website.

If this isn’t possible, you will need to find an organisation to auspice your grant. The auspicing organisation must be a legal entity that meets the eligibility criteria. All activities undertaken must have the support and approval of the auspice body. You and your auspice body should be aware that it’s the auspice body that will be entering into a legally binding grant agreement with Country Arts SA. The auspice body will be responsible for meeting the obligations set out in the agreement including financial reporting and acquitting the funding.

In a funding context, an auspice is an organisation who manages grant funding on your behalf. For example, an individual or small community group with limited resources may use their local council or a not-for-profit organisation as their auspice. The auspice organisation will receive and manage the grant funding but is not involved in the project otherwise.

For Country Arts SA grants, the auspice organisation must also be regional i.e. their ABN is registered to a regional address. It also helps if you have an existing relationship with the organisation or you are in the same community.

If you are having difficulties finding a suitable auspice organisation, contact one of Country Arts SA’s grants team.

The auspice organisation will receive and manage the grant funding but is not involved in the project otherwise.

ou can receive up to three grants in a financial year, but only one from each of the grant programs Country Arts SA manages:

• 1 x Project Grant (up to $30,000 for Individuals or Organisations/Groups)
• 1 x Quick Response Grant (up to $3,000 for Individuals or $5,000 for Organisations/Groups)
• 1 x Skills Development Assistance Grant (up to $1,500)

You can apply as many times as you like to any of the programs in a financial year until you are successful.

• National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) provides a members-only public and product liability and professional indemnity insurance package for visual artists and craftspeople (visualarts.net.au)
• Guildhouse provides a members-only public and product liability and professional indemnity insurance package for South Australian visual artists, designers, makers, curators, arts-workers and installers (guildhouse.org.au)
• Ausdance provides a members-only public and product liability and professional indemnity insurance package for dance teachers, dancers and dance companies(ausdance.org.au)
• Duck for Cover provides members-only public liability insurance for performance-based artists (duckforcover.com.au)
• Flying Arts provides a members-only public and product liability and professional indemnity insurance package for artists, artworkers, writers and musicians and extends to limited cover for teaching and training students (flyingarts.org.au)
• Local Community Insurance provides insurance to clubs and community groups (localcommunityinsurance.com.au)
• Regional Arts Victoria provides public liability insurance and volunteer insurance cover for arts groups and individual artists. Although the organisation focuses on Victorian artists, its insurance policy is available to artists throughout Australia (rav.net.au).

Yes – however you need to demonstrate in the application why they are the best and most appropriate person to be involved in your funded activity. Consider the skills and expertise they may bring to the project and explain this to the assessors and why a local person can’t be involved in your application. 

If your project involves the public in anyway, you will need Public Liability Insurance (PLI), unless you’ll be covered by another organisation’s insurance i.e. if you hire a venue, they will have PLI and this will be incorporated in the hire fee.

For other kinds of projects, the Arts Law Centre of Australia has a great fact sheet on insurance in the arts sector, which will assist you to determine if you need insurance or not.

If you’ll be delivering several activities over the period of a year, you could take out group insurance by becoming a member of an industry support organisation whereby the membership fee includes insurance coverage (as above).

Applicants must ensure that personnel invoiced in your project/activity are paid appropriately depending on their experience and expertise. This may be a rate that you negotiate together or refer to our Recommended Rates document for guidance. Ensure that evidence of these rates are provided in your application either as a calculation in your Expenditure Budget or as a Supporting Document (e.g. a copy of an email or contract).

Yes, you can. Please refer to the Recommended Rates document on our website for guidance on how much to pay yourself and other artists on the project (if applicable).

For Quick Response Grants, applicants will be notified 5 working days after the close of the round.

For Project Grants, applicants will be notified 3 – 4 months after the close of the round. Project Grant round recipients are approved by the Minister for the Arts, hence the longer timeframes.

For Skills Development Assistance Grants, applicants will be notified 10 working days after the application is submitted.

The project timeline should include the key dates/milestones and activities for the project. The number of milestones your timeline has will depend on the scope and length of the project i.e. a 3-month project may only have 4 – 5 key activities in the timeline, whereas a 12–18 month project may have 10 or more activities.

Aim to have as many project details (key artist/s, location, dates etc) as possible secured when you submit the application. If this isn’t possible, include the various options in the application and explain why they aren’t final yet. Also include how you will finalise these details and by when.

Yes, you can still submit the application if all of the artists haven’t been locked in. In the application, include information about the artists you have confirmed as well as those you hope to include. For the unconfirmed artists, explain why they aren’t yet confirmed, when they’ll be confirmed and what you plan to do if they aren’t able to be a part of the project.

If any project details change (including artists) between the date of submission and the project start date, contact the Country Arts SA’s grants team about varying the details of your project.

Country Arts SA uses Smarty Grants as its grants portal. There is a link to the Smarty Grants application form under the description of each grant type on the Grants page of Country Arts SA website – click on the Apply for Grant button (if this button isn’t visible, it means there is no round open for that grant).

