Next Steps - Professional Development FAQs

Next Steps supports professional development activities for NSW based individual artists and arts and cultural workers.

Next Steps is designed to help applicants build skills, strengthen knowledge, expand networks and further their professional development.

Next Steps is not intended to support the creation or presentation of new work as the main purpose. Applicants seeking funding for projects with a focus on the creation or development of new work should consider apply for the Creative steps – New Work funding round.

• individuals aged 18+ who have lived in NSW for at least 12 months.
• This funding is for individuals only, and does not support group or organisational applications.
• A comprehensive explanation of eligibility requirements is provided on the Guidelines page.

Yes. Applicants need an ABN, or an auspice/funds administration arrangement in place by the time of contracting if successful. 

No. An applicant can only submit one application across the current ACFP Project Funding round streams. You can also be included as a group member in another application as long as you are not the lead applicant.

Yes. You can apply again if you were unsuccessful in the previous round, as long as the project is eligible and the activity dates fit this round.

No - If you were successful in receiving funding from the previous round of Next Steps, you can’t apply or be successful in this round of Next Steps funding.

However, you can apply for this round of Next Steps if you were successful in receiving funding from the previous project round (Creative Steps, Cultural Access and Creative Nations Projects).

You can submit an application, however if you are successful, a contract will not be issued, and payments will not be made until all Create NSW / Sound NSW acquittals have been submitted.

No. To be eligible for funding applicants must be based in NSW for at least 12 months prior to applying. 

Multi-year funded organisations are not eligible to apply for this funding, however can provide support for an individual artist who is the lead applicant. Support may include auspicing, providing space or equipment to make the work, or providing mentorship, training, partnership, or collaboration.

Applicants who are partnering or engaging with an organisation are encouraged to demonstrate that their project is distinctly led by the lead applicant, and that the planned activity does not form part of an organisations core program.

• Individuals can apply for $2,000 to $10,000.

• Applications open on 13 April 2026.
• Applications close at 2:00 pm on 25 May 2026.

• The activity must start after 1 September 2026.
• Activities must be completed by 31 December 2027.

No, there is only one round of Project funding planned for 2026. If you are planning a project that is taking place in 2027 you should apply for this current round. 

Upcoming rounds will be published on the Funding Calander when confirmed.

Yes. Create NSW does not fund 100% of the activity.

Your request can be no more than 95% of total costs. You must contribute at least 5% of the total project income, either in cash or in-kind.

No. You can only submit one application across the relevant Project Funding round programs. If you submit more than one, you may be asked to choose one for assessment.

No. If you were successful in the previous Professional Development – Next Steps project round, you cannot apply or be successful in this round.

Create NSW is unable to offer extensions to the published application period. Applications will close at 2:00 pm on Monday, 25 May 2026. Applicants are advised to submit their applications well before the round closing to avoid any last-minute issues.

If troubleshooting or general assistance is required, please contact arts.funding@create.nsw.gov.au.

This funding supports arts and cultural professional development activities that support artistic and professional growth. Examples include;

• training, workshops, masterclasses, mentoring or coaching
• conferences, networking events, residencies, leadership or development programs
• research or practice exploration

Yes. Conferences, sector events and networking opportunities can be eligible if they clearly support your professional development.

Yes. Overseas activity is eligible if it is clearly relevant to your professional development, such as a conference or opportunity that builds your skills, knowledge or networks.

Yes. Research can be funded if it is part of your professional development and helps strengthen your practice, skills or knowledge.

The key point is that the activity must focus on development, not on producing a new work outcome.

No. The grant does not support degree-based study. This funding does not support activities that directly support the delivery or requirements of an educational institution’s course or program.

Yes. You can involve mentors, collaborators, trainers or other practitioners. The application must be focused on your individual professional development outcomes.

Eligible costs can include:

• fees and wages for artist or professional involved in the project, including your own. It is important that you ensure that artist and professionals are paid at appropriate industry rates. Further information regarding rates of pay can be found in the Glossary.
• Travel and accommodation costs
• registration or tuition fees
• studio or venue hire, including the hiring of space for workshops, rehearsals, shows, exhibitions or presentations
• accessibility supports
• First Nations cultural protocols and ICIP costs
• administration costs for activities directly related to the project.

