Up to $2.8 million each year for artists and organisations to shape Australia’s cultural landscape, increase cultural diversity, inspire, educate and entertain audiences across Australia.
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What is the Visions of Australia Program (VOAP)?
The Visions of Australia Program (VOAP) supports galleries, museums, and cultural organisations to tour high-quality exhibitions across Australia, with a strong emphasis on reaching regional and remote communities. It aims to increase access to diverse cultural material, foster partnerships across the sector, and build audiences.
Funding is delivered through two streams:
- Development – Planning and producing exhibitions to tour (including research and design, but not commissioning new artworks).
- Touring – Costs to produce, transport, install, dismantle, and deliver public programs associated with the exhibition.
This program aligns with the Australian Government’s National Cultural Policy – Revive and its five pillars: First Nations First, A Place for Every Story, Centrality of the Artist, Strong Cultural Infrastructure, and Engaging the Audience.
Visions of Australia Program level of support
- The Australian Government provides approximately $2.8 million per year for the Visions of Australia Program.
- There is no minimum or maximum funding limit, however:
- Budgets must be realistic and represent value with relevant money.
- Applications are assessed competitively.
- Funding may be provided through:
- Annual grant agreements, or
- Multi-year agreements (up to four years), subject to available funds.
Applicants seeking multi-year funding must provide:
- A strongly argued business case demonstrating the need for multi-year support.
- Additional detailed budget information.
Co-contributions (cash and/or in-kind) are not mandatory but are strongly encouraged and are assessed under the Support and Partnerships criterion.
Visions of Australia Program important dates
Round 22 Key Dates
- Closing: 17:00 AEST, Friday 13 March 2026
- Assessment period: Approximately 2–6 weeks
- Notification of outcomes: Within 3 months of closing date
- Eligible activity start date: On or after 1 July 2026
The program delivers two open competitive funding rounds each year, typically:
- February round – for activities commencing from 1 July in the same calendar year
- September round – for activities commencing from 1 January in the following calendar year
Register your interest with GrantHelper.
Visions of Australia Program objectives
The program seeks to:
- Increase access to quality Australian arts and cultural material, particularly in regional and remote areas.
- Encourage partnerships between organisations, including curatorial collaborations, skills transfer, and financial partnerships.
- Celebrate cultural diversity and strengthen community identity through the arts.
Activities and expenditure eligible for Visions of Australia Program support
Eligible Activities:
- Touring exhibitions to at least three venues outside the applicant’s state/territory, with consecutive dates.
- Exhibitions that may include:
- Cultural material of historic, scientific, design, social, or artistic significance.
- Contemporary visual or craft artists’ works.
- Moving image and multimedia exhibitions.
Eligible Expenditure includes:
- Artists’ fees (aligned with industry standards).
- Domestic travel (flights, accommodation, per diems).
- Marketing and advertising.
- Photography, conservation, freight, crating, and framing.
- Contractor costs (curator, designer, writer).
- Development of public programs or education kits.
- Printing of exhibition signage and labels.
- Hiring or purchasing exhibition equipment (most cost-effective option required).
Fair Remuneration & Workplace Compliance
Artists and arts workers engaged in activities funded under the Visions of Australia Program must be fairly remunerated in line with industry standards.
Applicants must:
- Adhere to legally binding industrial awards and employment agreements.
- Reflect appropriate remuneration costs within the project budget.
- Follow minimum standards developed by Creative Workplaces (Creative Australia).
- Ensure compliance with workplace health and safety requirements.
- Maintain relevant Working with Children and/or Working with Vulnerable People checks where applicable.
Failure to demonstrate appropriate remuneration arrangements may impact assessment under the Value with Relevant Money criterion.
Ineligible Activities/Expenditure:
- Business start-up costs.
- Tours with only metropolitan venues.
- Predominantly international content or content outside an Australian institution’s collection.
- International tours.
- Commercial exhibitions primarily for selling work.
- Tours starting before funding approval.
- Predominantly film-based exhibitions.
- Core administrative staff costs, audit fees, or commissioning new works.
- Items with expected funding from another source.
In addition to previously listed exclusions, funding cannot be used for:
- The purchase or commissioning of new works
- Exhibition content that is predominantly film-based
- Components of tours that are also funded by other programs administered by the department
See the guidelines for full details of eligible activities and expenditure.
Other Visions of Australia Program important details that you will need to know
Organisations eligible for Visions of Australia Program support
Eligible applicants include:
- Australian incorporated organisations with arts/cultural heritage as their primary purpose.
