A dynamic and well-resourced arts sector is central to a culturally rich, vibrant and innovative society. The Foundation is interested in enhancing the calibre and capacity of the arts sector and supporting excellent organisations to raise the bar of aspiration and achievement. 

Specifically, the Foundation seeks to support first-rate artistic institutions and organisations in metropolitan and regional Australia which are distinctive in artistic achievement, imagination and innovation to:

• foster development across a sector or art form.
• host artists in high-calibre professional development and/or leadership opportunities of at least 12 months (e.g. fellowships, apprenticeships, mentorships, internships).

The Ian Potter Cultural Trust

The Foundation’s commitment to the arts is also expressed through The Ian Potter Cultural Trust, a separate charitable trust that makes grants to exceptionally talented early-career Australian artists. The Cultural Trust provides support to individual artists to help them to undertake professional development opportunities, usually overseas.

• The Foundation rarely awards the full amount of any project.  Please ensure that you have alternative providers of funding and that your application clearly considers any possible grant from the Foundation in this context.  
• Program Managers may request a phone conversation with applicants during the Expression of Interest (EOI) stage. 
• University applicants should contact their Advancement/Research Office prior to submitting an EOI or Application. See specific instructions for applications from universities or research institutes.
• Please note that existing projects may not be eligible. Occasionally, the Foundation will support a development or innovation to an existing project but please contact the relevant program manager before proceeding.
• In general, the recommended minimum grant amount for institutions and organisations is $100,000 per year and grants are usually multi-year.
• We encourage all organisations to apply regardless of their size; in the case of smaller organisations, the award can be for smaller amounts over multiple years.
• Proposals that are collaborative and/or share knowledge with the broader sector are encouraged.
• Please also refer to our Funding Principles for further information.

The Foundation does not support Arts events (such as festivals or fairs), performances or exhibitions. This exclusion also applies to the development or production of works of art, where this is the primary purpose of the project.  

Projects that fall into any of the following categories will not be considered for funding:

• Retrospective funding – projects which are already underway, or which will commence prior to the date indicated in our online application information are not eligible for consideration.
• Recurrent expenditure for which there is no future provision.
• Capital or endowment funds established to fund a chair or to provide a corpus for institutions.
• Research for undergraduate, masters or doctoral students
• Auspicing* is not permitted – the organisation applying must be the one that will run the program or project.
• Applications for public charitable purposes outside the Commonwealth of Australia**
• Applications for projects that have previously been declined by the Foundation cannot be resubmitted.
• Applications will not be accepted from organisations that have not successfully acquitted previous grants from the Foundation.
• We do not directly support schools.

Auspicing refers to the practice of an ineligible organisation (one that does not have DGR and TCC status) applying to the Foundation via an eligible organisation. Auspicing arrangements are excluded under the Foundation's guidelines. The organisation applying to the Foundation must be the organisation that will run the project or program for which a grant is being sought.

The Foundation is limited to providing money, property or benefits for public charitable purposes in the Commonwealth of Australia. However, the Foundation is able to provide a grant for activities outside the Commonwealth if the grant is made for a public charitable purpose in the Commonwealth. For example, a grant might be made to an Australian university to enable it to fund an overseas study tour by an Australian researcher engaged by the university.

Grant requests for this program area are considered via a two-stage Expression of Interest process.  

Please note there are specific instructions you need to follow if you are from a research institution.

1. Check your organisation’s Eligibility 
2. Read ALL the information on this program area page to ensure your project meets the program area objectives and to see when applications are open.
3. Attend the Information Session held prior to the funding round.
4. Submit an Expression of Interest (Stage 1) via this page when the program area next opens for submissions. A link will appear at the bottom of this web page allowing you to log in to our grant management system by either entering your username and password (if you have applied for a grant previously) or creating a new account. 
5. All EOIs received are reviewed. We will notify you if your proposal does not meet the Foundation's priorities. If your proposal does meet the criteria and current priorities, the program manager may contact you to seek further information.  
6. If necessary, you may be asked to submit further information. You can re-access the grant management system via the Login link (see header or footer) using your username and password. 
7. If your Expression of Interest is approved, you will be invited to submit a full application. Complete your full application (Stage 2) online. We require all supporting documents to be submitted as part of the online application by 5:00 pm AEST on the closing date. 

What happens next?

The Board of Governors considers full applications at the Foundation’s board meetings, which are held three times a year in line with the Funding Rounds.

You will be advised of the outcome of your application by phone or email.

To assist your organisation with the application process, we have provided Word templates of the EOI and full application online forms below. 

Expression of Interest (Stage 1)

• EOI form template
• Project budget template - EOI stage

Full application (Stage 2)

• Application form template

Please note these are NOT the live application forms. All EOIs and full applications MUST be completed online via our grant management portal. A link will be sent to you to access the appropriate forms if your proposal meets the Foundation's criteria..