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 each year for the Visions of Australia Program, with $2.7 million available for Round 23.
There is no limit to the amount of funding that may be sought. However:
- Budgets must be realistic and represent value with relevant money.
- Financial partnerships and cash and/or in-kind co-contributions are strongly encouraged and are considered under the assessment criteria.
Funding may be provided through:
- Annual grant agreements, or
- Multi-year grant agreements of up to four years, subject to available funds.
Applicants seeking multi-year funding must provide:
- A strongly argued business case demonstrating the need for and benefits of multi-year support.
- Additional budget information.
If a project runs for more than one year, applicants are not required to apply for multi-year funding.
Visions of Australia Program important dates
- Applications close: 5:00 pm AET (Canberra time), Friday 2 October 2026.
- Assessment of applications: approximately 2 to 6 weeks.
- Approval of outcomes: approximately 1 to 6 weeks.
- Notification to unsuccessful applicants: within 3 months of the closing date.
- Projects may commence: on or after 1 January 2027.
- 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
To be eligible for funding, a proposed tour must include at least three venues located outside the applicant’s state or territory, with consecutive exhibition dates.
Tours originating in metropolitan areas may include metropolitan venues; however, regional venues are a higher priority for funding.
Supported exhibitions may include, but are not limited to:
- Cultural material of historic, scientific, design, social or artistic significance.
- Contemporary visual or craft artists’ work.
- Moving image and multimedia exhibitions.
Tour applications must include Venue Confirmation Forms from each venue. Development applications must include expressions of interest from each venue.
Eligible Expenditure
Eligible expenditure includes, but is not limited to:
- Artists’ fees in line with industry standards.
- Domestic travel expenses, including flights, accommodation and per diems.
- Marketing and advertising.
- Photography and conservation.
- Freight, crating and framing.
- Contractors, such as curators, designers and writers.
- Development of public programs and education kits.
- Printing of exhibition labels and signage.
- Buying or hiring equipment for the presentation of an exhibition, provided the applicant demonstrates that the most cost-effective option has been selected.
Grant funds may only be spent on eligible expenditure incurred for the agreed project between the approved project start and end dates.
Ineligible Activities/Expenditure
Grant funding cannot be used for:
- Business start-up costs.
- Tours that only include capital city or metropolitan venues.
- Exhibitions where the content is predominantly international or is not part of an Australian institution’s collection.
- Travel or exhibitions touring to international destinations.
- Commercial exhibitions where the main purpose is selling work.
- Tours that commence before funding is approved.
- Exhibition content that is predominantly film.
- Components of tours that are also funded by other programs administered by the department.
- Core staff and administrative costs.
- Audit fees.
- Purchasing or commissioning new works.
- Specific items where funding is expected from another source.
Other Visions of Australia Program important details that you will need to know
Organisations eligible for Visions of Australia Program support
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Be an Australian incorporated organisation.
- Have arts and/or cultural heritage as their principal purpose, usually demonstrated through the organisation’s Constitution or Articles of Association and reflected in its Annual Report and Business Plans.
- Have an active Australian Business Number (ABN).
- Be registered for the Goods and Services Tax (GST), if required by the Australian Taxation Office.
- Have no outstanding reports, acquittals or serious breaches relating to Commonwealth funding.
Unincorporated groups with an arts or cultural heritage purpose may seek funding but must be auspiced by an organisation that meets the eligibility requirements and applies on their behalf.
Individual business units and entities of local or state government authorities with an arts or cultural heritage purpose, such as art galleries, museums or performing arts centres, are eligible to apply.
The National Archives of Australia is also eligible to apply. If successful, it would receive a notional payment under a Memorandum of Understanding.
Not eligible
Applicants are not eligible if they are:
- An individual, unless auspiced by an organisation that meets the eligibility criteria.
- An unincorporated association, unless auspiced by an eligible organisation.
- An organisation located outside Australia.
- An organisation, or have a project partner organisation, included on the National Redress Scheme’s list of institutions that have not joined or signified their intention to join the Scheme.
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 whether a venue is located in a regional or remote area.
The five classifications are:
- Major City (RA1)
- Inner Regional (RA2)
- Outer Regional (RA3)
- Remote (RA4)
- Very Remote (RA5)
A venue must fall within RA2, RA3, RA4 or RA5 to be classified as regional or remote.
Tours may include metropolitan venues; however, regional venues are a higher priority for funding.
When applicants enter venues into their SmartyGrants development or touring itinerary, the system will automatically allocate a remoteness classification to each venue.
Applicants can also use the Health Workforce Locator to check a proposed venue’s ASGS Remoteness Area classification.
Visions of Australia Program assessment criteria
Criterion 1: Quality
Assessment will consider:
- Experience and calibre of the applicant organisation in the relevant field.
- Skills, expertise and calibre of 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
Assessment will consider:
- Audience appeal and demand.
- How the tour widens audience access to art forms and mediums, styles, innovation or experimentation.
- Geographic reach of the activity.
- Likely attendance and participation.
- Accessibility for people with disability, including participation by artists with disability.
- Involvement and/or participation of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- Involvement and/or participation of people from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds.
- Benefits to participating artists from exposure to wider audiences.
- Opportunities for wider artistic expression.
Criterion 3: Support and partnerships
Assessment will consider:
- Community support and engagement.
- Financial and tour partners.
- Level of cash and/or in-kind co-contribution.
- Creative partners.
- Level of co-creation and collaboration.
- Likely ongoing benefits of partnerships.
- Development opportunities.
Financial partnerships and applicant co-contributions are strongly encouraged and should be appropriate to the scale of the proposed activity and the applicant organisation’s capacity.
Criterion 4: Value with relevant money
Assessment will consider:
- The need for funding support.
- The quality and viability of the tour plan and timeline, and the timeliness of the proposed activity.
- The viability and adequacy of the proposed budget.
- Remuneration arrangements for personnel involved.
- Governance arrangements within the organisation and its capacity to administer the funding.
- The applicant’s funding history and compliance.
- The overall public benefit of investing in the tour.
How do I get the Visions of Australia Program?
Before applying, applicants should read and understand the program guidelines and ensure they meet all eligibility requirements.
A competitive application should clearly demonstrate:
- How the proposed project aligns with the objectives of the Development or Touring stream.
- An eligible tour comprising at least three venues outside the applicant’s state or territory, with consecutive exhibition dates.
- A realistic and viable project plan and timeline.
- A reasonable and adequately supported budget that demonstrates value with relevant money.
- Strong community, financial, tour and/or creative partnerships where relevant.
- Appropriate cash and/or in-kind co-contributions where possible.
- The organisation’s experience, skills and capacity to successfully deliver the project.
- Appropriate remuneration arrangements for artists and other personnel.
- The benefits the project will provide to audiences, artists, the cultural sector and the broader Australian community, particularly regional and remote communities.
Applicants must address all eligibility and assessment criteria and provide clear, concise information within the application form’s available word limits.
Information to prepare for the Visions of Australia Program application
Applicants should prepare the information required to complete the online SmartyGrants application and provide the following supporting documentation:
- Quotes for all expenditure over $10,000.
- Sample exhibition content.
- Venue Confirmation Forms:
- Expressions of interest for Development applications.
- Confirmations for Touring applications.
- Press clippings and/or web links relating to the cultural material proposed for the exhibition tour may also be provided.
Applicants should only attach documents requested as part of the application, as information contained in unsolicited attachments will not be considered.
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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