Grants supporting arts and culture activities at festivals and community events across regional and remote Australia to strengthen cultural diversity, promote participation, and grow audiences.
On this page you will find
What is the Festivals Australia Program (FAP)?
The Festivals Australia Program (FAP) funds engaging and innovative art projects that encourage community participation and audience engagement.
Grants support individual art projects that allow community members living in regional or remote Australia to participate in or appreciate an arts-driven experience at a:
- festival – a regularly presented program of events, for example annually or biennially, that is open to the public and provides an opportunity to gather and celebrate; or
- significant one-off community celebration – a schedule of events held to mark an occasion of great significance to the community, such as a major anniversary, milestone or the opening of a significant new community asset.
Festivals Australia Program level of support
Grants
- Approximately $747,000 is available for Festivals Australia Round 23.
- There is no limit on the amount of funding that may be requested.
- The average funding request is approximately $40,000.
- Applicants should submit realistic budgets that demonstrate value for money and strong alignment with the program objectives.
- The Australian Government provides approximately $1.48 million each financial year, subject to annual indexation, across the Festivals Australia Program.
Co-contribution
The guidelines do not specify a minimum co-contribution requirement. However, the level of cash and/or in-kind co-contribution is considered under the Support and Partnerships assessment criterion.
Festivals Australia Program important dates
- Applications close: 13 October 2026
- Assessment of applications: approximately 5–6 weeks
- Approval of outcomes: approximately 5–6 weeks
- Notification of funding outcomes: within three months of the closing date
- Earliest commencement of grant activities: 1 February 2027
- Register your interest with GrantHelper
Festivals Australia Program objectives
The program has three key objectives:
- Provide access to a diverse range of engaging and innovative arts projects across regional and remote areas.
- Support partnerships and collaboration within the arts sector.
- Encourage community participation in arts activities at festivals and significant one-off community celebrations.
Projects and expenditure eligible for Festivals Australia Program support
Eligible projects must:
- be an arts project delivered at a festival or significant one-off community celebration in an eligible regional or remote Australian location
- be a single discrete activity within the broader festival or celebration, rather than a range of unrelated activities or the majority of the overall festival
- encourage participation and audience engagement
- deliver arts outcomes
- take place in an eligible location outside areas classified as Major Cities of Australia (RA 1).
Projects may include activities such as:
- parades
- performances
- workshops
- installations
- exhibitions.
Eligible artforms may include circus, dance, film, literature, music, multimedia, cross-artform, theatre, puppetry, visual arts and crafts.
Organisations based in metropolitan areas may apply, provided the funded project itself is delivered at an eligible regional or remote festival or significant one-off community celebration.
Eligible expenditure
Grant funding may be used for:
- artist fees and wages, including superannuation
- travel within Australia
- materials
- photography, documentation and videography
- venue hire
- equipment hire specifically related to the project
- project administration costs specifically related to the project
- temporary engagement of a project coordinator.
Artists and other professionals engaged through the project must be fairly remunerated, and applicable industrial awards, enterprise agreements and Creative Workplaces minimum standards must be observed.
Ineligible activities and expenditure
Funding cannot be used for:
- projects delivered in Major Cities of Australia, classified as RA 1
- more than one discrete project per organisation, per festival
- eisteddfods
- overall festival costs
- activities commencing before funding is approved
- projects that do not deliver arts outcomes
- project components already funded through other government programs
- festival or business start-up costs
- general festival marketing
- catering
- international travel
- security
- amenities such as toilets, garbage bins or heaters
- insurance costs
- festival operating costs
- publication of festival programs
- infrastructure, including building or fitting out permanent structures
- contingency costs.
Other Festivals Australia Program important details that you will need to know
Organisations eligible for Festivals Australia Program support
To be eligible, applicants must:
- be an Australian incorporated organisation
- have an active Australian Business Number (ABN)
- be registered for GST where required by the Australian Taxation Office
- have no outstanding reports, acquittals or serious breaches relating to Australian Government funding.
Eligible applicants can include:
- incorporated associations
- companies limited by guarantee
- Indigenous corporations
- proprietary limited companies
- co-operatives
- incorporated trustees or companies acting as trustees of a trust
- local government organisations.
Applicants from Australian external territories, such as Norfolk Island, may also apply.