- Local/state government art galleries, museums, or performing arts centres.
- Unincorporated groups (must be auspiced).
- The National Archives of Australia.
The National Archives of Australia, as a non-corporate Commonwealth entity, is eligible to apply. If successful, funding would be provided via a Memorandum of Understanding.
Not eligible:
- Individuals (unless auspiced).
- Organisations outside Australia.
- Organisations listed on the National Redress Scheme’s non-participation list.
Locations eligible for Visions of Australia Program support
The Visions of Australia program uses the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) 2021 definition of Remoteness Areas to determine if a venue is in a regional or remote location. The Standard divides Australia into the following five classes of remoteness on the basis of their access to services:
- Major city (RA1)
- Inner regional (RA2)
- Outer regional (RA3)
- Remote (RA4)
- Very remote (RA5)
A venue must be in one of the four categories outside of a ‘major city’ location, to be in a regional or remote location.
In completing your application in SmartyGrants, you will be prompted to add individual venues to your development or touring itinerary. This will automatically allocate a remoteness classification to your venue. This allows you to determine whether your venue is located outside of a ‘major city’ location.
To check if your project is taking place in an eligible location, visit the Health Workforce Locator and follow the directions below:
- Tick the box with the latest date next to ‘ASGS—Remoteness Areas’.
- Enter your address into the ‘Find address’ box.
- Hit the ‘Search Location’ box.
- The location classification and code will appear at the bottom.
Visions of Australia Program assessment criteria
Eligible applications are assessed competitively by a panel comprising departmental staff and independent assessors. Applications are ranked against the four equally weighted assessment criteria.
Criterion 1: Quality
- experience/calibre of the applicant organisation in the relevant field
- skills, expertise/calibre of the key personnel including participating artists
- scale of the tour
- benefits to the arts and cultural sector
- benefits to tour participants
- benefits to audiences and the Australian community—with a focus on regional and remote Australia.
Criterion 2: Access
- audience appeal/demand
- how the tour widens audience access to art forms and mediums, styles, innovation or experimentation
- the geographic reach of the activity
- likely attendance/participation
- accessibility for persons with disability including participation of artists with disability
- the involvement and/or participation of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples
- the involvement and/or participation of people from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds
- benefits to the artists involved of the exposure to wider audiences
- benefits to the artists involved of the opportunity for wider artistic expression.
Criterion 3: Support and partnerships
- community support and engagement
- financial and tour partners
- level of co-contribution (cash and/or in-kind)*
- creative partners
- level of co-creation, collaboration*
- likely ongoing benefits of partnerships
- development opportunities.
*Financial partnerships and applicant co-contributions are strongly encouraged and should be commensurate with the scale of the proposed activity and the organisational capacity of the applicant.
Criterion 4: Value with relevant money
- the need for funding support
- the quality and viability of the tour plan and timeline, and timeliness of the proposed activity
- the viability and adequacy of the proposed budget
- remuneration arrangements for personnel involved
- governance arrangements within the organisation (capacity to administer the funding)
- the applicant’s funding history/compliance
- the overall public benefit of investing in the tour.
Final funding decisions are made by the Minister for the Arts (or their delegate), taking into account:
- The merits of each application,
- Available program funding, and
- Whether the proposal represents value with relevant money.
How do I get the Visions of Australia Program?
You must read and understand the guidelines.
You need to ensure you meet all eligibility criteria — ineligible applications will not be considered.
Successful applicants will show:
- A project that tours to at least three venues outside your state or territory, with consecutive dates.
- A reasonable application with a realistic budget that represents value with relevant money.
- The need for funding and how it will impact the project’s scale and timing.
- A clear project plan with key activities and milestones.
- Strong partnerships and community support, including co-contributions where possible.
- The skills, experience and resources to deliver the project on time.
- Fair remuneration for artists and arts workers.
- Compliance with workplace safety standards and, where relevant, Working with Children and Vulnerable People requirements.
Information to prepare for the Visions of Australia Program application
Applicants must provide:
- Completed SmartyGrants application form.
- Quotes for all expenditure over $10,000.
- Sample exhibition content.
- Venue Confirmation Forms (EOIs for development; confirmations for touring).
- Optional press clippings or web links.
See the guidelines for full details of information requirements.
Applying for the Visions of Australia Program
Applications are submitted online via the SmartyGrants portal.
Register your interest with GrantHelper to explore your alignment with this program and how we can assist you to increase your chances of success.
Visions of Australia Program resources
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