RADF Community Funding Program Guidelines
Eligibility
Who can apply for a RADF Grant?
- Individual emerging and established artists, arts practitioners and cultural workers
- Businesses
- Registered not-for-profit organisations
- Groups and collectives
Applicants must:
- be based in the Fraser Coast Regional Council area; or able to demonstrate how the project will directly benefit arts and culture in the Fraser Coast community
- be Australian citizens or permanent residents
- have met all acquittal conditions of previous Council grants
- hold an ABN; or be able to obtain auspice by a suitable party*
- have Public Liability Insurance; or able to obtain auspice by a suitable party*.
*Not applicable to applicants of Participation category.
Who cannot apply for a RADF Grant?
- Government agencies or departments of state or federal government.
- Educational, religious or medical organisations, where the application is for the organisation’s core business.
Eligible expenses
Some examples of expenses related to your funded activity that may be eligible for funding include:
- Administration costs of the funded activity
- Arts Practitioner accommodation and travel
- Arts Practitioner fees or wages
- Advertising and promotion of the funded activity
- Career development workshops and training
- Conference or seminar fees
- Material and supplies for funded activities
- Professional training to improve arts business practices
- Venue hire
What is not eligible for RADF?
- Projects for which arts workers are paid less than the recommended industry rates.
- Projects, activities or costs that are intended for financial gain or fundraising.
- Existing or ongoing projects or activities that do not have a clear start and finish date.
- Retrospective costs, including reimbursement of costs already incurred.
- Recurrent funding or regular operational costs
- Purchase of property, capital equipment or assets.
- Long-term accredited study, training or university courses that constitute the primary training of artists.
- Entertainment for events, unless there is a specific developmental outcome for the artist.
- Amateur arts activities, except for professional services to amateur arts activity. One of the main RADF aims is to develop emerging and established artists in the region.
- Insurance/licences, including but not limited to public liability insurance, liquor licences, event permits, etc.
- School arts activities, unless those activities form part of the broader community’s arts and cultural development processes or include professional arts development for students from multiple schools.
General conditions of funding
- Applicants can only receive one (1) grant from RADF during the 2024/25 funding period (July 2024 – June 2025). Organisations may auspice multiple applicants.
- Applications must be submitted using the SmartyGrants application form.
- Successful grant applicants are required to sign a Funding Agreement and provide additional documentation, including an invoice prior to funding being released.
- Successful projects are to commence after the signing of a Funding Agreement.
- Organisations that receive funds from Council are required to acknowledge the contribution by Arts Queensland and Fraser Coast Regional Council in any publications or publicity material associated with funded activities.
- Funds must be used for the purpose which they are granted and any variations in the use of funds must receive prior written approval from Council.
- The project must be completed and funds expended within twelve (12) months of funds being granted, unless written approval has been given for an extension of your project.
Funding categories
There are three categories of funding available for individuals, groups and organisations.
Participate
Objective
For individual local professional and emerging creatives to build their capacity by attending professional development activities.
What funding is available?
$300 to $1,000, covering up to 100% of eligible expenses
Examples of eligible expenses
Workshop, Conference or Seminar fees, meal allowances, travel and accommodation.
Develop
Objective
For development activities that build the capacity and develop skills of local professional or emerging creatives by producing and delivering professional development opportunities.
What funding is available?
$500 to $3,000, covering up to 75% of eligible expenses
Examples of eligible expenses
- Short-term venue hire for development activity.
- Marketing profile for an established or emerging artist, including professional photography, videography and/or biography to be shared on various platforms.
- Hosting a workshop with a suitably qualified facilitator.
- Concept development including professional research and development of ideas and new project proposals to the implementation stage. The project should demonstrate how it will contribute to the future arts and cultural development of the region.
- Professional fees including producing, recording, videography, photography, graphic design and marketing.
- Short-term development activities with a suitably qualified mentor, coach or established practitioner.
Share
Objective
For projects that engage the Fraser Coast community to value, celebrate, share and participate in arts, culture and heritage by supporting projects that strategically promote and celebrate our stories; or focus on community participation in creative experiences.
- Host and support events with and for community, that maximise opportunities for arts and cultural engagement.
- Develop arts programs and promote local creative enterprise within other key festivals and events.
What funding is available?
$500 to $10,000, covering up to 75% of eligible expenses
Examples of eligible expenses
A community-focused arts or culture experience within other local major events and festivals.
A performance, activity or digital media project that shares a unique story.
Sharing and preserving our heritage and culture collections through captivating storytelling and displays.
Please note: Only costs related directly to delivering the activity itself are eligible, such as:
- Artist/professional fees (an essential part of the project)
- Travel and accommodation for visiting artists
- Project materials
- Promotion/advertising
- Venue hire
- Administration costs (this should not be the majority of expenses).
Assessment criteria
The RADF grants program is a competitive application process. Council often receives more funding applications than it can support.
The RADF Committee uses the RADF Grant Program Guidelines and the information contained in your grant application to assess all eligible applications. Applications are assessed on how they respond to the assessment criteria. To offer a diverse range of funding, the advisory committee may consider previous funding history of the applicant and also compare competing applications.
Council reserves the right to reject any application that does not meet the eligibility and assessment criteria and to request further information in considering applications.
Participate
High quality
- invests in professional, career and capacity development opportunities for individual local practitioners to extend local arts, culture and heritage practice
Strong impact
- creates a new skills development opportunity for local artist or arts worker
Sustainable value
- demonstrates value for money
Develop
High quality
- invests in professional, career and capacity development opportunities for local practitioners to extend local arts, culture and heritage practice
- proven capacity to effectively support and deliver arts and cultural services
- supports local arts and cultural priorities.
Strong impact
- creates new employment opportunities and skills development for local artists and arts workers
- demonstrates community demand
Sustainable value
- demonstrates value for money
- demonstrates sound governance, and ethical business practices
- proposed activity has a strong delivery plan, including understanding potential risks and their management.
Share
High quality
- produces high-quality arts and cultural initiatives for the Fraser Coast community
- proven capacity to effectively support and deliver arts and cultural services
- supports local arts and cultural priorities.
Strong impact
- creates new employment opportunities and skills development for local artists and arts workers
- builds new audiences and markets and reputation for local arts and cultures
- demonstrates community demand and stakeholder involvement
Sustainable value
- demonstrates value for money
- demonstrates sound governance, and ethical business practices
- proposed activity has a strong delivery plan and risk management understanding.
