2025 Visual Arts Fellowship (Emerging)

Support available

Create NSW staff are available to provide technical advice and general information to potential applicants on the interpretation of these guidelines, including the types of activity eligible for funding and support with the online application process.

• Email: arts.funding@create.nsw.gov.au
• Phone: (02) 9228 4578
• Scheduling an online meeting to speak to Create NSW staff using the link to Microsoft Bookings
• Visit our website

Create NSW staff cannot help directly with your application. To maintain a fair and equitable process, staff cannot edit or correct any applications or provide advice on the content or choices required against the Assessment Criteria.

1. Online platform

Create NSW uses the secure online grants system, SmartyGrants, to manage all its grant programs. All ACFP applications must be submitted via the online portal. You will receive an email confirmation of your application from SmartyGrants when your application has been accepted.

2. Publication of grants information

The Grants Administration Guide (Guide) requires that certain information is published in relation to grants awarded no later than 45 calendar days after the grant agreement takes effect (see section 6.5 of the Guide and Appendix A to the Guide).

This information is also open access information under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) (GIPA Act), which must be made publicly available unless there is an overriding public interest against disclosure of the information.

In accordance with these requirements, relevant information about the grants awarded will be made available on the NSW Government Grants and Funding Finder as soon as possible after the grant agreement is executed.

However, due to the commercial-in-confidence nature of the information provided, and as the grant amount is determined as a percentage of the NSW Qualifying Production Expenditure on an individual and negotiated basis, the amount of funding provided will not be published.

All records in relation to this decision will be managed in accordance with the requirements of the State Records Act 1998 (NSW).

3. Successful grant applications

• If your application is successful, you will be sent a funding agreement (contract), generally within one month of notification. This outlines the conditions of funding, how you will be paid and your grant reporting requirements.
• Successful applicants may be asked to provide a reference letter from First Nations peers or community groups, as well as adherence to ICIP and Aboriginal Protocols prior to contracting, if appropriate.
• Successful applicants will be asked to provide:
  • an active ABN (that's your Australian Business Number)
  • a bank account with the same name as your ABN
  • or a Funds Administrator to help you out- this is an administrative body/third party (such as a manager, agent or producing organisation) can receive and administer funds on your behalf. You may be asked for a fee for this service, and it is recommended that you include that fee in your activity budget.
• Contracts will not be issued, and payments will not be made, until all Create NSW/Sound NSW outstanding acquittals have been submitted.
• Successful applicants must acknowledge Create NSW funding in all publicity materials.
• Create NSW staff will review required reporting, outlined below, and may contact you for additional information as part of this process.
• Successful applicants will be required to provide an acquittal at the end of the funding period. 

Please refer to Information for Funding Recipients for more detailed processes for successful applicants.

4. Feedback on Create NSW project funding application results

Create NSW staff continue to help and support applicants who are preparing new funding applications. However, we have shifted away from providing individualised feedback on past applications to continue to meet service standards for the processing and assessment of applications and to focus on helping applicants with their future submissions.

Program staff will no longer discuss past applications. Applicants applying in future rounds are encouraged to book an appointment with an Arts Funding and Development staff member to clarify any questions related to the application process.

5. Program evaluation

The Fellowship will be evaluated to measure how well the outcomes and objectives have been achieved.

We may collect and use information from your application and reports for this purpose. We may also interview you or ask you for more information to help us understand how the Fellowship impacted your career and to evaluate how effective the Fellowship was in achieving its outcomes.

We may contact you up to three years after you receive the final grant payment associated with the Fellowship for more information to assist with this evaluation. Create NSW and the NSW Audit Office reserves the right to undertake an audit of Program funding and support within seven years.

Tracking, reporting and an independent audit will be a requirement of the funding deed.

6. Additional information and resources

Conflict of interest management

Any conflicts of interest will be managed by Create NSW in accordance with the NSW Government Grants Administration Guide.  

A conflict of interest, or perceived conflict of interest, may be identified if Create NSW staff, any member of the VAFE Advisory Panel and/or you as the applicant or any of your staff: 

• has a professional, commercial, or personal relationship with a party who can influence the application selection process, or  
• has a relationship with or interest in, an organisation, which is likely to interfere with or restrict the applicants from carrying out the proposed activities fairly and independently, or   
• has a relationship with, or interest in, an organisation from which they will receive personal gain because the organisation received a grant under the grant program.  

NSW Government staff, assessors and other officials including the decision maker must declare any conflicts of interest and ensure they are managed as per the Departments Code of Ethics and Conduct and the Grants Administration Guide.

Organisations working with First Nations people or communities:

Create NSW plays an important role in supporting the NSW First Nations cultural sector through providing direct investment through funding programs, developing strategies and policies for cultural development and advice and guidance to First Nations artists, arts and cultural workers, and organisations.  

Create NSW acknowledges that a strong and vibrant First Nations cultural sector starts with supporting self-determination for the First Nations sector to manage, maintain and preserve First Nations cultures and ensure that the right way to do cultural business is supported, understood and acted on.  

With the Aboriginal Arts & Cultural protocols, Create NSW seeks to work with the First Nations cultural sector to champion a new body of practice that has First Nations self-determination and cultural authority and agency at its foundation.  

Just as First Nations culture is living and continues to evolve, these protocols have been developed to be a living document. Create NSW will continue to work with the NSW First Nations cultural sector to update the protocols annually to ensure that the continued growth and new and emerging areas are covered. These protocols aim to provide guidance to those planning to work with the First Nations communities and/or artists. The protocols can be found here.

Complaint handling, access to information and privacy

Details on how Create NSW handles complaints, access to information and your private information is available here. 

Note: If you are a new applicant to SmartyGrants, you will need to register and create a password. If you are already registered, you can log in with your existing username and password.