Yes. If accessing the Smarty Grants portal to complete the application or acquittal forms is an issue, please contact the Country Arts SA’s grants team for assistance.

If several members of a group are involved in the project, then a group application would be most suitable. If the group isn’t incorporated, the group will need an eligible, incorporated organisation to auspice the grant. If you are the main artist and are responsible for most of the project, then an individual application would be more appropriate. When it comes to Quick Response Grants, individuals can apply for up to $3,000 and groups up to $5,000. For Project Grants, individuals and groups can apply for up to $30,000.

All artists involved in the project need to submit a CV.

An Artist Bio is a statement about you as an artist – it’s like a CV, but in paragraph form. An Artist CV is an outline of your achievements (as relevant to the role you are undertaking on the project). This can include qualifications, roles/positions, exhibitions, publications, commissions etc listed in reverse chronological order (i.e. most current first).

An Artist CV is an outline of your achievements (as relevant to the role you are undertaking on the project). This can include qualifications, roles/positions, exhibitions, publications, commissions etc listed in reverse chronological order (i.e. most current first).

Your application needs to convey the outcomes your project is aiming to achieve against the five objectives of the Regional Arts Fund. If artwork themes and ideas are a part of these outcomes, they need to be detailed in the application. The application also needs to outline what you are doing and why.

This provides a way for assessors to understand who is involved in your project and why they are the best people to contribute. This also helps assessors determine the QUALITY of your application, as they can see the experience and expertise they will bring. Ensure you adhere to the maximum amounts of documents that can be uploaded with your application and do not exceed these. 

The information we request in applications is used for the purposes of determining whether or not an individual or organisation is eligible for funding.

Country Arts SA respects all personal and confidential information received and will do everything possible to protect information from unauthorised access, loss or misuse. Information collected from you is required for the delivery of the services. For details on how we collect, store and use information, please review our Privacy Policy or contact us for a copy by emailing [email protected].

The Directors of Country Arts SA and their representatives may use information to conduct research so that we may better understand community needs and can improve service delivery. Country Arts SA also uses the information supplied to distribute communications of interest, such as: newsletters, events, and funding opportunities.

Regarding Regional Arts Fund applications, the Australian Government stipulates that application details and applicant contact information may be provided to the Australian Government (including the Minister and the Department), Members of Parliament and Regional Arts Australia and may be published on the internet by any of them. This will include the applicant’s name/organisation name, funded project description, funded amount, state/territory, location and electorate. This information may also be used for promotion and reporting purposes.

Regarding Skills Development Assistance applications, application details and applicant contact information may be provided to the South Australian Government for promotion and reporting purposes.

Any information collected will be used in accordance with relevant legislation.

Your budget is an important part of your application and helps assessors determine the VIABILITY of your project/activity. Ensure that the budget includes everything that is outlined in the text of the application. Show calculations, where applicable so the assessor can understand your thinking, particularly in relation to artist fees. Please note that all budgets must break even. This means that the Cash Balance should be $0. If it is not you need to go back and check your budget. 

This refers to all of the costs associated with completing your project or activity. This also includes in-kind contributions. Consider every aspect of the project/activity and ensure these are recorded in your budget to demonstrate how the funds will be used. This is one of the ways that the assessors will determine the viability of your project/activity. 

Income refers to the funds that you will be using for the activity/project. This may just be the amount you are requesting to the Regional Arts Fund or may include another grant program. You would also include any in-kind income to match the in-kind expenditure in your budget. Income may be ‘confirmed’ (you have already received this) or ‘unconfirmed’ (e.g. the request to the Regional Arts Fund as you do not know the outcome at the time of applying). This is one of the ways that the assessors will determine the VIABILITY of your project/activity.

In-kind income is a contribution of a good or a service other than money. Some examples include: voluntary labour (yours or others on the project), donated materials, use of venue at no charge, loan of equipment including vehicles. Calculate loaned or donated goods at the price you would pay for them if you were purchasing or hiring. Use of own vehicle is calculated at $0.78 per km. Volunteer time is calculated at $33.00 per hour for general volunteers or $55.00 per hour for professionals who volunteer their time.

Sometimes an organisation or individual might offer to help you by providing something you require for your project at no cost or at a reduced amount. This is referred to as an ‘in-kind contribution’ and has a value or cost that can be shown in your project budget.

This is also an opportunity to provide further evidence of how your partners will be supporting you with in-kind support.

This depends on the project/activity.  You may have support from other funders or are contributing some funds yourself. If you are seeking funding or have confirmed funding from another Government authority for the same aspect of your project/activity, you cannot ask for the same funds from the Regional Arts Fund. This is considered ‘double dipping’ – where an applicant might try to fund the same costs from different sources and are not eligible. 

This depends on the project/activity and the size and scope of the project. Alternative forms of income may indicate resourcefulness and a dedication to the project. The assessors consider several aspects when determining the viability of a project/activity and they need to feel confident that the project will succeed based on the budget you have provided. If there is a large amount of unconfirmed funding, the assessors may need clarification as to how the project/activity will continue if the other funds are not received. In-kind contributions may be a viable way for your project/activity to run, and it is the responsibility of the applicant to express this in their application.