Unincorporated groups may apply where they are auspiced by an organisation that meets the eligibility requirements.
Applicants are not eligible to apply directly if they are:
- individuals
- sole traders
- partnerships
- unincorporated associations
- organisations based outside Australia.
Individuals, sole traders, partnerships and unincorporated associations may be able to participate through an eligible auspicing organisation. Organisations, or project partners, listed as institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the National Redress Scheme are also ineligible.
Festivals Australia Program assessment criteria
Eligible applications are assessed against four equally weighted criteria.
1. Quality – 25%
Applicants should demonstrate:
- the experience and capability of the applicant organisation
- the skills and expertise of key personnel and participating artists
- an appropriate project scale
- benefits to the arts and cultural sector, including innovation and collaboration
- professional development and training benefits for participants
- opportunities for wider artistic expression
- benefits to audiences and the Australian community.
2. Access – 25%
Consideration is given to:
- likely attendance and participation, including visitors to the region
- audience appeal and demand
- the location of the festival or celebration
- how the project broadens access to artforms, mediums, styles, innovation or experimentation
- participation and accessibility for people with disability
- participation by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
- participation by people from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds
- exposure of participating artists to wider audiences.
3. Support and Partnerships – 25%
Consideration is given to:
- community support and engagement
- financial and project partners
- the level of cash and/or in-kind co-contribution.
4. Value for Money – 25%
Applicants should demonstrate:
- the need for funding
- a viable project plan and timeline
- an appropriate and viable budget
- fair remuneration arrangements
- appropriate organisational governance and capacity to administer the funding
- satisfactory funding history and compliance
- the overall public benefit of investing in the project.
How do I get Festivals Australia Program?
Before applying, applicants should read and understand the Round 23 guidelines and ensure they meet all eligibility requirements.
Applications must:
- be completed through the online SmartyGrants application form
- provide all requested information
- address all eligibility and assessment criteria
- include all required supporting documentation
- include a project work plan and detailed budget
- be submitted before the grant opportunity closes.
Incomplete applications will be considered ineligible.
Applications can be amended after submission only before the advertised closing time. Applicants who need to make an amendment should contact the Festivals Australia team so the application can be reopened in SmartyGrants.
Information to prepare for the Festivals Australia Program application
Applicants should prepare:
- a detailed project work plan
- a detailed project budget
- evidence of artist confirmation or willingness to participate for each participating artist
- evidence of community support specifically for the proposed project
- quotes, artist fee confirmations and other evidence supporting proposed budget items.
Artist confirmation documents should be combined into one file titled “Evidence of Artist Confirmation”.
Community support letters should be combined into one file titled “Community Support”.
Budget supporting documents should be combined into one file titled “Budget”.
For artists or community representatives in remote areas, specified video evidence may be accepted via publicly accessible platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo.
Applicants may also provide supporting material such as:
- a community consultation plan
- previous or proposed festival programs
- relevant extracts from business plans
- survey results
- evaluation reports.
Links to cloud storage services such as Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive cannot be accepted as application attachments.
Applying for Festivals Australia Program
Applications are submitted online through SmartyGrants at arts.smartygrants.com.au.
Register your interest with GrantHelper to explore your alignment with this grant and how we can assist you to increase your chances of success.
Festivals Australia Program grant recipients
Here’s a sample of projects funded.
| Project description | Festival | Awarded funding |
| Cultural stories from Nipissing (Canada) and Murrawarri (Australia) peoples, culminating in a work-in-progress performance | Baiame’s Ngunnhu Festival, NSW | $80,000 |
| Puppet making workshops and an appearance by the giant Diprotodon | Thrive on Arts, 2022, Queensland | $10,000 |
| A performance by four Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists during the closing ceremony concert | Two-day community celebration to commemorate the proclamation date of Price, SA | $2,600 |
| A water-based movement piece and installation delivering a place-based community work | Inaugural annual squid festival in Triabunna, Tasmania | $57,500 |
| A gastronomic hub for audiences to experience curated food, workshops and live performances | The Winterwild Festival, Victoria | $39,528 |
| A place-responsive, choreographed drone light show delivered across regional Western Australian locations | The Fremantle Biennale, WA | $61,650 |
Visit the program page and select ‘Who We’ve Funded’ to see the full list of recipients
Festivals Australia Program resources
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