2025-26 Professional Skills Development (Next Steps) Project Funding Round 1 Feedback

1. Idea 

A clear vision for your project that explains its aims and purpose.

• Ensure your project rationale is appropriate for the funding round.

• Clearly explain the context of where the idea came from.

• Outline the purpose without using jargon or complex language.

• Provide a strong ‘pitch’ for the idea and how it is interesting and understandable, even if the assessor had no prior knowledge of the artists or project.

2. Diversity and participation

Show how your project is relevant to/or benefits NSW artists, arts and cultural workers, or communities. 

• Clearly indicate how the requested funds would impact growth and development of individuals and/or wider community in the short/medium/long term.

• Clearly outline the process the project will take to engage with target communities, and demonstrate appropriate community consultation and impact, including how these impacts would be achieved.

• If your project involves First Nations artists/and/or communities, explain how all parties will follow protocols and ICIP.

3. Experience

List the experience of those involved in the project.

• Provide concise and specific information about the artists and professional networks involved in the project, and outline the appropriate experience and skills that would ensure the project is a success, including relevant details in the biographies section so assessors can understand the value of these opportunities and collaborations.

• Assume the board does not know the artists involved.

4. Planning

Details of the activities and dates for the proposed project.

• Ensure timeline, budget and activity are consistent, realistic and aligned.

• Be specific and provide details of the activities you will be undertaking and what the expected outcomes are.

5. Sustainability

Provide a clear budget to support your project.

• Provide a clear budget with notes to help assessors understand how larger amounts were calculated.

• Projects engaging with First Nations demonstrated how they are allocating budget to ensure they were following protocols.

• Provide notes on how the budget allocation is enabling the project to be more accessible.

• If relevant, disability access and engagement should be reflected in the budget request as well as the narrative/text responses in the application.

• Explain in-kind costs and substantiate where possible.

• Provide notes on details of fees to artists, arts and cultural workers.

• Ensure weblinks are functional and easily accessed by the artform board members, and do not require a personal profile to access them, e.g. Facebook or Instagram.

• Letters of invitation, collaboration, or partnership should be specific, and directly relevant to the applicant and/or project.