Yes. Research what it would be to hire the gear commercially and that will be the value you include in your in-kind contributions budget.

On the Information for Applicants page of Country Arts SA’s website under Resources & Documents, there is a Budget Example for a Regional Arts Fund grant.

There is also a Budget Template for Regional Arts Fund grants on our website as an Excel document that you can use to work out your budget before entering in Smarty Grants. Click on the link to download and then ‘Save As’ for an editable copy.

There is no definitive amount you need to have from other sources, but as much cash or in-kind income contributions you can raise from yourself and/or other sources should be included or your application may not be considered competitive.

Not if you have also sourced in-kind and/or cash contributions to cover total project costs. Your application may not be considered competitive if you apply for the maximum amount but have no contributions from yourself and/or other sources.

Be as specific as you can with budget estimates. For airfares, you can find a price by inputting travel dates to a travel or airline website and use this as a quote. For fuel, calculate trip costs by whatever the fuel price is at the time you apply.

It’s a good idea to keep receipts to assist you with the budget in your acquittal, although you don’t need to attach receipts to your acquittal, except in the following circumstances:

• Regional Arts Fund grants – if the grant was for the purchase of equipment
• Skills Development Assistance grants – receipts for skills development fees, travel and accommodation costs

On the Information for Applicants page of Country Arts SA’s website under Resources & Documents, there is a Budget Example for a Regional Arts Fund grant.

There is also a Budget Template for Regional Arts Fund grants on our website as an Excel document that you can use to work out your budget before entering in Smarty Grants. Click on the link to download and then ‘Save As’ for an editable copy.

If you still need assistance, contact details for our Grants network are on the Country Arts SA website.

Regional Arts Australia have prepared a Recommended Rates for Artists document, which is available on the Country Arts SA website under Reference Documents.

Volunteers aren’t paid, but their time can be included in the project budget as an in-kind contribution at $33.00 per hour for each volunteer.

Information regarding support material types and limits for your submission can be found in the application form.

Support Material is just as important as completing the application form and provides further context and evidence as to why this project/activity needs to take place. Support Material helps the assessors understand the project in greater detail and also assess against the QUALITY assessment criteria.  

Collecting your support material takes time as you are often relying on others to provide this information for you, (e.g. letters of support and CVs). Please ensure you contact the relevant people as soon as possible and do not leave this too late. 

Support letters are intended to demonstrate a level of community or partner support. Letters of support need to be on letterhead with contact details and state clearly how the organisation or individual is contributing to the project, e.g. through funding cash or in-kind, assisting to develop or coordinate the project or bringing participants to the project. This support can also be shown through emails, as long as they contain suitable contact details.  An email or letter from the artist/s involved confirming their commitment to the project is also required. You are encouraged to attach support material that is relevant to your project as it will make your application more competitive. 

Support letters should be from a project partner or supporter, or from someone familiar with your practice and supports the project activity. Support letters should be specific to the application and current. Effective support letters will explain the relationship between the writer and the applicant and provide confidence in their capacity to deliver the project. They should also state how they are going to be involved in the project i.e. project partner, project supporter, project participant or audience member, and the potential benefits for their community.

Support letters should be from a project partner or supporter, or from someone familiar with your practice and supports the project activity.

Please contact Country Arts SA’s Grants Team for an example of a good support letter.

Support letters as an email are acceptable as long as it is from a project partner or supporter, or from someone familiar with your practice and supports the project activity.

The support email will need to explain the relationship between the writer and the applicant and provide confidence in their capacity to deliver the project. They should also state how they are going to be involved in the project i.e. project partner, project supporter, project participant or audience member, and the potential benefits for their community.

Support materials can take many forms i.e. photos, videos, music, media articles, sketches, designs, equipment quotes, promotional material (posters, flyers, social media posts etc) to show examples of your and/or project artist/s’ work, previous projects, the participants involved in your project or anything else to support your application.

Providing links to websites or social media pages is another way of providing support materials. You can upload content via You Tube, Vimeo, Facebook, Instagram, Soundcloud, Dropbox etc and/or link to your own website or those of others involved in the project. You can also link to media articles or any other websites that will support your application.

If you are attaching images as individual image files, they need to be high-resolution (3 – 5MB) in .jpeg format and be relevant to the project. These may include your and/or project artist/s’ previous work, location images or other images that support the application. Name the files to represent what is in the image and include a caption and the photographer’s name.

Please include a Photo Release Form for any people in the photos so we know they have given their permission for their photo to be shared. Ensure you adhere to the maximum amounts of images that can be uploaded with your application and do not exceed these.

You can include photos/weblinks that show:

• the kind of work you will be making, skills you’ll be learning or other projects with similar outcomes to what yours will have (as long as you credit the images if they are not yours)
• your potential project participants
• the location your project will take place if its relevant to your project outcomes (i.e. the site of a public art project)

You can also include written documents that describe what you are expecting to achieve and the project outcomes.