2026 Creative Nations

Program objective

In response toCreative Communities, the NSW arts, culture and creative industries policy, the purpose of this funding is to strengthen communities though equitable access to vibrant arts and cultural experiences.

This funding could:

• enable the creation and presentation of new work and the ability to access resources and expertise for individual artists projects or artistic/professional development
• create more employment and professional development opportunities for First Nations artists and cultural workers
• invest in First Nations led organisations and help cultural workers become leaders
• enable the sharing of First Nations stories and truth telling
• support personal and community wellbeing and economic development.

Image Credit: Smoke, Arts Northern Rivers, 2024 Image by Kate Holmes

This program is administered by Create NSW.

Eligibility

What your application needs to include

After the application is submitted

Successful applications will be decided by: Minister for the Arts

Applications to Creative Nations are assessed by the First Nations Arts and Culture Artform Board who provides recommendations to the NSW Minister for the Arts. More information on the Create NSW Artform Boards can be found here. 

Successful applications will be decided by: NSW Minister for the Arts

Once submitted, applications will undergo a staged assessment process, including assessment against eligibility and essential criteria, as outlined below. 

Assessment Process

Pre-eligibility 

After submitting your application, you will receive a confirmation email from SmartyGrants. Create NSW staff will check eligibility.

Assessment Stage 1

First Nations Artform Board members will score your application based on the criteria.   

Individuals and groups will be assessed separately from organisations.

The Board may choose not to progress an application if it does not meet the published criteria.

Assessment Stage 2  

Artform Board member’s assessment scores will be amalgamated and presented at the Artform Board assessment meetings to determine final recommendations. 

Final recommendations by the Artform Boards will consider the assessment criteria, the funding objectives, the geographical distribution, and the range and scale of applications. This may include prioritising applications with outcomes that address ACFP Strategic Priority Areas, geographical distribution, and artform spread.  

Assessment Stage 3

Create NSW will consolidate and finalise recommendations based on the Artform Boards’ assessments and recommendations, number of applications by artform, availability of funds, and geographical distribution and ACFP Strategic Priority Areas to ensure equity across the state and the best outcomes for NSW government investment.  

Assessment process considerations

Applicants should note that:   

• The NSW Government typically receives far more applications than it can support. 
• Funding allocation follows a competitive process. You are not guaranteed funding even if your application meets the published criteria.  
• If you are successful, your application may not be funded to the amount you requested.  

Create NSW may, at its sole discretion and at any stage of the application process, do all or any of the following:  

• Require additional information from an applicant. 
• May request applicants to provide clarification or additional information regarding the eligibility criteria. 
• Change the scope of the requirements of these guidelines. 
• Vary, amend (including by replacement), or terminate the application process.  
• Re-open an application after the closing date, provided it doesn’t give the applicant an advantage over other applicants.  
• Consider any non-conforming or late application.   
• Request further advice and/or clarification from applicants during the assessment process.  The purpose of clarifying information will be to resolve ambiguity – applicants will not be able to strengthen their application through this process.    

Create NSW may also use previously submitted applications and acquittal data to inform the decision making of this funding round. 

Successful Grant Applications

If your application is successful: you will be sent a funding agreement (contract). This outlines the conditions of funding, how you will be paid and your reporting requirements. 

All applicants must have an active ABN with a nominated bank account or provide details of a funds administrator. 

• Individuals must have a sole trader ABN or private company ABN (only if the individual is the sole director) or a funds administrator and a nominated bank account. 
• Unincorporated groups, associations, organisations or other entities that do not have legal status must be contracted by an individual or a funds administrator on behalf of the group, association or organisation. 
• Partnerships and organisations with legal status must have an ABN which matches their entity name and a nominated bank account. 

The Nominated Bank Account must be a separate account at a financial institution used solely for the Grant, or an existing general account at a financial institution where adequate internal financial controls are in place to identify the Grant. 

All applicants must: 

• complete an acquittal at the end of the funding period. 
• acknowledge Create NSW funding in all publicity materials. 

You may be asked by Create NSW staff to provide additional information as a special condition to the agreement:  

• a Connection to Place Statement, reference letter or letters from First Nations peers or community groups, to show details of your Cultural Artform Affirmation and how you are working with First Nations Protocols and ICIP. 
• a detailed budget  
• Other information as specified by the Artform Board 

Contracts will not be issued, and payments will not be made, until all Create NSW/Sound NSW outstanding acquittals have been submitted.  

Notification of application outcomes 

All applicants will be notified by August 2026. 

Create NSW does not provide individual feedback on applications. General feedback provided by the Artform Boards will be available once applicants are notified of the outcomes.   

Anticipated date for funding deed execution with successful applicants is within one month of successful notification.   

Publication of grants information 

The Grants Administration Guide (Guide) requires that certain information is published in relation to grants awarded no later than 45 calendar days after the grant agreement takes effect (see section 6.5 of the Guide and Appendix A to the Guide). 

This information is also open access information under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) (GIPA Act), which must be made publicly available unless there is an overriding public interest against disclosure of the information. 

In accordance with these requirements, relevant information about the grants awarded, including at minimum: the project name, the project location, the grant recipient name, and the grant recipient location or contact address will be made available on the NSW Government Grants and Funding Finder within 45 calendar days of the funding agreement being executed, unless an exemption applies.  

Please refer to Information for Funding Recipients for more detailed processes for successful applicants.   

This includes:  

• Program evaluation  
• Conflict of interest management  
• Organisations working with First Nations people or communities  
• Complaint handling, access to information and privacy  

Support and contact