Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: From $500 to $2,000
- Application opened: 1 April 2025
- Application closed: 30 April 2025
Program objective
Arts Mid North Coast's CASP program aims to support community arts and cultural development in the Mid North Coast region through small grants that:
- assist locally determined community arts and cultural activities
- increase opportunities for regionally based groups to access a diverse range of arts programs
- enable communities to explore and express their cultural identities
- bring social and economic benefits to the community through training, employment and promotional opportunities
- lead to greater awareness and appreciation of cultural diversity
- increase the sustainability and resilience of regionally based community arts organisations
The Country Arts Support Program supports the following Create NSW ACFP priority areas:
- people living and/or working in regional NSW
- NSW Aboriginal people
- people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
- people with disability
- young people.
Image credit: Jeremy Thomas
This program is administered by Create NSW.
Eligibility
Who can apply
- A not for profit incorporated body
- An individual / sole trader with current ABN
- Groups/Collectives (A lead Project Administrator must have an ABN)
- A group/collective with a nominated Funds Administrator (see Definitions at the bottom of this page)
Location that are eligible include Bellingen, Coffs Harbour, Kempsey, Nambucca Valley, Port Macquarie-Hastings
Types of projects funded under this grant
Projects including but not limited to:
- workshops
- arts activities as part of community festivals or events
- activation of community halls for arts events/activities
- artist-in-residence programs
- public art and design projects
- performances
- community seminars and forums
- exhibitions
- other local arts initiatives
When the project can start and end
Projects are to take place between 1 July 2025 – 28 February 2026.
The project should be started by 1 July 2025 and the project must be completed by 28 February 2026.
Who can’t apply
- Individuals, Groups and organisations based outside of Arts Mid North Coast region or applying for projects based outside those areas
- Interstate organisations
- Professional touring groups
- Commercial enterprises
- Groups/ensembles and unincorporated associations with no Funds Administrator
- Regional Conservatoriums
- Organisations that have applied for or received Create NSW funding for the same activity
- Previous recipients where the use of the grant did not, in the opinion of the CASP state assessment panel, conform to the spirit and intentions of these guidelines
- Local, state and federal government departments, including schools (except P&Cs who are incorporated).
Types of projects not funded under this grant
CASP will not fund:
- Core equipment purchases (such as laptops, artworks, musical instruments), you can purchase art materials required for the project / event / workshop.
- Capital expenses (infrastructure/building activities)
- fundraising and donations, awards, competition entry fees or prize money
- Applicants who have already received Create NSW or other funding for the same activities
- repayment of loans regarding funding opportunities
- General operating expenses or ongoing costs of long-term continuous projects
- Projects that have commenced or are completed
- Sporting and religious events/activities
- activities that are carried out to satisfy the course requirements of an educational institution, such as a TAFE or university
- activities that directly support the delivery of an educational program, school curriculum or course, and delivered during school hours at a single institution.
- reimbursement to recover costs of items already purchased (such as flights, accommodation, and materials)
What your application needs to include
Prepare your application with this checklist
- All support material must be relevant to your project and submitted with your application.
- If your project involves working with children and young people, participants must supply a current Working With Children Check Number.
- Applicants should consider access for People with Disability in their information and events.
- Applications with creative content and/or stated intended outcomes relating to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander artists, communities or their activities must provide letters of support from relevant Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander artists and/or communities. Please ensure you download and read Create NSW’s Aboriginal Arts and Cultural Protocols at https://www.create.nsw.gov.au/arts-in-nsw/aboriginal-arts-and-culture-protocols/
- All applications must have a current certificate of currency for Broadform Liability or ‘Public Liability’ Insurance.
Address the eligibility criteria
Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria.
Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.
Address the assessment criteria
Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:
- Artistic and cultural merit (Merit)
- Relevance, extent and depth of community engagement and participation (Impact)
- Evidence of consultation with and support from the community (Impact)
- Evidence of adequate planning, budgeting and capacity to manage the project (Viability)
Priority is given to projects which address these criteria and provide artist fees at industry rates.
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: Arts Mid North Coast Assessment Panel
All applications must be submitted via the Country Arts Support Program (CASP) 2025 Application in SmartyGrants by midnight by midnight Wednesday 30 April 2025. Applications will not be accepted after that time.
Once your application is received and has been deemed eligible, it will be assessed, rated and prioritised by the CASP Regional Assessment Panel.
Arts Mid North Coast staff will make final recommendations with reference to the assessment criteria, artform, demographics and the distribution, range and scale of recommended applicants.
Anticipated assessment outcome date is 19/05/2025
Anticipated date for funding deed execution with successful applicants is 26/05/2025
Support and contact
Olivia Parker, Executive Director, Arts Mid North Coast. E: director@artsmidnorthcoast.org P: 02 6658 9400