The Aboriginal Affairs NSW Cultural Grants Program supports Aboriginal community organisations across NSW to celebrate Aboriginal culture and hold key cultural events and activities.
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: From $500 to $20,000
- Application opened: 12 October 2022
- Application closed: 14 April 2023, 5:00 pm
Program objective
The Cultural Grants 2022-2023 Program will provide small grants of up to $20,000 for Aboriginal community organisations, groups and sole trader businesses located in NSW to celebrate Aboriginal culture and hold contemporary and traditional cultural events and activities. Grants of up to $20,000 are available to:
- support Aboriginal communities strengthen, protect, and maintain traditional and contemporary expressions of Aboriginal culture.
- support key contemporary Aboriginal cultural events and activities.
- contribute to Aboriginal community wellbeing and healing, through the use of Aboriginal culture and community connection
- facilitate sharing of Aboriginal cultural knowledge and skills between generations.
- we encourage interested applicants to visit the Aboriginal Affairs NSW Website and read the Program Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) before submitting an application.
This program is funded and administered by Aboriginal Affairs.
Eligibility
Who can apply
AANSW Cultural Grants Program funding, where possible, is distributed to small, community-based Aboriginal-owned and controlled organisations. Cultural Grants funding will be allocated into two separate streams:
Stream 1 – $700,000
For small, community-based Aboriginal-owned and controlled organisations, unincorporated groups and businesses. These organisations represent or service a specific Aboriginal community or language group, or a group of communities connected geographically.
Stream 2 – $300,000
For larger regional and statewide organisations. These are organisations with a statewide or national presence and regional organisations with significant numbers of paid staff.
AANSW reserves the right to roll funding into one stream if 60% of the allocated funding pool in either stream has not been awarded by 31 January 2023.
To be eligible for funding, your organisation must be a legal entity located in NSW, or working with Aboriginal communities in NSW, and able to enter into a funding agreement with AANSW.
Unincorporated groups
If an unincorporated Aboriginal group wishes to apply for a cultural grant, it will need to partner with an eligible Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation to receive and administer the funding.
Who can’t apply
Applicants not eligible for funding are:
- individuals
- non-Aboriginal groups or organisations
- federal and state government agencies and bodies, including NSW public schools and hospitals
- for-profit organisations, including Aboriginal businesses (exception for certain Aboriginal sole trader businesses – refer to the FAQs)
- unincorporated organisations or groups without an eligible auspicing organisation
- organisations that have not met project requirements, including acquittal and reporting, for any grant funding received from AANSW in the previous two years
- organisations with redress sanctions as described in the National Redress Scheme.
Types of project funded under this grant
Funding can be used for projects that meet the objectives of the Cultural Grants Program. The following are the types of activities that may be funded, where they are aligned with the program objectives:
- women’s or men’s gathering on Country
- delivery of a culture and wellbeing camp for Aboriginal youth
- creation of a digital installation showing Aboriginal history of the local community
- statewide music or cultural festival
- hosting a series of online workshops
- community celebration event
- cultural activities at a regional sporting event.
Applicants are encouraged to contact their nearest Aboriginal Affairs NSW regional office to discuss their project. Regional staff are available to provide advice regarding program objectives and eligibility requirements, however, they cannot assist with the development of an application.
Example projects
Funding can be used for:
- purchasing consumables – such as catering, equipment items and materials (excluding alcohol) – for the purposes of the project or event
- hire of equipment to be used for the period of the project or event
- engagement of contractors, such as facilitators, trainers and teachers
- eligible costs associated with holding key state-wide and/or regional Aboriginal sporting or cultural events
- purchase minor equipment for event activities, up to the value of $5,000 (please refer to the FAQs for guidance on minor equipment)
- administering the project. Up to 10% of the requested AANSW funding amount can be used for this or as auspice fees where there is an auspicing arrangement.
Eligible sole trader applicants may include up to 10% of the requested AANSW funding amount to cover remuneration costs. Refer to FAQs for more information.
What you can't apply for
Funding cannot be used for:
- costs for individual sporting teams or cultural groups to attend competitions or events
- capital costs – any type of building, construction, major equipment or capital works including renovations to a building, housing-related costs or the purchase of land
- purchase of vehicles
- wages and salaries and on-costs for ongoing staff
- sitting fees, travel allowance or costs associated with membership of boards/councils
- activities that may create an ongoing dependency on cultural grant funding, such as funding that is required over multiple years
- costs that are not directly associated with the delivery of the project
- activities related to the NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout, which has a separate funding program
- activities related to NAIDOC week events, which has a separate funding program
- international travel costs (proposals for domestic travel costs need to demonstrate the benefits of travel to the project, organisation and community)
- operational and business-as-usual costs.