Yes. Your budget can include artist or professional fees, including your own, where they are directly related to the development activity and use appropriate industry rates.

Yes. Accessibility supports are an eligible cost. Applicants are encouraged to consider accessibility needs in both planning and budgeting.

Next Steps does not support:

• retrospective costs that take place prior to the eligible project start date (1 September 2026)
• Projects or activities that directly support the delivery or course requirements of an educational institution’s program or course
• Infrastructure or capital works
• Fundraising, donations, prizes or competitions
• loan repayments
• costs not directly related to the professional development activity
• films, TV shows or film festival projects, as these artforms are funded by Screen NSW
• contemporary music projects, as these artforms are funded by Sound NSW.

Professional development related to screen and film is not supported under this grant. Applicants working in these artforms should consider Appling to Screen NSW’s funding programs

Professional development related to contemporary music is not funded under this program, and applicants working in these artforms should consider apply to Sound NSW’s funding opportunities.

Applicants working in contemporary classical, contemporary opera, ensemble music, experimental and sound art, or community arts projects are eligible to apply.

Your application must include:

• an online form completed via SmartyGrants
• work samples (up to 25MB)
• letters of invitation, collaboration or partnership, where relevant
• outcome information such as location, audience or employment estimates, where relevant

No. General support letters are less useful than confirmation letters. If a partner, collaborator, venue or community relationship is important to the project, confirmation of that arrangement is stronger evidence.

Applications are assessed against three weighted criteria:

• Idea (50%)
• Diversity and Participation (25%)
• Planning Experience and Financial Management (25%)

“Idea” looks at the strength and clarity of your proposed professional development activity. You should explain: 

• What is your idea for this project?
• What do you want to achieve?
• How is the project important to your career or skill development?
• Why is now the right time?

Applicants should demonstrate that:

• The vision, aims and purpose of the activity are clear and substantiated.
• The activity is relevant to the artist, arts/cultural worker and their artform or area of practice
• The activity contributes to the career and skill development of the applicant.
• The activity contributes to the artist, arts/cultural worker’s economic development, including building new markets, networks and/or developing a more sustainable arts practice.
• The results of the activity are commensurate with the scope and scale of the proposal (does the project demonstrate value for money). 

This criteria looks at how the activity supports you and, where relevant, how it connects to the Strategic Priority Areas, including:

• First Nations 
• accessibility and equity 
• Regional NSW 
• Western Sydney 
• broad and inclusive communities 
• next generation of creatives and audiences. 

For definitions of the Strategic Priority Areas, see the ACFP Glossary. 

Address the assessment criteria related to Diversity and Participation: 

• The project contributes to personal and/or community wellbeing.  
• Has a positive impact on the Strategic Priority Areas.  
• Strengthens inclusion and equitable access to arts and cultural experiences.  

Planning, Experience and Financial Management is the third assessment criteria. This criteria looks at whether the activity is well planned, achievable, costed realistically and has the right people involved to deliver the project successfully.

In this section, demonstrate how you have planned to do the project, who will be involved and how you will manage any risks, including financial risks.

You may want to consider the following:

• What experience do you bring to this project?
• What skills and expertise do the artists, arts and cultural workers or organisations involved have that will ensure your project is a success?
• How will those involved help build your career and professional skills?
• How will the project’s activities create meaningful connection with artists, communities and/or audiences?
• Why are these the most appropriate activities for the project?
• What are the expected professional development outcomes for each activity?
• Have you included all the costs involved to deliver your project?
• Is the budget realistic and achievable?
• What other sources of funding are there for your project?
• If First Nations artists, cultural workers, Elders and/or communities are involved there may be expenses relating to protocols and ICIP.
• If there are expenses related to providing accessibility and inclusion?

