Adrianne Armida
Venue Upgrade Grants has two funding programs:
Advice and Planning will be offered across three closing dates:
- Thursday 17 September 2026 – for activity starting after 19 October
- Monday 23 November 2026 – for activity starting after 11 January 2027
- Monday 3 May 2027 – for activity starting after 7 June.
Infrastructure and Equipment will run as a two-stage process:
- Stage one – Applications to the expression of interest round will close at 2pm on 28 September
- Stage two – Venues successful at the expression of interest round will be invited to submit a full application.
General questions
No. Applications are limited to incorporated entities, trusts with an Australian Business Number (ABN) or Australian Company Number (ACN), or organizations registered under NSW Fair Trading.
No. The program is not open to venues operated by Government (Federal, State or Local). Crown leased properties are eligible where operated by an otherwise eligible entity.
No. The program is only open to venues accessible by the public.
No. Venues with Producer / Wholesale, Limited, Pop-up or Packaged Liquor Licences are ineligible.
No. Mobile venues, vessels (boats), or venues without a fixed address are ineligible.
No. You are limited to one application per venue per round.
You can only receive two Sound NSW grants in competitive programs per financial year (based on closing date).
Regional NSW is defined as the areas outside Greater Sydney. Sound NSW defines Greater Sydney as including the local government areas of the Northern Beaches and Hornsby Shire to the North, Hawkesbury City to the North-West, City of Blue Mountains to the West, Wollondilly Shire to the South-West and Sutherland Shire to the South.
Yes, but any changes must be pre-approved by Sound NSW and comply with the funding agreement’s terms.
The NSW Government is committed to ensuring artists are paid fairly for live performance. If you are employing artists to perform live as any part of your grant, Sound NSW expects all artists to receive a $250 minimum payment (plus superannuation) for each artist. You can read more about this minimum fee for government funded shows at Musicians Australia.
Artists, acts, industry professionals and organisations with a primary focus in the below artforms are not supported through Sound NSW:
- experimental music and sound art
- contemporary classical, opera, choral and ensembles
- music theatre
- working in and with community music groups
These applicants should refer to Create NSW’s Arts and Cultural Funding Program (ACFP) guidelines.
Superannuation is a Commonwealth legislative requirement administered by the Australian Taxation Office.
More information related to the obligations of the new superannuation requirements can be found at About Payday Super - Superannuation Changes | Australian Taxation Office.
MusicNSW is the peak body for contemporary music in New South Wales. Their website has some great advice about Payday Super, including FAQs and a flow chart.
Advice and planning
Yes. Applicants must contribute at least 30% in cash to the overall project budget.
Infrastructure and equipment
No. You may submit an application for either equipment and infrastructure works OR high-end audiovisual systems and advanced lighting technology works. Applicants are not permitted to apply for both.
No. The Expression of Interest round follows a competitive process, with applications scored against the published assessment criteria. Sound NSW receives far more applications than it can support, and only those venues that have scored highly across all criteria will be invited to submit a full application.
No. The full application stage follows a competitive process, with applications scored against the published assessment criteria. Only those venues that have scored highly across all criteria and ranked within the available budget will be recommended for funding.
Applicants must co-contribute at least 30% of the overall project budget (this can include cash and in-kind contributions).
- in-kind contribution can include any donated goods, services or volunteer work to support a project.
- cash contribution can include financial contributions made within the last 12 months towards any infrastructure upgrade works or costs associated with preparing for upgrades.
Special consideration may be given to venues who cannot meet the co-contribution requirement if they can demonstrate significant contribution to the contemporary live music ecosystem. Please contact Sound NSW to discuss.
Any waiver of the eligibility requirements for applicants will be undertaken in accordance with the Grants Administration Guide and will be informed by whether the eligibility criteria would:
- lead to perverse or unfair outcomes;
- be contrary to policy intent;
- damage the reputation and integrity of the grant program.
Any decision to waive eligibility criteria will be made by the decision maker at their absolute discretion.
A Venue Assessment is a report conducted by a qualified and experienced professional within their field relating to your chosen infrastructure area – Soundproofing, Ventilation, Accessibility or Energy Efficiency.
This report should identify the current needs of the venue, recommended works and projected outcomes of these work.
Venue Assessments should be:
- completed prior to submission of your application
- independently written without bias or personal interest (not a contractor working on the project or internal venue staff)
- detailed & specific
- supportive of your project plan – communicate clearly with
your venue assessor.
Projects for infrastructure relating to soundproofing, ventilation, accessibility or energy efficiency all require a venue assessment to support your application.
Venue assessments are not required for equipment (purchase of production equipment including sound, lighting and staging or purchase of video screen and audiovisual technology).
If you are completing infrastructure works and do not submit a venue assessment, it will be deemed ineligible.
As long as the acoustic report meets the definitions laid out of a venue assessment and makes specific reference to works you intend to complete in your application, this will be fine.
Please note you may not claim the cost of a venue assessment as a co-contribution if it was completed over 12 months prior.
The gaming analysis is included to give venues the opportunity to demonstrate to assessors that, despite having gaming facilities, the venue's primary purpose is to stage and present contemporary live music.
The analysis should outline the venue's gaming revenue or profit in the context of its overall operating costs and its contribution to the live music economy.
There is no prescribed format for this analysis, as each venue is unique and the information provided will vary. If an application scores well overall and assessors require additional information beyond what has been submitted, a member of the Sound NSW team will contact the applicant directly.