Most recent recipients
What your application needs to include
You can download the complete
File
Aboriginal Affairs - NSW Cultural Grants Program guidelines (PDF 3.01MB)There are other resources to help with your application:
Prepare your application with this checklist
Supporting Documents
The below documents are required before you submit your application:
- Evidence of community support
- Certificate of Currency (or a budget that includes the purchase of public liability insurance)
Recommended documents:
- quotes
- other evidence to support your application (e.g., evidence of successfully delivering other projects, project plans).
Applicants can choose to submit a video response to application questions on project objectives and outcomes. Aboriginal Affairs NSW regional staff are available to support applicants with recording and preparing a file for upload if required.
Address the eligibility criteria
Eligible applicants
Eligible organisations must be Aboriginal-owned and controlled. Eligible organisations are:
- an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth)
- a company incorporated in Australia under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)
- a Local Aboriginal Land Council under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (NSW)
- an Incorporated Association (they are incorporated under state legislation and commonly have ‘Association’, ‘Incorporated’ or ‘Inc’ in their legal name)
- an Incorporated Cooperative (they are incorporated under state legislation and commonly have ’Cooperative’ in their legal name)
- an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust
- an unincorporated Aboriginal community group with an eligible auspice
- an Aboriginal business or sole trader whose primary business activity relates to cultural expression or revitalisation (noting projects must not be profit-making in nature).
Applicants must deliver a service to Aboriginal communities within NSW and have public liability insurance of at least $10 million per claim or be willing to purchase it as part of the project budget.
Applicants not eligible for funding are
- individuals
- non-Aboriginal groups or organisations
- federal and state government agencies and bodies, including NSW public schools and hospitals
- for-profit organisations, including Aboriginal businesses (exception for certain Aboriginal sole trader businesses – refer to the FAQs)
- unincorporated organisations or groups without an eligible auspicing organisation
- organisations that have not met project requirements, including acquittal and reporting, for any grant funding received from AANSW in the previous two years
- organisations with redress sanctions as described in the National Redress Scheme.
Address the assessment criteria
Assessment Criteria
This is a non-competitive program, where applications are assessed against the criteria, not competitively against other applications.
All applications will be screened for eligibility. Eligible applications will then be assessed against the criteria by a panel including Aboriginal Affairs NSW staff. and independent members, within four weeks of submission.
The Special Minister of State, Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs and the Arts is the final decision maker based on the recommendations of the assessment panel.
Some applicants may be offered partial funding.
Assessment will be based on the following criteria
| Criteria | What are we looking for? | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Project Quality | Evidence that the project meets the program aims and objectives | 20% |
| Project Detail | Explanation of what the funding will do and how it will be spent | 20% |
| Project Impact | Evidence of who the project will benefit and how this will be achieved | 20% |
| Capacity | Evidence of applicants experience managing previous projects or relevant training and experience of key staff involved | 20% |
| Value for money | Explanation of how budget items contribute to the project outcomes. A reasonable and realistic budget | 20% |
Start the application
An organisation can only receive one grant from the 2022-2023 Cultural Grants Program.
Auspicing organisations may auspice grants for more than one organisation.
Unsuccessful applicants will be offered a feedback session if requested and may reapply for funding during the program opening period.
Applications can be completed online at the Aboriginal Affairs NSW online grants platform (Apply now link below). Applicants are encouraged to contact their nearest Aboriginal Affairs NSW regional office to discuss their project.
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: assessment panel
Applicants will generally be notified of the outcome of their applications within 8 weeks of applying.
Please contact AANSW regional staff if your planned project start date is less than 8 weeks from when you will submit your application. (Contact numbers below)
Your project must be completed by 30 September 2023. Where an application does not confirm that a project will be completed by this date, Aboriginal Affairs NSW reserves the right to set the application aside for further consideration.
Support and contact
For any questions please contact your nearest Aboriginal Affairs NSW Regional Office or email grants@aboriginalaffairs.nsw.gov.au
Support and Contacts
For any questions regarding the AANSW Cultural Grants Program, please contact your nearest AANSW regional office on the phone numbers below or email grants@aboriginalaffairs.nsw.gov.au
| Batemans Bay | 02 8575 1037 |
| Tamworth | 02 8575 1172 |
| Coffs Harbour | 02 8575 1068 |
| Broken Hill | 02 9228 5224 |
| Bourke | 02 9228 5224 |
| Dubbo | 02 8575 1073 |
| Newcastle | 02 9273 3968 |
| Greater Sydney | 02 8575 1105 |