Applicants should demonstrate that:

• The project has been planned appropriately with clear steps and activities.
• The budget is realistic and aligns with the proposed activities.
• If applicable, has evidence that First Nations protocols and ICIP protocols have been adhered to
• If applicable, has considered accessibility costs and requirements
• The scale of the project is commensurate with the funding amount requested (does the project demonstrate value for money).

A strong application is clear, specific and well planned. It should show alignment with the program objectives and should include relevant support material, realistic activities and outcomes, and a reasonable budget that matches the written proposal.

When writing your application you may wish to consider the following:

• Ensure the rationale for your proposal is appropriate to the funding round and that your project sits within the eligibility criteria.
• Consider how your proposal aligns with the Program Objective and clearly addresses the relevant assessment criteria.
• Ensure each response directly addresses the question being asked.  and clearly responds to the specific criteria assessed in that section.
• Use plain English and avoid flowery language and jargon. If you are using AI to help draft your application ensure that you retain your voice and that the responses are clear, concise and specific to your project.
• Substantiate your claims with clear examples, evidence, and relevant support material.
• Confirm that your timeline, budget, and proposed activities are consistent, realistic, and aligned.
• Be specific about the activities you will undertake as well as the expected outcomes.
• Avoid assuming prior knowledge of your work and ensure your application clearly explains your proposal without leaving gaps for interpretation.
• Remember that applications are assessed by the Artform Boards. More information on the Artform Boards, including definitions for each Board, and the members' biographies can be found here.

Additional tips and tricks:

• Having a third party look over your application before it is submitted can be helpful to see the application from a fresh perspective.
• Consider your proposal through the eyes of an assessor who may not be familiar with your past work; ensuring that the rationale and projected outcomes are easily understood.

A strong budget is:

• realistic
• clear
• aligned with the project and matching the scale of the activity
• supported by notes where needed, especially when clarifying larger items
• break-even (without a surplus or deficit).

It should show:

• how the money will be spent
• where income is coming from
• how the project is being co-contributed to.

Yes. The budget should clearly reflect the project described in your written answers. 

Yes. Budget notes are useful for showing:

• how figures were calculated
• how artist fees were worked out
• how ticket income or other revenue estimates were reached.

Yes. Your budget must break even, meaning total income (including the Create NSW request, your cash contribution and any in-kind support) must equal total expenses. Budgets should not show a surplus or a deficit and must clearly reflect the project described in your application.

Key principles to keep in mind

• Create NSW does not fund 100% of a project’s total income.
  • The amount requested from Create NSW must be no more than 90% of the total project income.
  • This means applicants must contribute at least 10% of the total project income from other cash and/or in‑kind sources.

Total project income is made up of two parts:

• Total project income = Create NSW amount requested + applicant contribution (cash and in‑kind).

Your budget must break even:

• Total project income = total expenditure = total project cost.
• The income you list must exactly match what you plan to spend on the project.

These requirements work together and must all be met for an application to be eligible.

In summary

Always calculate percentages using total project income, not just the Create NSW request.

Ensure the Create NSW amount is no more than 90% of total income (or, equivalently, that the contribution is at least 10%).

Make sure total income equals total expenditure, so the budget breaks even.

Support material should be recent and relevant. Most importantly it should clearly support the project you are proposing. 

Keep it focused. Only include material that is directly relevant and easy for assessors to review.

Support material can include documentation of current or previous work, project mock-ups or images, video/audio or text excerpts that help to outline the work that you have done or are proposing. If relevant, you may wish to supply biographies/CV's for relevant parties engaged in your project.

Yes. The inclusion of fees that enable the artist/arts workers directly involved in the project to do their work can be included in your budget. This may be a percentage based on the number of childcare hours per week or ad hoc childcare required for the artist/arts worker to participate.

Create NSW does not fund 100% of a project’s budget.

Demonstrating personal contributions such as cash or in-kind support, or additional funding sources for larger projects can help to substantiate the viability of the project. 

Yes. Travel and accommodation can be included if they are directly related to the project. 

Yes. Marketing and promotion costs to promote the project, reach audiences and share outcomes are eligible and could include costs like design, printing and digital promotion.

