FAQ Page

Information

Watch the online information session held on 15 July, 2021

Eligible Location

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.  

ABN

Eligible status (Entity Types) for your ABN are, 

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

Please refer to the Eligibility Guide for more information.

If your ABN differs from those listed above, you will be required to have your application auspiced by an organisation that meets the above criteria. See Guidance Material, Section 7.1 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. 

Application Form

Please refer to Project Grants and Quick Response Grants for a breakdown of the start and end dates. When considering your start date, this would be the date for 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. 

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 Regional Arts Victoria 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.  

Addressing the RAF Objectives

You need to meet and respond to all five objectives of the Regional Arts Fund in order to be eligible for this grant. If you do not meet these objectives, you will be ineligible, and your application will not be assessed. Please chat to your Regional Manager to see of your project/activity is eligible. 

Yes – you need to meet and respond to all five objectives of the Regional Arts Fund in order to be eligible for this grant. If you do not meet these objectives, you will be ineligible, and your application will not be assessed. Please chat to your Regional Manager to see of your project/activity is eligible. 

Budget

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.

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.  

For example, this may be volunteer labour, (ushering an event) hire of venues, (this may be for free or a reduced amount) or donated goods, (use of speakers for a performance). 

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

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 information regarding industry standards for Payment of artists on the Creative Australia website. 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). 

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 a number of 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. 

Artists and Arts Workers

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. 

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. 

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. 

Eligible Projects/Activities

All eligible activities can be found in the Guidance Material. 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 Guidance Material

Support Material

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. 

Question not answered? Advisors are available across the State to help you with your application. To book a time to talk to an Advisor, please click here