This document provides information and advice about securing grant funding from various Australian arts funding bodies such as the Australia Council for the Arts. It discusses: - Examples of grants awarded to support international touring by Australian artists such as RVG, Amy Shark, and Gang of Youths. - Tips for applying for touring grants from the Australia Council, including targeting regional areas, having confirmed show dates and venues, and using metrics to benchmark experience and audience size. - General advice about grant writing, including developing a clear rationale, using facts and examples, and pitching the application persuasively rather than just describing plans.

1. MUSIC: MAJOR PROJECT
PERF2068
IAN ROGERS & GENE SHILL
ian.rogers@rmit.edu.au
gene.shill@rmit.edu.au

2. Today...
1. Grant funding in Australia
2. Rhetoric in app writing
Next week…
● Budgets

6. AUSTRALIA COUNCIL...
● THEY’RE ALL GRANT-FUNDED:
● RVG awarded “$34k to undertake an extensive
European and UK tour”
● Amy Shark $46k to get to the United States, and
Canada to play a series of summer festivals and
headline show and attend radio conferences
● Gang of Youths $50k to play significant
international festival and headline shows
● Not so secret Oz Co database: here.

7. The funding landscape
● Australia Council for the
Arts (Oz Co)
● Creative Victoria
● Misc others

8. AUSTRALIA COUNCIL FUND THIS:
● ARTS PROJECTS FOR INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS
● CAREER DEVELOPMENT GRANTS FOR INDIVIDUALS AND
GROUPS
● CONTEMPORARY MUSIC TOURING PROGRAM
● Plus more

9. ARTS PROJECTS FOR INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS
For:
the creation of new work
practice based research
creative development
experimentation
collaborations
touring
festivals
productions
exhibitions
performances
publishing
recording
promotion and marketing
market development activity

10. CAREER DEVELOPMENT GRANTS FOR
INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS
For:
● professional skills development
● showcase opportunities
● forum/workshop attendance
● residencies
● mentorships
● arts market attendance and exploration.

11. CREATIVE VICTORIA...
● THEY’RE here.
● QUICK RESPONSE
● ARTIST FUND

12. WHERE TO START
● Plan. Get a calendar and put the dates on
it.
● Then read everything!
● The grant itself is NOT the start of your
reading. The policy / strategic planning
that created the grant is your starting
point.
● e.g: this.
● Then: Look at what was funded recently.

13. AUSTRALIAN TOURING
GRANTS TIPS
● Has to include 'regional' areas
○ Find towns that actually fall into the category
'regional' and actually have live music:
http://arts.gov.au/regional/aria
○ GO TO ALICE SPRINGS
○ Look at previously funded acts and their dates.
○ Do more than one show in bigger markets (in-
stores)
○ It's about 'pencilling in' the shows at the
application stage.

14. WHAT TO WRITE IN
THE APP
You write persuasive answers that:
● Are formally constructed but not waffle.
● Meet the underlying policy/grant objectives
● Meet the rules of the grant (at all times)
● Are grounded in metrics and facts as much as possible
(names, benchmarks, places, venues, etc)
● Talk about how other people have called for this
work.
● How you will develop professionally / what skills & how
will you learn them.
● Present the app with care.
● Pay yourself a stipend (or offer one ‘in-kind’)

15. BENCHMARKS:
● Releasing an album
● Song placement
● Playlisted
● Worked with
● Show history / other acts
● Attendance figures
● Festival slot

16. Please give me the resources I need to
provide the services you have
identified as underprovided in the
commercial marketplace.
Please give me the resources I need
because I have established runs on
the board that can not be easily
disputed.

18. EXAMPLES
Provide a rationale for the itinerary.
“The proposed tour itinerary stems from three key aims of the group: (1) To promote their
forthcoming album Real Pain Supernova (2) Capitalise on an all-ages audience located in
financially prohibitive areas (namely Western Australia and regional VIC/SA) and (3)
Establish and develop the band as a serious touring concern.
The band has touring experience. In recent years they have regularly toured the eastern coast of
Australia but always via flying into each city. The cost of mounting a substantial van tour in
Australia is high and up until recently, longer trips away have been difficult to organise and
execute. In recent months the band have developed a more focused repertoire (even receiving
some Triple J airplay for Real Pain Supernova’s first single) and is now able to build a broader
audience for their work in Australia. They have regularly received invitations to tour more
extensively from interstate bookers and bands and are looking forward to the opportunity to do
so. (NB: In 2010, Rogers toured with his solo act Ambrose Chapel and found that many
audience members asked after the band and many of the promoters met on that tour
similarly expressed an interest in booking the band shows).”

19. USE YOUR TRAINING
Use the skills you've learned here:
● Show instead of tell (pictures)
● Be organised (have a good app, have a
good list of contacts, have all your press
clippings scanned and ready, etc)
● Be persuasive / pitch VS describe

20. TOURS AS PROJECTS:
There are always 5 steps:
1. Initiating = Why tour?
2. Planning = Booking, Marketing, Rehearsing
3. Executing = First Day of Tour
4. Monitoring = Tour Management
5. Closing = Documentation, Discussion

21. WHY TOUR?
● Build Audience
● Service Audience
● Build Network
● Promote Recording
● Access Grant Funding
● It Can Be Fun
● Creates Benchmarks, Stories,
Content

22. WORK BACK FROM A GRANT:
● More shows the better
● Multiple shows in each state in...
● ALL states
● Workshops:
○ You have training other musicians don’t: ADAPT
things you’ve learned / ADAPT your podcast
● Get GOOD peer support
● Have GREAT materials
● Have made your own start
● Promise exceptional documentation

23. GROUP EXERCISE (10 min)
1. Using a mobile device (laptop, phone,
tablet PC) find an Australian music
grant you could apply for in the next 12
months.
2. What do you already have to argue for
you receiving funding?
3. What do you need to get? And how?