Yes. Accessibility costs should be included where relevant. These could be any costs that remove barriers so all people, including people with disability or who are d/Deaf can participate, such as Auslan, captioning, access support or access equipment. 

Access costs could include the cost of childcare for the artist or arts worker to participate in the activity.

Yes. You will need to clearly show:

• why those collaborators are essential
• how the project benefits NSW artists and/or audiences.

Paying wages and fees of artists and arts/cultural workers should be based on relevant awards and industry rates. For example, events or activities receiving funding from Create NSW must pay at least $250 fee for musicians. This fee is based on a ‘3 hour call’ as set out in the Live Performance Award.

Additional information regarding sector specific award rates can be found in the Glossary.

Yes, all wages and fees should be subject to on costs, superannuation and workers comp. For further details see  Australian Taxation Office.

Not necessarily, however confirmation of activities, partners or collaborators can help to strengthen an application.

Applications submitted to Create NSW’s Arts and Cultural Funding Program (ACFP) are assessed by 10 Artform Boards with up to 20 members on each board. Applicants can learn more about the Artform Boards via the Artform Board FAQs.

Create NSW supports applicants working across a broad range of artforms and mediums. Further information about the specific artforms that each Artform Boards support can be found in the Artform Board FAQs.

Choose the Artform Board that best matches the main focus of your practice and development activity.

If your work crosses disciplines, select the board best placed to understand the context of what you are proposing.

If your work is cross-disciplinary, focus on the board that is most aligned to your:

• long-term practice
• main purpose of the activity.

Yes. Previous funding recipients are listed on the guidelines page of each round, and can be found via the Funding Calendar.

Grants are generally considered to be income and may affect your tax. Create NSW is unable to offer tax advice, so applicants are encouraged to speak to a financial professional or contact the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) directly.

If applicants are seeking a large funding request it is highly recommended that they understand the tax implications of receiving funds prior to contracting. 

No. Budgets should be exclusive of GST. If you are successful you can include GST on your invoice if required. 

Before you start

We encourage you to review the eligibility and assessment criteria before starting your application. This will help you understand the requirements of the program and determine whether your project is suitable.

Accessing SmartyGrants

• If you are a new user, you will need to register and create a password before starting your application.
• If you are already registered, you can log in using your existing username and password.

Viewing the application form

Please note that SmartyGrants uses conditional logic. This means:

• You are unable to view all sections of the application when you first begin.
• Additional pages and questions will become visible as you complete earlier sections and depending on your responses.

Yes. Applicants can request:

• a Word version of the form
• dictation support
• translation support
• the option to answer some questions by audio or video.

No. Applications must be submitted via SmartyGrants.

No. Create NSW staff can provide general guidance on the guidelines and eligibility, but they cannot give feedback on draft applications.

If your project is not suitable for this grant round we encourage you to explore current and future funding opportunities listed on our Funding Calendar. To keep up to date with Create NSW opportunities we encourage you to sign up to the Create NSW E-News.

Create NSW staff can provide information on the guidelines, but cannot provide feedback on draft applications.

If you have a question, please check the online resources posted at: nsw.gov.au/acfp.

This webpage includes links to:

• FAQs, continuously updated with answers to common questions throughout application period;
• Glossary of definitions and common terms;
• Webinar recordings for information on each of the ACFP Project programs; and
• Information on the Artform Boards.

For technical assistance, or if you have a question that is not in the FAQs, you can contact Create NSW via:

• Email: arts.funding@create.nsw.gov.au
• Phone: (02) 9228 4578

Applications go through:

• an eligibility check
• assessment and scoring by the relevant Create NSW Artform Boards
• board recommendations
• approval by the NSW Minister for the Arts.

Outcomes are expected in August 2026. Applicants will be notified of their outcome via email once the results are finalised. 

Successful applicants will receive a funding agreement outlining payment arrangements, reporting requirements and acknowledgement requirements. All recipients must complete an acquittal at the end of the project.

Create NSW does not provide individual feedback on unsuccessful applications. General feedback from your Artform Board will be provided with your outcome notification.