Next Steps funding delivers career-enhancing opportunities for NSW artists

The Professional Development Next Steps program will support artists through individual grants up to $10,000 to take up creative residencies, mentorships, research projects or participate in local and international creative development programs.  

These career-enhancing opportunities will open doors to new skills, audiences, creative collaborations and professional growth. The projects are wide-ranging with NSW artists engaging with opportunities locally or travelling as far as Mexico, USA, Lisbon, Paris, Rome, and Edinburgh, to learn from global leaders or connect with audiences and networks worldwide.  

A key priority for the professional development funding program is supporting under-represented groups including First Nations artists, artists from diverse communities or those living in regional NSW or Western Sydney. Of the 44 successful applications, more than a third (17) are regionally-based artists and a quarter (11) are from Western Sydney.   

The artists supported also represent diverse artforms and creative practices – Aboriginal arts and culture, classical music, dance, festivals, history and museums, literature, theatre, physical theatre and visual arts.

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From Western Sydney, Dale Maxwell-Smith will undertake a research trip to Scotland, visiting local museums and looking at new models for building capacity and organisational sustainability in the museum sector. Dale will work closely with Museums Galleries Scotland and have the opportunity to meet with a wide range of sector experts across areas of change management, governance, diversity and inclusion, environmental sustainability and climate change, developing case studies and resources focused on innovation and resilience for small and volunteer-led museums in NSW.  

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Mid-career artistic director Janie Gibson, from Whale Chorus theatre company in Newcastle, will be supported to undertake a mentorship in directing and creating original theatre in a regional context with Northern Rivers Performing Arts (NORPA) in Lismore. Under the guidance of NORPA’s artistic director, Janie aims to strengthen her skills, knowledge and capacity as an artistic director, and bring these skills home to support artists and engage audiences in Newcastle’s thriving theatre culture.

Create NSW received 103 eligible applications, delivering an overall success rate of 43 per cent. All applications were assessed and recommended against published criteria by Artform Boards.  

Create NSW’s next round of ACFP Project Funding will open in April 2026. For more information, visit create.nsw.gov.au 

Create NSW Executive Director, Kerri Glasscock said:  

“This investment in the professional growth of NSW artists will have far-reaching impact, catapulting artists to develop their potential on local and global stages. Artists need creative collaboration to build vital skills or test creative ideas, and this program will open the right doors to lead artists to career-defining opportunities.”   

Professional Development Next Steps funding recipient, Janie Gibson said:  

"This is an exciting opportunity for me to gain insight and experience from a leading regional theatre company and develop increased capacity in place-based, community engaged theatre. I also hope to strengthen cross-regional collaboration and relationships, inspiring new creative opportunities I’ll be able to share within the vibrant theatre culture in Newcastle.”