NSW arts and cultural funding opportunity opens for projects and regional tours

A total of $4.28 million is available to support local artists and organisations, spanning all artforms, to develop creative practices, produce and present new creative works, reach new audiences and connect communities through culture. 

2026 Regional Arts Touring Fund (Round 1) 

Individual artists, groups and organisations with plans to tour productions to regional NSW communities may apply for:   

• 2026 Regional Arts Touring (Round 1) - (up to $75,000 for individuals, and up to $120,000 for organisations) - Funding  is open to a diverse range of innovative NSW art and cultural programs that appeal to audiences of any age to take their show on the road - from theatre and children’s shows, classical music, comedy and dance, to literature programs, touring visual art and museum exhibitions. The program supports NSW artists to increase their audience reach and touring capacity, while providing more equitable access for regional audiences to exciting arts and cultural experiences and live performance, including new work produced in NSW.   

2026 Project Funding 

First Nations artists and organisations may apply for:

• Creative Nations - (between $10,000 and $75,000 for individuals and $20,000 to $100,000 for organisations) - a dedicated funding program for First Nations-led arts and cultural projects. Creative Nations supports projects that sustain and strengthen First Nations arts and culture including contemporary artistic practice, community‑led storytelling and truth‑telling initiatives.

Individual NSW-based artists may apply for one of the following programs:

• Creative Steps – New Work (up to $75,000) to develop or present new creative work, or

• Cultural Access – Priority Areas (up to $75,000 for individuals) for projects led by or engaging with priority areas and target populations – namely First Nations, culturally and linguistically diverse, young people, disability and d/Deaf communities, LGBTQIA+ and communities located in Western Sydney and regional NSW; or

• Professional Development - Next Steps (up to $10,000) to participate in professional development opportunities to propel careers to the next level

Arts and cultural organisations (not currently funded by the Multi-year Arts and Cultural Funding Program) may apply for: 

• Cultural Access - Priority Area projects funding (up to $100,000 for organisations) to support projects that are led by or engage with priority areas and target populations 

This year, these four Project Funding programs (Creative Nations, Creative Steps – New Work, Professional Development – Next Steps and Cultural Access – Priority Area) are available for one round in 2026. 

Applications are open until 25 May 2026. Eligible applications are competitively and independently assessed by Artform Boards. 

Visit create.nsw.gov.au for guidelines, support resources and application details.